Motorcycle Safety Courses by State

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 →

A basic rider course is the entry-level class a new rider takes before riding on the road. Each curriculum described below pairs classroom or online instruction with hands-on riding practice away from traffic, and that is about as far as the common ground goes. What the range work covers, how many hours it runs, how a student is assessed, and what completing it is worth at the licensing counter are set by the curriculum a state has adopted — and they genuinely differ. Michigan’s Basic RiderCourse requires passing both a written knowledge test and a rider skills test; Idaho STAR issues its Basic Rider Training card to a student who completes the classroom and attends both riding sessions. Each curriculum is set out in full below, with its own sources.

What is not consistent is the curriculum. Across the 51 jurisdictions covered here there are 24 distinct curricula in use, taught through 6 different delivery channels, at anywhere from 8 to 20 hours. There is no federal rider-training rule and no single national course. Each state decides what is taught, who teaches it, what it costs, and what a completion card buys you at the licensing counter.

What people mean by an “MSF course”

“MSF course” is shorthand for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic RiderCourse. It is not required by federal law, and it is not the only curriculum in use. Of the 51 jurisdictions covered, 36 teach the MSF Basic RiderCourse (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming) and 15 teach something else. If your state is in the second group, an MSF completion card earned elsewhere is not automatically what your DMV is looking for — check your state below.

The curricula in use

Basic RiderCourse (BRC)

Developed by Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Taught in 36 of the 51 jurisdictions covered : Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The Basic RiderCourse assumes no riding experience. Michigan's Rider Education Program, which teaches it, describes the shape: about five hours of learning before a rider gets on a motorcycle — often delivered as an online eCourse — then about ten hours of on-motorcycle training spread over two days. The classroom part covers the different types of motorcycle, the layout and operation of the basic controls, and what it means to ride responsibly. On the range, an MSF-certified RiderCoach takes riders through straight-line riding, stopping, shifting and turning, and then on to swerving and emergency braking. A rider must pass both a written knowledge test and a rider skills test to complete the course, and a training motorcycle under 500cc is provided by the course sponsor. What a graduate receives is a completion card, not a license from the Foundation: in Michigan the certificate of completion is valid for one year from the date of the class, and it is what a rider presents to the Secretary of State to add the motorcycle endorsement. Length is not fixed even inside one state — Michigan runs the course at roughly 15 hours, while Harley-Davidson sponsor sites in Michigan run 20 because of additional classroom and range riding time.

Source: Michigan Department of State — Michigan Motorcycle Rider Education Program (Basic RiderCourse)

Idaho STAR Basic Rider Training (BRT)

Developed by Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program. Taught in 1 of the 51 jurisdictions covered : Idaho.

Idaho STAR — Skills Training Advantage for Riders — is a program of the Idaho Division of Career-Technical Education, accredited by the State Motorcycle Safety Association, with the College of Southern Idaho as its fiscal agent. It was created in 1994, began rider training in 1996, and its courses are taught by Idaho certified Instructors in a controlled, off-street environment. Basic Rider Training is its own level-one endorsement course rather than the MSF Basic RiderCourse, and it is offered in two formats. The traditional course runs approximately 17 hours over three days of combined in-person classroom instruction and hands-on practice, at $199. The eBRT moves the classroom online — an average of four to six hours to complete — and pairs it with about nine hours of riding, at $174. Both cover the fundamental skills required to operate the motorcycle before progressing to street strategies and emergency-situation skills. Motorcycles are provided; a rider who prefers to bring their own is limited to 400cc or less on this course. A motorcycle permit or endorsement is not needed to enroll, but a driver's license or permit is. Note what the completion card turns on here: a student must complete the classroom and attend both riding sessions to receive one. Completing it waives the Idaho Transportation Department's skills-test requirement provided the endorsement is added within two years of passing.

Sources: Idaho STAR — course listing; Idaho STAR — About Us

Motorcyclist Training Course (MTC)

Developed by Total Control Training, Inc.. Taught in 1 of the 51 jurisdictions covered : California.

The California Highway Patrol is statutorily responsible for California's official motorcyclist safety and training program under California Vehicle Code sections 2930 to 2935, and administers the California Motorcyclist Safety Program through a primary contractor — currently Total Control Training, Inc. The program began in July 1987 and, as of June 2025, had trained more than 1,500,000 riders across its many training sites. The Motorcyclist Training Course itself is 15 hours: 5 hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of actual riding. It is mandatory for riders under 21 and recommended for riders 21 and older who want the motorcycle endorsement on a California driver license. The CMSP also offers the Premier Program, an extended MTC of 7.5 classroom hours and 13.5 riding hours. On completion a rider receives a skills waiver that allows them to skip the riding skills test at the DMV, and the CHP notes that passing the class may also earn an insurance discount.

Source: California Highway Patrol — California Motorcyclist Safety Program

Course completion and the road test

A completion card is not a license. It is evidence a state agrees to accept in place of a test it would otherwise administer, and each state decides which test that is and on what terms. Illinois states the mechanism plainly: a completion card is mailed to every student who passes the Basic Rider Course, and that card waives the Secretary of State's motorcycle written and driving tests for those 18 and older; students aged 16 to 17 may apply for the "M" classification but are required to present the card and still take the written and riding tests at a Secretary of State Driver Services facility. The same card is also commonly accepted by insurers for a discount. The counts and the per-jurisdiction terms below are derived from the records on this site rather than asserted — read them as what has been verified so far, not as a national average.

Source: Illinois Department of Transportation — Rider Courses

How states deliver training

Michigan is the clearest worked example of what the delivery channel means for a rider's bill, because it publishes the channel and the price in the same place. Michigan Rider Education Program course fees depend on whether the course is provided by a public or a private sponsor. Tuition at a public sponsor is $50. Fees for private courses are not regulated by the department and typically cost $350, and students are encouraged to ask about refund and no-show policies before paying. That is what a state looks like when it approves sponsors and leaves them to price their own courses. The table below names the delivery channel and the published cost for each jurisdiction covered so far, and each state page carries its own sources.

Source: Michigan Department of State — Motorcycle riders (Michigan Rider Education Program fees)

Which jurisdiction teaches which curriculum

Every cell below is read from that jurisdiction’s own record and its own cited sources. Of the 51 jurisdictions covered, 47 waive the riding skills test on course completion and 22 waive the knowledge test. In 26 of them at least one of those waivers is gated — by an age floor, by a window after the course, or by both. In 19 of them the course is mandatory below a stated age.

Published tuition runs from $0 to $850 across the 19 jurisdictions that publish a figure, with 2 verified free to the rider; 32 publish no central figure at all.

Jurisdiction	Curriculum taught	Developed by	MSF BRC?	Who delivers it	Skills test waived	Knowledge test waived	Typical cost
Alabama	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Community colleges	Yes	No	$275
Alaska	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	No statewide program	Yes, if the applicant completes a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course and presents the completion certificate to DMV; the certificate waives the road test only for the current calendar year or the calendar year immediately before it, not a fixed number of months from completion	No	—
Arizona	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	—
Arkansas	Basic RiderCourse (BRC), the current Motorcycle Safety Foundation curriculum that succeeded the course named in statute, 'Riding and Street Skills'	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	No statewide program	Yes, if within 3 months	No	—
California	Motorcyclist Training Course (MTC)	Total Control Training, Inc.	No	One statewide contractor	Yes, if within 12 months	No	—
Colorado	MOST Beginners Course	Colorado State Patrol, Motorcycle Operator Safety Training Program	No	State-approved sponsors	Yes	No	—
Connecticut	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	No	$150–$850
Delaware	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes	Yes	$50
District of Columbia	Motorcycle Demonstration Course	the US jurisdiction whose approved course the applicant completes	No	No statewide program	Yes	No	—
Florida	Basic RiderCourse (BRC) / Basic RiderCourse updated (BRCu)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 12 months	Yes, if within 12 months	—
Georgia	Basic Rider Course (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes, if within 3 months	Yes, if within 3 months	$250–$300
Hawaii	Basic RiderCourse (BRC) – Hawai'i Edition	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Community colleges	Yes, if within 3 months	No	—
Idaho	Idaho STAR Basic Rider Training (BRT)	Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program	No	Run by the state	Yes, if within 24 months	No	$174–$199
Illinois	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State buys the seats	Yes, if age 18+ and within 12 months	Yes, if age 18+ and within 12 months	Free
Indiana	Entry Level Motorcycle Safety Course (Basic RiderCourse curriculum)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	—
Iowa	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	No	$150–$349
Kansas	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	—
Kentucky	RideSmartKY Basic Rider Course (BRC)	Kentucky Office of Highway Safety	No	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	$0–$150
Louisiana	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes	Yes	—
Maine	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	No	No	—
Maryland	Entry-Level Basic Rider Course updated (BRCu)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 6 months	Yes, if within 6 months	—
Massachusetts	Motorcycle Basic Rider Course	a rider training school approved by the Massachusetts Registrar of Motor Vehicles	No	State-approved sponsors	No	No	—
Michigan	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	$50–$350
Minnesota	Basic Rider Course	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Community colleges	Yes	No	—
Mississippi	A motorcycle safety class endorsed by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA)	Not specified by the state — Mississippi runs no training program of its own and accepts completion from any AAMVA-endorsed provider, including privately run Motorcycle Safety Foundation-affiliated courses	No	No statewide program	Yes	No	—
Missouri	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State buys the seats	Yes, if within 12 months	Yes, if within 12 months	—
Montana	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Community colleges	Yes	No	$200
Nebraska	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 24 months	Yes, if within 24 months	—
Nevada	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes, if age 18+	Yes, if age 18+	$150
New Hampshire	State-approved rider training course under the Motorcycle Rider Education Program	New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles	No	Run by the state	Yes	Yes	—
New Jersey	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if the Basic RiderCourse or BRC2 completion card is presented; the MVC describes the road-test waiver as something a graduate 'may be eligible for' rather than automatic	No	—
New Mexico	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	No	—
New York	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	One statewide contractor	Yes, if within 24 months	No	$199–$398
North Carolina	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Community colleges	Yes, if within 12 months	No	$135–$250
North Dakota	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	One statewide contractor	Yes, if within 12 months	No	$125
Ohio	Motorcycle Ohio Basic Course	Motorcycle Ohio (Ohio Department of Public Safety)	No	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 2 months	No	—
Oklahoma	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	No statewide program	Yes	Yes	—
Oregon	Team Oregon Basic Course	Team Oregon (Oregon State University College of Health)	No	Community colleges	Yes	Yes, if the rider completes the Basic Course's in-person classroom track, which the DMV states satisfies both the knowledge and skills test requirements; the Basic Course's online-classroom track and the Intermediate Course satisfy the skills test only, so the DMV knowledge test is still required	$199–$229
Pennsylvania	Beginner Riding Clinic (BRC)	Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program	No	State buys the seats	Yes, if age 18+	No	Free
Rhode Island	Basic Rider Course (BRC)	Community College of Rhode Island	No	Community colleges	Yes, if within 6 months	Yes, if within 6 months	$295
South Carolina	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	No	No	—
South Dakota	Motorcycle Safety Course	South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Office of Highway Safety	No	State buys the seats	Yes, if the applicant completes a motorcycle safety course approved under SDCL § 32-20-14; the waiver of the motorcycle testing certification is discretionary with the Department of Public Safety rather than automatic	No	—
Tennessee	Basic Rider Training course (BRT/BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes	Yes	—
Texas	Motorcycle Operator Training Course (MSB-8)	Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, delivered through individually TDLR-licensed motorcycle schools	No	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if age 18+ and within 24 months	Yes, if within 24 months	—
Utah	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 6 months	No	—
Vermont	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes	Yes	—
Virginia	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if within 12 months	Yes, if within 12 months	—
Washington	Motorcycle Skills Education Program curriculum	the Washington State Department of Licensing, which certifies course content under RCW 46.81A.020	No	State buys the seats	No	No	—
West Virginia	Basic Rider Course (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	One statewide contractor	Yes	No	$100
Wisconsin	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	State-approved sponsors	Yes, if age 16+ and within 12 months	No	—
Wyoming	Basic RiderCourse (BRC)	Motorcycle Safety Foundation	Yes	Run by the state	Yes, if within 24 months	No	$50–$150

means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.

How to read the “Who delivers it” column

These labels are this site’s own classification of the delivery channel, not a term any state uses. They describe who stands on the range and who sets the price, which is a separate question from which curriculum is taught. Only the channels that actually appear above are listed.

Run by the state.: The state agency itself runs the ranges.
One statewide contractor.: A single contractor holds the statewide training contract.
Community colleges.: Community colleges and universities are the delivery channel.
State buys the seats.: Providers compete for a state grant or contract, and the state sets or subsidizes what the rider pays.
State-approved sponsors.: The state licenses sponsors, who set their own tuition; the rider picks among them at market price.
No statewide program.: The state runs no identifiable statewide rider-training program.

Colorado, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington teach a curriculum not yet described in full on this page. The name and developer shown are taken from that jurisdiction’s own record; its state page carries the detail and the sources.

Motorcycle safety course by state

Each page below covers that jurisdiction’s course: what it teaches, who runs it, how long it takes, what it costs, and exactly which tests the completion card removes. 51 jurisdictions published.