Louisiana Teen Driver Curfew Rules

Seth Smiley here of the Smiley Law Firm. In today’s Parents of Teen Drivers discussion, we will be looking at the curfew rules for Louisiana’s teenage drivers.

There are a few different tiers of license types for teenage drivers in our state, and some of them have curfew restrictions.

I remember being out in a friend’s car in the late 90s or early 2000s, and he got ticketed in a gas station for being out past curfew. The curfew rules are there for a reason, so you should be aware of them and help your teen avoid getting a ticket.

There are rules involved. For learner drivers permits, the young driver always needs to be accompanied by a family member who is over 21, so there are no restrictions there. However, the intermediate license, which is available at age 17, means you are not allowed to be driving between 11 pm and 5 am. It is valid for every day of the week.

If you have an intermediate license with another person in the car with you, the rules are stricter. You can’t drive anyone after 6 pm until 5 am unless accompanied by an adult over 21. The reasoning here is to avoid distractions for young drivers.

If you have a full class E license, there are no general curfew rules, but there might be individual ones in certain parishes who have their own rules.

For instance, Jefferson Parish has a year-round curfew for 17-year-olds and under banning them from driving between 11 pm and 5 am during weekdays. At weekends the times are midnight until 5 am.

New Orleans has a similar curfew rule during the summer. So the rules are there, and you should make your teens aware of them.

For 18s and older, this is not an issue, but for 17 and younger with a specific type of license, curfews are applicable. There are some exceptions for working teens, worship, etc.

If you have any points to raise or questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or send me a DM.

Thank you.