Motorcycle License in North Carolina
Verified against North Carolina Division 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 →
North Carolina adds a motorcycle endorsement to an existing driver's license, reached either by passing a knowledge test and an off-street skills test or by first holding a motorcycle learner's permit. A rider under 18 must complete the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program's Basic Rider Course before the permit is issued; a rider 18 or older may take the same course to skip the skills test instead. North Carolina requires a helmet of every operator and every passenger, with no age or experience exemption.
North Carolina's motorcycle license requirements — including a minimum age of 18 and a training course completion that can waive the skills test if within 12 months — are verified against North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (see N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-7 (issuance and renewal of licenses; motorcycle learner's permit; fees)), current as of 2026-07-28.
North Carolina Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner's Permit |
| Permit minimum age | 16 years |
| Permit fee | $25.50 |
| Permit validity | 365 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 18 years |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal fee | — |
| Knowledge test | Required |
| Skills test | Required |
The fee for a regular driver's license is $6.50 per year of the period for which it is issued, and the fee for a motorcycle endorsement is an additional $3.05 per year of that same period, both under G.S. 20-7(i)/(a1); the standard license term for a person 18 to 65 is eight years, most recently confirmed for licenses issued or renewed under the current schedule. A person under 18 with a motorcycle endorsement may not carry a passenger. Neither a driver's license nor a motorcycle endorsement is required to operate a moped, which G.S. 20-7(a3) and related definitions place in its own, separately unregulated category rather than a tiered motorcycle credential.
How do you get a motorcycle license in North Carolina?
- Reach the minimum permit age. You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in North Carolina.
- Pass the knowledge test. North Carolina requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $25.50. It is valid for 365 days.
- Train if required. Riders under 18 must complete a motorcycle safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. North Carolina requires a motorcycle skills test. Completing North Carolina's motorcycle safety course waives it if within 12 months.
- Pay the fee and get your license. The minimum age for an unrestricted motorcycle license in North Carolina is 18.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in North Carolina
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in North Carolina?
You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in North Carolina.
A person at least 16 but under 18 with a full provisional license, or a person 18 or older with any North Carolina license, may obtain a motorcycle learner's permit. To obtain it, an applicant passes a vision test, a road-sign test and a knowledge test; an applicant under 18 must first successfully complete the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program's Basic Rider Course, or another course approved by the Commissioner consistent with the statewide Motorcycle Safety Instruction Program. The permit expires 12 months after issue and may be renewed once for an additional 6 months. A permit holder may not carry a passenger. The permit fee is the same as the general G.S. 20-7(l) learner's permit fee, $25.50.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in North Carolina?
You must be at least 18 for an unrestricted motorcycle license in North Carolina.
A rider under 18 who holds a motorcycle endorsement may not carry a passenger. There is no separate unrestricted-privilege age beyond 18, when the under-18 passenger restriction lifts.
Does North Carolina require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, North Carolina requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
A knowledge test concerning motorcycles is required to obtain either the learner's permit or the endorsement, and is not waived by course completion at renewal or otherwise for a first-time applicant.
Does North Carolina require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, North Carolina requires a motorcycle skills test. In North Carolina, completing North Carolina's motorcycle safety course waives it if within 12 months.
An off-street skills test given at select NCDMV driver license offices, Tuesday through Thursday as weather permits, by appointment only, with one attempt allowed per day. Passing an approved course (the NC Motorcycle Safety Education Program's Basic Rider Course or Experienced Rider Course), completing approved military motorcycle training, or presenting a valid out-of-state motorcycle endorsement each substitutes for the skills test.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in North Carolina?
The permit costs $25.50.
Completing North Carolina's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test if within 12 months. See North Carolina’s motorcycle safety course.
North Carolina helmet law
Required for all riders
G.S. 20-140.4(a)(2) prohibits operating a motorcycle or moped on a highway or public vehicular area unless the operator and all passengers wear safety helmets meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, with a retention strap properly secured. The requirement does not reach an autocycle with fully enclosed seating or a roll bar or roll cage. A violation is an infraction, not negligence per se or contributory negligence per se in a civil action, and carries no driver's license points or insurance surcharge.
G.S. 20-140.4(a)(2) · 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 rules, learner's permit rules and fees come from the North Carolina General Statutes (Chapter 20) and the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles. Training facts come from the North Carolina Motorcycle Safety Education Program, delivered through the North Carolina Community Colleges System Office. Helmet rules come from the North Carolina General Statutes.
- A rider under 18 must complete the Basic Rider Course before a motorcycle learner's permit is issued; a rider 18 or older may take the same course as an alternative to the DMV's own skills test, but it is not required at that age.
- North Carolina's motorcycle endorsement fee is set by statute as a per-year rate ($3.05 for each year of the license period) rather than a single flat amount, and rides on top of the underlying driver's license fee ($6.50 per year).
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: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-7 (issuance and renewal of licenses; motorcycle learner's permit; fees)