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
| Requirement | Delaware |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Instruction Permit |
| Permit minimum age | — |
| Permit fee | — |
| Permit validity | 180 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| License fee | $12 |
| Renewal fee | — |
| 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.
How do you get a motorcycle license in Delaware?
- Pass the knowledge test. Delaware requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
- Get your motorcycle permit. It is valid for 180 days.
- Hold the permit, and train if required. You must hold the permit at least 10 days before taking the skills test. Riders under 18 must complete a motorcycle safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. Delaware requires a motorcycle skills test. Completing Delaware's motorcycle safety course waives it.
- Pay the fee and get your license. The license costs $12.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in Delaware
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in Delaware?
Issued after passing the motorcycle knowledge examination; valid for six months and may be extended once for a further six months on payment of a $5 extension fee, applied for before the existing permit expires. A permit holder may not carry a passenger, may ride only between sunrise and sunset, may not ride on the federal interstate system, and must wear an approved safety helmet and eye protection at all times. A permit must be held at least 10 days before the road skills test may be taken.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in Delaware?
The Division does not publish a minimum age for the motorcycle instruction permit or endorsement beyond requiring the applicant already hold a Delaware driver's licence. An applicant under 18 who wants to take the state's Basic Rider Course must first hold a full, unrestricted Class D licence — Delaware does not admit a Graduated Driver's License holder to the course — which itself is available from age 17 after 12 months on a Level 1 learner's permit, so course-based enrolment before 18 is possible only from 17.
Does Delaware require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, Delaware requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
A written examination required of every applicant 18 or older who does not complete the Motorcycle Rider Education Program. Completing the approved program waives it.
Does Delaware require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, Delaware requires a motorcycle skills test. In Delaware, completing Delaware's motorcycle safety course waives it.
A road skills test at a DMV facility, conducted every weekday except Wednesday and not administered in rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog or high winds. The requirement that a licensed accompanying driver 21 or older be present for a road exam does not apply to the motorcycle skills exam. Completing the Motorcycle Rider Education Program waives it; a graduate instead receives a Student Completion Card to present at a DMV office.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in Delaware?
A motorcycle license in Delaware costs $12.
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)