Motorcycle Endorsement in Louisiana
Verified against Louisiana Office 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 →
Louisiana does not issue a separate motorcycle license: a rider adds an M endorsement to an existing Class D or E driver's license after passing a motorcycle knowledge and skills test, or by completing the state's own Motorcycle Safety, Awareness, and Operator Training Program, which is voluntary at every age and waives both tests. Louisiana is one of the strictest helmet-law states in the country, requiring a helmet of every operator and passenger with no age, insurance or experience exemption.
Louisiana's motorcycle endorsement requirements — including a $12 fee to add the endorsement, a minimum age of 16, and a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (see R.S. 32:408 (examination of applicants required; classes of licenses)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Louisiana Motorcycle Endorsement Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner's Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | — |
| Permit validity | — |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 16 |
| Endorsement fee | $12 |
| Renewal | — / 6 years |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
Motorcycles, motor-driven cycles and motorized bicycles are not given a separate license class in Louisiana; the M privilege is always an endorsement on one of the basic license classes. The endorsement fee is $12 where the underlying license has a full six years left to run, and $6 where it does not.
Completing Louisiana's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Louisiana’s motorcycle safety course.
Louisiana helmet law
Required for all riders
No one may operate or ride upon a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or motorized bicycle without a securely fastened safety helmet, of any age, and with no exemption for insurance coverage or riding experience. Local police authorities may permit an exemption for parade or exhibition participants while actually taking part. The requirement does not reach a person in an autocycle equipped with supports meeting or exceeding safety-helmet standards, or a rollbar or roll cage. A violation carries a $50 fine that includes all court costs, with no other cost or fee added.
R.S. 32:190 · 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, testing and fee rules come from the Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 32, as published by the Louisiana State Legislature. Training facts come from the Motorcycle Safety, Awareness, and Operator Training Program, run directly by the Louisiana State Police. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the same Title.
- Several secondary sources quote a $19 or $15 motorcycle-endorsement fee rather than the $12 or $6 this page cites from statute; the difference may be an additional handling fee charged at the point of sale that was not confirmed on a primary Office of Motor Vehicles source.
- Louisiana requires a helmet of every rider and passenger, at any age, with no exemption for insurance or riding experience — one of the strictest helmet laws among the states in this dataset.
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: R.S. 32:408 (examination of applicants required; classes of licenses)