Motorcycle License in Delaware
Verified against Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles ·
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 →
Delaware adds a motorcycle endorsement to an existing driver's licence. An applicant 18 or older may pass a written exam and a road skills test at the Division of Motor Vehicles, or complete the state's Motorcycle Rider Education Program to waive both; an applicant under 18 must complete the program. Delaware requires every rider and passenger to carry an approved helmet, but only riders and passengers up to 19, and any newly endorsed rider (and their passenger) within their first two years, must actually wear it.
Delaware's motorcycle license requirements — including a $12 fee to add the endorsement and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles (see Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles — Drivers License/Identification Cards (Motorcycle Endorsement)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Delaware Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Instruction Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | — |
| Permit fee | — |
| Permit validity | 180 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| License fee | $12 |
| Renewal | — |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Required |
Anyone who operates a motorcycle, motorbike or other two- or three-wheeled motor-driven vehicle on Delaware's highways must hold a driver's licence with a motorcycle endorsement. An applicant under 18 must have the application signed by a parent or legal guardian and must complete the Motorcycle Rider Education Program's Basic Rider Course; the written and road tests are not an alternative route for a minor. An applicant who passes the knowledge and skills examination on a three-wheeled motor vehicle receives a 'Three-Wheel Only' restriction added to the motorcycle endorsement, rather than a separate credential.
Completing Delaware's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Delaware’s motorcycle safety course.
Delaware helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 19 years of age or older
- the rider is not, and is not riding with, a person who obtained a motorcycle endorsement less than two years ago — A 'newly-endorsed person' is anyone who obtained a motorcycle endorsement on or after 30 July 2023. For the first two years after obtaining the endorsement, that person must wear a helmet and eye protection regardless of age, and so must any passenger they carry, even if the passenger is 19 or older.
Delaware's helmet rule has a layer most states do not: every operator and passenger, of any age, must have an approved safety helmet in their possession while riding, even when the law does not require them to wear it. Wearing it is mandatory for anyone up to 19, and for any newly endorsed rider (endorsed on or after 30 July 2023) and their passenger during that rider's first two years, regardless of age. A rider who is 19 or older and beyond their own first two years of endorsement may carry the helmet without wearing it. Violation is a civil or administrative assessment of not less than $25 nor more than $50; no other court cost may be added and it is not a criminal offence.
21 Del. C. § 4185(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.
- Endorsement rules, permits, tests and fees come from the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, which also designs and runs the state's own Motorcycle Rider Education Program directly. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Delaware Code.
- Delaware's helmet law has two layers. Every rider and passenger must carry an approved helmet at all times, but only has to wear it if they are under 19, or if they (or the rider they are travelling with) obtained their motorcycle endorsement within the last two years.
- The Motorcycle Rider Education Program's Basic Rider Course costs $50 for Delaware residents and $200 for out-of-state residents; a shorter Additional Riding Course for prior graduates costs $35 and $100 respectively.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles — Drivers License/Identification Cards (Motorcycle Endorsement)