Florida Motorcycle Safety Course
Verified against Florida Rider Training 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 →
Whether Florida mandates a motorcycle safety course by age is not published by the state's own program. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Florida's motorcycle safety course requirements — including completion waiving the state skills test if within 12 months — are verified against Florida Rider Training Program (see Fla. Stat. § 322.0255 (Florida Motorcycle Safety Education Program — courses, providers, registration fee cap)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Florida Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Florida Rider Training Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which authorises Sponsors (course providers) statewide and compensates them under § 322.0255(4) |
| Delivery model | State-approved sponsorsThe state licenses sponsors, who set their own tuition; the rider picks among them at market price. |
| Typical cost | — |
| Course length | 15 hours |
| Mandatory under age | — |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes, if within 12 months |
| Waives the knowledge test | Yes, if within 12 months |
FRTP Sponsors deliver the 15-hour Basic RiderCourse, and most now provide the updated Basic RiderCourse updated (BRCu). Florida also runs a 3-Wheel Basic RiderCourse and, through the Evergreen Safety Council, a Sidecar/Trike Education Program, either of which independently qualifies an unendorsed rider for the restricted 'S' endorsement.
Every Florida resident who wants a first motorcycle endorsement or Motorcycle Only licence, of any age, must complete an FRTP course; the requirement is not age-gated the way it is in most other states. A Sponsor may charge a registration fee capped at $20, which § 322.0255(5) requires to be refunded on completion — a student who registers and does not finish forfeits it. That cap governs the registration fee only; neither the statute nor the Department publishes what a Sponsor charges in tuition, so no course price is shown here. Insurance, a training motorcycle, a helmet and a student handbook are supplied for the Basic RiderCourse and BRCu.
What Florida’s course covers
Florida teaches the Basic RiderCourse (BRC) / Basic RiderCourse updated (BRCu), 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 Florida differs: FRTP Sponsors deliver the 15-hour Basic RiderCourse, and most now provide the updated Basic RiderCourse updated (BRCu). Florida also runs a 3-Wheel Basic RiderCourse and, through the Evergreen Safety Council, a Sidecar/Trike Education Program, either of which independently qualifies an unendorsed rider for the restricted 'S' endorsement.
Once you complete the course, see license requirements in Florida.
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 test rules come from the Florida Statutes and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Training facts come from the Florida Rider Training Program, which FLHSMV administers through authorised Sponsors.
- Florida requires the Basic RiderCourse of every first-time motorcycle applicant, regardless of age — this is broader than the age-gated training mandates common in other states.
- Florida's helmet exemption for riders over 21 with at least $10,000 of motorcycle medical-benefit insurance applies equally to an operator and a passenger; Florida does not split the exemption's conditions between them the way some states do.
- No course price is shown for Florida. State law caps the registration fee a Sponsor may charge at $20 and requires it to be refunded when the course is completed, but that cap covers registration only, and neither the statute nor the Department publishes what Sponsors charge in tuition. An unpublished price is not the same as a free course, so none is stated here.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
- Fla. Stat. § 322.0255 (Florida Motorcycle Safety Education Program — courses, providers, registration fee cap)
- Fla. Stat. § 322.12(5) (mandatory course; examination exemption)
- FLHSMV — Florida Rider Training Program Courses (curriculum, hours, sponsor network)
- FLHSMV — Motorcycle Rider Education & Endorsements
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Fla. Stat. § 322.0255 (Florida Motorcycle Safety Education Program — courses, providers, registration fee cap)