Motorcycle License in Kansas
Verified against Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of 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 →
Kansas issues a Class M driver's license for motorcycle operation, reachable from age 14 through a graduated sequence of instruction permit, restricted license and full license. Completing an approved motorcycle safety course under the Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum or Department of Defense Instruction 6055.04 waives both the written and driving tests at any age; no course is otherwise mandatory. Kansas requires a helmet and eye protection only for a rider or passenger under 18, and requires eye protection of every operator regardless of age unless the motorcycle carries a tall windscreen.
Kansas's motorcycle license requirements — including a minimum age of 17 and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles (see K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Kansas Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Kansas |
|---|---|
| Permit | Class M Instruction Permit |
| Permit minimum age | 14 years |
| Permit fee | $2 |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 17 years |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal fee | — |
| Renewal period | 6 years for a licensee aged 21 to 64; 4 years from 65; a license issued under 21 expires on the licensee's 21st birthday, after which it follows the 6-year cycle |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
Kansas prices the Class M license itself by the applicant's age at issue rather than as a single figure: $12.50 for ages 21 through 64, $9 from 65, and $20 under 21. All three cover the license for the validity period that applies to that age band; none is a per-year rate.
How do you get a motorcycle license in Kansas?
- Reach the minimum permit age. You must be at least 14 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Kansas.
- Pass the knowledge test. Kansas requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $2. It is valid for 365 days.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. Kansas requires a motorcycle skills test. Completing Kansas's motorcycle safety course waives it.
- Pay the fee and get your license. The minimum age for an unrestricted motorcycle license in Kansas is 17.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in Kansas
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in Kansas?
You must be at least 14 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Kansas.
An applicant must pass the vision and written knowledge tests before the permit is issued; the driving test is not required for a permit. An applicant aged 14 or 15 needs written parental or guardian consent. Uniquely among Kansas's graduated-license classes, the motorcycle permit carries the same riding-companion condition at every age: the permit holder must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who holds a valid Class M license with at least a year of experience and who is riding a motorcycle in the permit holder's general proximity, or riding as its passenger. This condition does not lapse at 17 or 18 the way it does for a Kansas passenger-car instruction permit; it applies under both K.S.A. 8-2,100(c), for an applicant aged 14 to 16, and K.S.A. 8-239, for an applicant 17 or older.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in Kansas?
You must be at least 17 for an unrestricted motorcycle license in Kansas.
A restricted Class M license is available from 15, if the applicant has completed an approved driver training course and held the instruction permit at least a year, or from 16 without the driver training course but with more supervised hours logged. A restricted licence carries its own accompaniment conditions until the licensee turns 17, when the restrictions end and the license becomes unrestricted. The driver-training course that unlocks the age-15 route is a general driver's education course under K.S.A. 8-2,101; it is a different requirement from the motorcycle safety course under 8-240 that waives the knowledge and driving tests.
Does Kansas require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, Kansas requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
A written motorcycle knowledge test, part of the standard examination together with the vision and driving tests. A failed written test may be retaken on payment of an additional $1.50 fee.
Does Kansas require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, Kansas requires a motorcycle skills test. In Kansas, completing Kansas's motorcycle safety course waives it.
A driving examination administered by the Division of Vehicles, by the Department of Defense, or as part of a curriculum recognised by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. A failed driving test may be retaken on payment of an additional $1.50 fee. An applicant who passes the driving examination on a two-wheeled motorcycle may operate any registered two- or three-wheeled motorcycle; an applicant who passes it on a three-wheeled motorcycle that is not an autocycle is restricted to three-wheeled machines.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in Kansas?
The permit costs $2.
How often do you renew a motorcycle license in Kansas?
A motorcycle license in Kansas renews every 6 years for a licensee aged 21 to 64; 4 years from 65; a license issued under 21 expires on the licensee's 21st birthday, after which it follows the 6-year cycle.
Completing Kansas's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Kansas’s motorcycle safety course.
Engine-size tiers
- Moped (motorized bicycle) license (up to 130cc, 30 mph max, separate credential) — A motorized bicycle — no more than 3.5 brake horsepower, a cylinder capacity of no more than 130cc, an automatic transmission and a maximum design speed of 30 mph — requires its own moped license rather than a Class M motorcycle license, issued after a vision test and a written test.
Kansas helmet law
Required for some riders
A rider is exempt only if all of the following are true:
- the rider is 18 or older
No one under 18 may operate or ride a motorcycle or motorized bicycle without a helmet meeting the minimum guidelines the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration set under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966; a rider 18 or older may ride without one. The section does not apply to a person riding within an enclosed cab, an autocycle, a golf cart, or a three-wheeled industrial or cargo vehicle commonly known as a truckster.
K.S.A. 8-1598 · 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.
- License, permit and fee rules come from the Kansas Statutes Annotated, chapter 8, as published by the Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Training facts come from the Kansas Department of Revenue's list of approved motorcycle driver's education schools. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Kansas Statutes' motorcycle-equipment section.
- Kansas prices the Class M license by the applicant's age at issue — $12.50 for ages 21 through 64, $9 from 65, $20 under 21 — rather than as one flat fee.
- Kansas requires a Class M motorcycle instruction permit holder to ride accompanied by an experienced Class M license holder at every age, not only while under 18, which differs from most other states' permit rules.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)
- K.S.A. 8-2,100 (instruction permits; conditions, restrictions and requirements; under 17 years of age)
- K.S.A. 8-239 (instruction permits for persons 17 years of age and older)
- K.S.A. 8-2,101 (restricted class C or M license; conditions, restrictions and requirements)
- K.S.A. 8-247 (driver's license expiration and renewal)
- Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles — Driver's License Frequently Asked Questions
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: K.S.A. 8-240 (drivers' licenses and instruction permits; fees; examination waiver)