Alabama Motorcycle Safety Course
Verified against Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program ·
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 →
Alabama does not require any rider to complete a motorcycle safety course before getting the license. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Alabama's motorcycle safety course requirements — including a course fee of $275 and completion waiving the state skills test — are verified against Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program (see Alabama Department of Transportation — Motorcycle Safety Program), current as of 2026-07-28.
Alabama Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Alabama Department of Transportation, delivered statewide by the University of Montevallo's Alabama Traffic Safety Center |
| Delivery model | Community collegesCommunity colleges and universities are the delivery channel. |
| Typical cost | $275 |
| Course length | 16 hours |
| Mandatory under age | No — not required at any age |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes |
| Waives the knowledge test | No |
Alabama runs the Basic RiderCourse over two days, Saturday-Sunday or Tuesday-Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., pairing an approximately 5-hour self-paced MSF Basic eCourse with about 11 hours of on-motorcycle training and an in-course motorcycle skill test. The programme also offers an Experienced Rider Course (BRC2) and an Advanced Rider Course (ARC), each about $125, and trains new RiderCoaches through a $500 preparation course.
The Basic RiderCourse is open to anyone 14 or older; an enrollee under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign a waiver form in person at the first classroom session. The programme supplies the training motorcycle, a helmet and a face shield for the Basic course, and since 1 June 2022 has allowed a rider to bring a privately owned, registered and insured scooter instead. Courses run at sites across the state, including Montevallo, Mobile, Gadsden, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.
What Alabama’s course covers
Alabama teaches the Basic RiderCourse (BRC), developed by Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Full detail here.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic RiderCourse is designed for beginning riders aged 16 and up, pairing about five hours of classroom or online learning with about ten hours of on-motorcycle training, and it ends in a written knowledge test and a rider skills test.
How Alabama differs: Alabama runs the Basic RiderCourse over two days, Saturday-Sunday or Tuesday-Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., pairing an approximately 5-hour self-paced MSF Basic eCourse with about 11 hours of on-motorcycle training and an in-course motorcycle skill test. The programme also offers an Experienced Rider Course (BRC2) and an Advanced Rider Course (ARC), each about $125, and trains new RiderCoaches through a $500 preparation course.
Once you complete the course, see license requirements in Alabama.
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.
- Licence classes, ages, fees and testing requirements come from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Driver Manual and Motorcycle Operator Manual. Training facts come from the Alabama Department of Transportation and the University of Montevallo's Alabama Traffic Safety Center, which delivers the state's Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program. Helmet and equipment rules are stated in the Alabama Motorcycle Operator Manual.
- Alabama does not issue a separate motorcycle instruction permit. An applicant of a qualifying age tests directly for the Class M licence, with no learner's-permit stage beforehand.
- Completing the Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program's Basic RiderCourse and passing its in-course skill test lets a rider present the completion card at a driver licence office in place of the road test. The programme's own materials do not state that the separate written knowledge test is also waived.
- Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program course prices are the programme's own published tuition and may change between riding seasons.
Sources
- Alabama Department of Transportation — Motorcycle Safety Program
- University of Montevallo, Alabama Traffic Safety Center — Motorcycle Safety Program
- University of Montevallo, Alabama Traffic Safety Center — Basic Rider Course (BRC)
- University of Montevallo, Alabama Traffic Safety Center — Alabama Motorcycle Safety Program Registration and Course Policies
- Alabama Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th ed., October 2024)
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Alabama Department of Transportation — Motorcycle Safety Program