Indiana Permit Practice: 50 Hours Required, 10 Must Be at Night

All new drivers in Indiana must complete 50 hours of supervised driving practice, including at least 10 hours at night. The Indiana supervised driving log, State Form 54706, is required at the road test and must be signed by the supervising driver. You log these hours on the official Log of Supervised Driving Practice (State Form 54706). This applies whether you're 16 or 36. No changes to the 50-hour requirement or State Form 54706 for 2026 per current BMV pages.

How Many of Indiana's Required 50 Hours Must Be on the Highway?

Every new Indiana driver must log 50 total supervised hours, with at least 10 of those at night, recorded on State Form 54706. This applies to all ages, 16 or 36. Under-18 drivers also face a mandatory 180-day permit holding period before the skills test.

Indiana does not specify a minimum number of highway hours sng, with 10 of those at night. This requirement is part of Indiana's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program.

• Under 18: 50 total hours, including 10 at night. A parent or guardian must sign the completed log. You must also hold your permit for 180 days before the skills test.
• 18 and older: 50 total hours, including 10 at night. You sign your own log. No minimum holding period for the permit applies before the skills test.
• Present the completed State Form 54706 at the BMV when applying for your license. Use the latest version (R5 / 8-24), older forms may delay approval.

Digital apps can track practice, but you must transfer that data onto the official paper form.

If you're under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the Agreement of Financial Liability (State Form 41089) at the BMV branch.

Driving That Counts, and Doesn't Count, Toward Indiana's 50 Hours

Only time supervised by a licensed driver 25+ (or spouse 21+), a driving instructor, or a certified rehabilitation specialist counts. Driving alone, parking lot practice without supervision, and sessions with an under-25 supervisor do not count regardless of how long you drove.

Only supervised driving time counts. Review the full supervising driver requirements for Indiana permits before you start logging.

Your supervisor must be one of the following:

1. A licensed driver 25 years or older
2. Your licensed spouse who is at least 21
3. A licensed driver education instructor
4. A certified driver rehabilitation specialist recognized by the BMV

• Driver's ed hours count: Behind-the-wheel instruction from a BMV-approved driver education program applies toward your 50 hours.
• Driving alone, driving with an unqualified supervisor, or parking lot practice without supervision doesn't count.

How Does Indiana BMV Audit Form 54706 Practice Hour Logs?

BMV clerks review dates, times, and totals against your age and schedule. Patterns like 15-hour Friday sessions, weekday entries during school hours, or totals that exceed physically possible driving windows trigger immediate scrutiny, and delay your license application.

BMV staff collect and review your log book. They check for realistic dates, times, and totals. Patterns like 20 hours logged in one day trigger scrutiny.

• The clerk compares entries to your age and likely schedule. Inconsistent entries can delay your license.
• The affirming signature certifies the log is true under penalty of perjury: a felony in Indiana if falsified.
• You cannot estimate hours retroactively. Backdating a log with guesses is risky and could be considered fraud.

At the Evansville BMV, a clerk flagged a parent's log that showed 10 consecutive night hours recorded on a single date, physically impossible. The inconsistency raised immediate red flags and the teen's license application was delayed for weeks. Complete the log honestly after each session; back-filled entries are obvious to clerks reviewing hundreds of forms.

Indiana's wrong-supervisor rule wiped out one Fort Wayne teen's entire log. A 17-year-old had logged hours with a 24-year-old cousin, a relative, but under 25. Every hour was declared invalid at the BMV. The family had to restart all 50 hours with a qualifying supervisor. Indiana enforces the 25-year minimum strictly; don't assume close family overrides the age cutoff.

One Carmel applicant transferred data from a phone app to State Form 54706 the night before the test, rushed the addition, and came up 2 hours short of 50. The Carmel BMV turned them away, next test opening was 3 weeks out. Run the total twice before your appointment.

Reasons Indiana BMV Rejects a Form 54706 Practice Log

Log after every drive, not the night before your skills test. Keep the form in the glovebox. Verify your supervisor's license is valid before each session; hours driven under a suspended supervisor's watch won't count and must be redone.

Log after every drive. Waiting causes forgotten dates and math errors that get applications rejected. Keep the form in your glovebox if that helps.

• Verify your supervisor's license is valid before each practice session. If the BMV discovers your supervisor had a suspended license, those hours don't count: you'll redo them.
• Schedule your BMV road test online right after finishing your 50 hours and 180-day holding period (if under 18). Popular branches in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne book out 4-6 weeks.
• Review all rules in the Indiana BMV Driver's Manual before your test.

The whole logging system is tedious, but it exists for good reason. Drivers with more practice have fewer accidents. Just log as you go and you'll avoid the headaches.