Motorcycle License in Arkansas
Verified against Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Arkansas issues a Class M motorcycle operator's license to a rider 16 or older, and a Class MD special license, limited to a motor-driven cycle of 250cc or less, to a 14- or 15-year-old; a Class MD holder is automatically upgraded to the full Class M license at 16 with no further testing. The Division of Arkansas State Police administers the written and road tests, and waives the road test for an applicant who completed a Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider course within the previous 90 days; Arkansas has no single statewide training programme, so riders train through independent MSF-curriculum schools, dealership academies and rider groups. Arkansas requires a helmet only of an operator or passenger under 21, though every rider, regardless of age, must wear eye protection.
Arkansas's motorcycle license requirements — including a $40 licence fee, a minimum age of 16, and a training course completion that can waive the skills test if within 3 months — are verified against Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services (see Arkansas Code § 27-20-106 to § 27-20-108 (motorcycle operator's license, application, examination) — Arkansas Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws, 2021 Edition), current as of 2026-07-28.
Arkansas Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Instruction Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 14 |
| Permit fee | — |
| Permit validity | 730 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 16 |
| License fee | $40 |
| Renewal | — / 8 years, renewable up to 90 days before expiration |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Required |
Arkansas Code defines a 'motorcycle' as displacing more than 250cc and a 'motor-driven cycle' as 250cc or less; Class M covers both. No original applicant — one never previously licensed by any jurisdiction — may take the road test without having held a valid instruction permit for at least 30 days. A person who signs a minor's application for a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle license, as a parent, guardian or other responsible adult, is liable for the minor's negligence or wilful misconduct while riding, in the same way as for a car licence.
Completing Arkansas's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test if within 3 months. See Arkansas’s motorcycle safety course.
Engine-size tiers
- Class MD special license (motor-driven cycle, 250cc or less, ages 14-15) (up to 250cc, separate credential) — Available to an applicant aged 14 or 15 to operate a motor-driven cycle displacing 250cc or less. It requires the applicant to furnish a certificate from Arkansas State Police showing they passed a written examination and a road test. It expires on the licensee's sixteenth birthday, at which point the holder is automatically issued the unrestricted Class M license without further examination.
Arkansas helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 21 or older
All passengers and operators of a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or motorized bicycle must wear protective headgear unless the rider is 21 or older. A violation of this section is a misdemeanour carrying a fine of between $10 and $50, up to 30 days in jail, or both. The requirement does not apply on a farm, on private property, or when riding specifically to move the vehicle to a farm.
Ark. Code § 27-20-104(b) · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- Licence classes, ages and fees come from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Testing procedures, the road-test waiver and helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Arkansas Code, as compiled in the Arkansas Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws book. Arkansas State Police, not DFA, administers the written and road examinations and issues the instruction permit.
- Arkansas has no statewide motorcycle training programme; the Arkansas Highway Safety Office describes its own role as public-awareness campaigning rather than rider training. Riders train through independent Motorcycle Safety Foundation schools, rider groups and dealership academies, any of which can supply the certificate that waives the road test.
- Completing a recognised rider course waives the road test only, not the written knowledge test, and the completion certificate must be dated within 90 days of the license application.
- Arkansas's helmet law applies only to a rider under 21. Every rider, regardless of age, must wear eye protection.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Arkansas Code § 27-20-106 to § 27-20-108 (motorcycle operator's license, application, examination) — Arkansas Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws, 2021 Edition
- Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration — Motorcycle License
- Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration — Non-Commercial Information (NCL)
- Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration — Learner's and Intermediate License
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Arkansas Code § 27-20-106 to § 27-20-108 (motorcycle operator's license, application, examination) — Arkansas Motor Vehicle and Traffic Laws, 2021 Edition