Iowa requires just 20 hours of supervised driving, with 2 hours at night — one of the lowest requirements in the nation. Teens can get a permit at age 14 and must hold it for 12 months. Despite the low hour requirement, Iowa enforces nighttime and passenger restrictions during the provisional licensing period.
Total Supervised Hours
20h
Including 2h at night
Minimum Permit Age
14
Holding period: 12 months
Provisional License Age
16
Full license: 17
No driving between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. for drivers under 17.
No more than one unrelated passenger under 18 for the first 6 months.
No all electronic device use for drivers under 18.
Meeting Iowa's 20 hours of supervised driving practice can feel overwhelming — especially when you're also juggling school schedules, extracurriculars, and work. DashLog makes it simple by automatically tracking every supervised drive your teen completes. Start a session, drive, and DashLog logs the date, time, duration, and whether it was a daytime or nighttime drive — all mapped against Iowa's specific GDL requirements.
Parents in Iowa get real-time progress dashboards showing exactly how many of the required 20 hours their teen has completed, including a breakdown of 2 hours at night hours. DashLog sends milestone alerts when your teen hits 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of their required hours — so you always know where you stand without manually counting on a paper log. Plus, live location tracking during drives gives parents peace of mind without micromanaging.
When it's time to visit the Iowa DMV, DashLog generates a clean, DMV-ready driving log report that documents every session with dates, times, and total hours. No more scrambling to find a crumpled paper log the night before the test. DashLog is free during our beta — join thousands of Iowa families already tracking their teen's progress.
Iowa requires only 20 hours of supervised driving, with at least 2 hours at night — significantly fewer than most states. However, experts recommend practicing well beyond the minimum.
Iowa teens can apply for a learner's permit at age 14, making it one of the earliest permit ages in the country.
Iowa teens under 17 cannot drive between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless for work, school, or emergencies.
Yes. For the first 6 months of the intermediate license, teens can carry only one unrelated passenger under 18.
Iowa teens can receive a full license at age 17, provided they have held the intermediate license for at least 12 months with no major violations.
Understand the 3 stages of GDL and how they protect new drivers.
State-by-state breakdown of supervised hour requirements.
Paper log vs app — and why DashLog is the smarter choice.
Compare teen driving requirements across every U.S. state.
DashLog tracks every supervised hour against Iowa's GDL requirements — so your teen is ready for the license test.
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