Illinois Motorcycle Safety Course
Verified against Cycle Rider Safety 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 →
In Illinois, riders under 18 must complete a motorcycle safety course before they can get the license. This page covers who runs the course, what it costs, how long it takes, and exactly which tests completing it can waive.
Illinois's motorcycle safety course requirements — including a free state-funded course and completion waiving the state skills test if age 18+ and within 12 months — are verified against Cycle Rider Safety Training Program (see 625 ILCS 35/4 (Cycle Rider Safety Training Act — courses, providers and contract award)), current as of 2026-07-28.
Illinois Motorcycle Safety Course at a Glance
| Program | Cycle Rider Safety Training Program |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | Illinois Department of Transportation, which awards course contracts to qualifying providers; Southern Illinois University's Motorcycle Rider Program currently administers the courses statewide |
| Delivery model | State buys the seatsProviders compete for a state grant or contract, and the state sets or subsidizes what the rider pays. |
| Typical cost | Free |
| Course length | 20 hours |
| Mandatory under age | Yes, under 18 |
| Waives the riding skills test | Yes, if age 18+ and within 12 months |
| Waives the knowledge test | Yes, if age 18+ and within 12 months |
Illinois delivers the Basic RiderCourse as roughly 20 hours of classroom and on-motorcycle instruction over three days. The programme also runs a 10-hour Basic Rider Course 2 for riders 18 and older with previous experience, and a Three Wheel Basic Rider Course of about 20 hours.
Courses are open to any Illinois resident 16 or older who holds a valid driver's licence or permit. A provider may charge a registration fee set by the Department — currently $20 — which is refunded on completion of the course, so the course itself costs nothing. Riders under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian, and a parent or guardian must be present at check-in for the first session. Completion cards are valid as a licence waiver for one year. The programme is funded from a share of motorcycle licence and licence-plate fees, which are statutorily restricted to motorcycle training.
What Illinois’s course covers
Illinois 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 Illinois differs: Illinois delivers the Basic RiderCourse as roughly 20 hours of classroom and on-motorcycle instruction over three days. The programme also runs a 10-hour Basic Rider Course 2 for riders 18 and older with previous experience, and a Three Wheel Basic Rider Course of about 20 hours.
Once you complete the course, see license requirements in Illinois.
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, permits and fees come from the Illinois Vehicle Code and the Illinois Secretary of State. Training facts come from the Cycle Rider Safety Training Act and the Illinois Department of Transportation, which runs the programme. The absence of a helmet requirement is stated on the authority of the Illinois Vehicle Code's motorcycle equipment section.
- Cycle Rider Safety Training Program courses are free. A provider may take a registration fee set by the Department — currently $20 — which is refunded when the course is completed.
- Illinois is changing how this training is delivered. Public Act 104-0408 took effect on 1 January 2026 and opened the programme to a wider range of providers in place of the previous regional centres, and the Department has an open funding opportunity for new administering partners. Course locations and the administering organisation may change during 2026.
Sources
- 625 ILCS 35/4 (Cycle Rider Safety Training Act — courses, providers and contract award)
- 625 ILCS 35/2.03 (definition of an approved Cycle Rider Safety Training Course)
- 625 ILCS 35/7 (award of contracts to qualifying providers)
- Illinois Department of Transportation — Motorcycle Training (Cycle Rider Safety Training Program)
- Illinois Department of Transportation — Rider Courses
- Illinois GATA Catalog of State Financial Assistance — Cycle Rider Safety Training Program applicant eligibility
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: 625 ILCS 35/4 (Cycle Rider Safety Training Act — courses, providers and contract award)