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
| Requirement | Vermont |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner's Permit |
| Permit minimum age | 16 years |
| Permit fee | $24 |
| Permit validity | 120 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | — |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal fee | — |
| Renewal period | 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.
How do you get a motorcycle license in Vermont?
- Reach the minimum permit age. You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Vermont.
- Pass the knowledge test. Vermont requires a motorcycle knowledge test. It has 25 questions. You need 80% to pass. The fee is $11.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $24. It is valid for 120 days.
- Train if required. Vermont does not require any rider to complete a safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. Vermont requires a motorcycle skills test. The fee is $23. Completing Vermont's motorcycle safety course waives it.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in Vermont
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in Vermont?
You must be at least 16 to apply for a motorcycle permit in Vermont.
The applicant must already be a licensed Vermont resident and must pass the online Motorcycle Learner's Permit exam; failing it means a one-day wait before retaking it. A 16 or 17 year old holding a Junior Driver's Licence needs a parent or guardian's signature. The permit may be renewed twice, each renewal also valid 120 days, at $24 per renewal. While held, the permit restricts riding to daylight hours, forbids carrying passengers, and is valid in Vermont only; breaking a restriction voids the permit. If the skills test is not passed and the rider training course is not completed within the original permit and two renewals, a new permit cannot be obtained for 12 months from the expiry date, unless the rider completes the Motorcycle Rider Training Course or is only adding a 3-wheeled authorisation to an existing all-motorcycle permit.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in Vermont?
A motorcycle learner's permit applicant must already hold a Vermont driver's or Junior driver's licence; a Junior licence issues from age 16. Vermont's rider-training course is voluntary at every age unless the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles exercises a reserved power to make it mandatory, which has not occurred.
Does Vermont require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, Vermont requires a motorcycle knowledge test. It has 25 questions and an 80% passing score.
A 25-question multiple-choice exam based on the Motorcycle Operator Manual; a passing score is 80% or better. Failing it means a one-day wait before retaking it.
Does Vermont require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, Vermont requires a motorcycle skills test. In Vermont, completing Vermont's motorcycle safety course waives it.
Conducted at a DMV location once the knowledge exam is passed. The motorcycle furnished for the test must be properly equipped, registered, inspected if required, insured and in good mechanical condition. Failing it means a one-week practice period before another attempt.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in Vermont?
The permit costs $24.
How often do you renew a motorcycle license in Vermont?
A motorcycle license in Vermont renews every 2 or 4 years, matching the applicant's chosen Vermont driver's licence term.
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