Motorcycle License in Vermont
Verified against Vermont Department 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 →
Vermont adds a motorcycle endorsement to an existing Vermont driver's or Junior driver's licence. The state runs its own Vermont Rider Education Program, established in 1990, whose Basic RiderCourse graduates skip both the written and riding tests otherwise required at a DMV office. Vermont requires a helmet of every operator and passenger, with no age exemption.
Vermont's motorcycle license requirements — including a training course completion that can waive the skills test — are verified against Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (see Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles — Motorcycle Endorsement), current as of 2026-07-28.
Vermont Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner's Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | $24 |
| Permit validity | 120 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal | — / 2 or 4 years, matching the applicant's chosen Vermont driver's licence term |
| Knowledge test | Required — $11 fee25 questions, 80% passing score |
| Skills test | Required — $23 fee |
A Vermont resident who operates a motorcycle on a Vermont highway must hold a valid Vermont driver's or Junior driver's licence with the motorcycle endorsement.
Completing Vermont's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test. See Vermont’s motorcycle safety course.
Vermont helmet law
Required for all riders
Section 1256 requires anyone who operates or rides upon a motorcycle on a highway to properly wear protective headgear conforming to the federal motorcycle helmet standard, 49 C.F.R. § 571.218. There is no age exemption: the duty binds every operator and every passenger. The only exemption is for occupants of a fully enclosed autocycle, defined as one with a windshield and full top and side enclosures able to support the vehicle's weight and protect occupants.
23 V.S.A. § 1256 · 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, permits, tests and fees come from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from Title 23 of the Vermont Statutes.
- Vermont requires a helmet of every motorcycle operator and passenger, regardless of age. There is no adult exemption.
- The Vermont Rider Education Program is run directly by the Department of Motor Vehicles rather than by private training companies; course fees are not published on the department's site.
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: Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles — Motorcycle Endorsement