Motorcycle License in Washington
Verified against Washington State Department of Licensing ·
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 →
Washington adds a 2-wheel or 3-wheel motorcycle endorsement to an existing driver's licence. Both the permit and endorsement knowledge and riding skills tests are given only at DOL-approved motorcycle training schools, never at a driver licensing office, and completing a Washington training course does not itself remove any of those tests. Washington requires a helmet of every operator and passenger, with no age exemption.
Washington's motorcycle license requirements — including a minimum age of 18 — are verified against Washington State Department of Licensing (see Washington DOL — Get a 2-Wheel Motorcycle Permit or Endorsement), current as of 2026-07-28.
Washington Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Permit | Motorcycle Instruction Permit |
|---|---|
| Permit minimum age | 16 |
| Permit fee | $35 |
| Permit validity | 180 days |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 18 |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal | — / 6 or 8 years |
| Knowledge test | Required25 questions |
| Skills test | Requiredgiven by a third-party tester |
A motorcycle endorsement shows on the licence as an L-Endorsement with a J-Restriction. Washington issues 2-wheel and 3-wheel permits and endorsements as parallel but separate credentials, each with its own knowledge and skills tests; a 3-wheeled vehicle with a partially or completely enclosed seating area, safety belts and a steering wheel does not need any endorsement at all. Riding without an endorsement when the motorcycle's speedometer reads above 30 mph is unlawful regardless of the speed actually ridden.
Washington helmet law
Required for all riders
It is unlawful for any person to operate or ride upon a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or moped on a state highway, county road or city street without wearing a motorcycle helmet, with the chin or neck strap fastened securely while the vehicle is in motion; there is no age exemption. Excepted are antique motor-driven cycles and vehicles equipped with a steering wheel, seat belts meeting federal standards, and a partially or completely enclosed seating area for driver and passenger certified to federal enclosure standards. Transporting a child under five years old on a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle is separately unlawful. Selling a helmet that fails to meet Snell, ANSI or federal DOT standards is also unlawful.
RCW 46.37.530 · 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 Washington State Department of Licensing. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Revised Code of Washington.
- Washington requires a helmet of every motorcycle operator and passenger, regardless of age. There is no adult exemption.
- Washington's motorcycle knowledge and riding skills tests are given only at DOL-approved training schools, never at a driver licensing office, and completing a Washington-based training course does not remove either test; it is a separate, additional requirement for a rider under 18 and an optional route to the same tests for a rider 18 or older.
- DOL funds a subsidy, paid for from motorcycle permit and endorsement fees, to help offset training and testing costs; contact a training school directly for current pricing and subsidy eligibility.
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: Washington DOL — Get a 2-Wheel Motorcycle Permit or Endorsement