Illinois Drivers License Restrictions

In some cases, the Secretary of State may have to place one or more restrictions onto your Illinois driver's license. These restrictions may limit your driving privilege to operating a vehicle when certain conditions are met. One of the most common Illinois drivers license restriction is the requirement to drive during daylight hours only, which is applied to drivers with poor vision. Illinois provisional driver's license restrictions are part of the state graduated driver's license system and should only be observed by those who are under 18 years of age. If you have any questions regarding Illinois driver's license restriction codes, you can call your local SOS office for assistance.

Restriction Codes

Unfortunately, we were unable to locate a full list of Illinois drivers license restriction codes. If you have a restriction on your drivers license and you would like to find out what it stands for or how to remove this restriction from your Illinois drivers license, please contact the Illinois Secretary of State for assistance.

Illinois Provisional Drivers License Restrictions

Provisional license restrictions are part of the Illinois graduated driver license program. Graduated driver's license restrictions apply to anyone who obtains an Illinois drivers license before the age of 18. Provisional license restrictions are automatically removed from a drivers license once the licensee reaches the age of 18, provided all graduated license conditions are met.

Licensees who have completed their Illinois drivers license test before the age of 18 must observe the following provisional license restrictions:

Nighttime driving restrictions - Sunday-Thursday, 10 p.m.-6 a.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (local curfews may differ).
Clean driving record - you must not have any moving violations for six months prior to turning 18 before being issued with an unrestricted Illinois drivers license. If you receive a traffic ticket within this period, provisional license restrictions may be extended beyond your 18th birthday.
Seat belts. All passengers under age 19 must wear safety belts.
Passenger restrictions. For the first 12 months or until the licensee turns 18, whichever comes first, the number of passengers under age 20 is limited to one person, unless passengers are members of the drivers immediate family. After this period, the number of passengers is limited to one in the front seat and the number of safety belts in the back seat.
Cell phones. You are not allowed to use a cell phone while driving until you are at least 19 years of age.

Note that these provisional license restrictions differ greatly from Illinois permit restrictions that you had to observe while operating under an Illinois learners permit.

Illinois Drivers Permit Restrictions

If you have not gotten to the drivers license stage and are currently driving under a learners permit, you have to make sure you know all permit restrictions. Once you pass your Illinois permit test and are issued with a permit, you can drive only while being supervised by another licensed driver at least 21 years of age who has not less than a year of driving experience. The following restrictions also apply:

Nighttime driving restrictions - Sunday-Thursday, 10 p.m.-6 a.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (local curfews may differ).
Number of passengers limited to one in the front seat and the number of safety belts in the back seat.
All occupants under age 19 must wear safety belts.
Cell phone usage is prohibited.

If you are looking for extra study materials that can help you prepare for your drivers permit test, make sure to check out the Illinois drivers license handbook and free Illinois practice drivers test.