Motorcycle License in North Dakota
Verified against North Dakota Department of Transportation, Driver's License Division ·
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 Dakota issues a Class M motorcycle license, reached through a motorcycle permit held for at least two months before the road test. A rider under 16 must enrol in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course before testing, and any rider's completion card waives the road test for a year. North Dakota's helmet law binds every rider under 18 as an operator or a passenger, and separately binds a passenger of any age when the operator is under 18, so an 18-or-older passenger is not automatically exempt.
North Dakota'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 Dakota Department of Transportation, Driver's License Division (see North Dakota DOT — Motorcycle License), current as of 2026-07-28.
North Dakota Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Permit |
| Permit minimum age | 14 years |
| Permit fee | $8 |
| Permit validity | — |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 18 years |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal fee | — |
| Knowledge test | Required, $5 fee |
| Skills test | Required, $5 fee |
A rider must visit a North Dakota driver license site in person to be licensed; the road test is scheduled through NDDOT's scheduling desk. Restrictions on the full Class M license mirror the permit-stage restrictions by age band: 510cc-or-under and a helmet requirement at 14-15, a helmet requirement only at 16-17, and neither restriction at 18 or older (subject to the novice-designation helmet rule).
How do you get a motorcycle license in North Dakota?
- Reach the minimum permit age. You must be at least 14 to apply for a motorcycle permit in North Dakota.
- Pass the knowledge test. North Dakota requires a motorcycle knowledge test. The fee is $5.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $8.
- Hold the permit, and train if required. You must hold the permit at least 60 days before taking the skills test. Riders under 16 must complete a motorcycle safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. North Dakota requires a motorcycle skills test. The fee is $5. Completing North Dakota'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 Dakota is 18.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in North Dakota
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in North Dakota?
You must be at least 14 to apply for a motorcycle permit in North Dakota.
An applicant of any age from 14 up may apply for a motorcycle permit after passing the motorcycle knowledge test ($5 per attempt, one attempt allowed per day). A permit must be held at least two months before the road test may be scheduled. Restrictions vary by age: a permit holder aged 14-15 is limited to daylight driving, to a motorcycle of 510cc or less, must wear a helmet, and may carry no passenger; a permit holder aged 16-17 has the same daylight and no-passenger restrictions and the same helmet requirement but no engine-size limit; a permit holder 18 or older is limited to daylight driving and no passenger, with no engine-size limit and no permit-specific helmet requirement beyond the general age/novice test in statute. A Basic Rider Course completion card from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, dated within one year, waives the road test at every age.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in North Dakota?
You must be at least 18 for an unrestricted motorcycle license in North Dakota.
A licensed rider aged 14-15 is restricted to a motorcycle of 510cc or less and must wear a helmet; a licensed rider aged 16-17 must wear a helmet but has no engine-size limit; a licensed rider 18 or older has neither restriction, subject to the separate novice-designation helmet rule carried in the driver's-license statute.
Does North Dakota require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, North Dakota requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
Required before the motorcycle permit is issued; one attempt is allowed per day. Study material is the North Dakota Motorcycle Operator Manual, available in text and audio.
Does North Dakota require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, North Dakota requires a motorcycle skills test. In North Dakota, completing North Dakota's motorcycle safety course waives it if within 12 months.
A road test, scheduled through NDDOT's driver license testing desk. A Basic Rider Course completion card from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, dated within one year of issuance, waives it.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in North Dakota?
The permit costs $8.
Completing North Dakota's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test if within 12 months. See North Dakota’s motorcycle safety course.
Engine-size tiers
- Motorized bicycle/scooter (no separate credential) (up to 50cc, 30 mph max) — A vehicle with two or three wheels no more than 32 inches wide, foot pedals or footrests, an automatic drive system, a maximum of two brake horsepower, and a maximum piston or rotor displacement of 49.98cc capable of no more than 30mph is a motorized bicycle/scooter under NDDOT's motorcycle-license page. It requires only a valid permit or license of any class, held by a person at least 14, and does not require a separate motorcycle credential.
North Dakota helmet law
Required for some riders
The operator is exempt only if all of the following are true — it does not bind a passenger:
- the operator is 18 or older
For a passenger only, these additional conditions also apply — they do not bind the operator:
- the passenger is 18 or older
- the motorcycle's operator is also 18 or older, so that the operator is not required to wear a helmet — N.D.C.C. 39-10.2-06(1) makes this a linked condition: a passenger's own age does not by itself decide the outcome. If the operator is under 18 and so is required to wear a helmet, the statute requires 'any passenger must also wear a safety helmet regardless of the age of the passenger' — so an 18-or-older passenger riding behind an under-18 operator must still wear a helmet. A passenger is exempt only when both the passenger and the operator are 18 or older.
N.D.C.C. 39-10.2-06(1) provides that no person under 18 may operate or ride upon a motorcycle unless a DOT-standard safety helmet is worn by the operator and the rider, except in a lawful parade, and that if the operator is required to wear a helmet, any passenger must also wear one regardless of the passenger's own age. Subsection 3 separately makes it unlawful to operate a motorcycle carrying an unhelmeted passenger under 18. The section does not apply within an enclosed cab or on a golf cart. No separate eye-protection requirement for motorcyclists was found in Title 39 during this collection.
N.D.C.C. § 39-10.2-06(1) · 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.
- Permit, license and fee facts come from the North Dakota Department of Transportation. Helmet rules come from the North Dakota Century Code. Training facts come from the North Dakota Motorcycle Safety Program, the site NDDOT's own motorcycle-license page directs riders to for training reference material.
- North Dakota's helmet law does not simply exempt every rider 18 or older. A passenger of any age must wear a helmet if the motorcycle's operator is under 18; only when both the operator and the passenger are 18 or older is the passenger exempt.
- The North Dakota Motorcycle Safety Program is administered by ABATE of North Dakota, a nonprofit motorcyclists' association, rather than a state agency directly; this record could not independently confirm the program's funding or contractual relationship with the state beyond NDDOT's own reliance on its completion cards.
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: North Dakota DOT — Motorcycle License