Maryland Drivers License Restrictions
In certain situations, a health condition that you may have or a limitation of your driving skill may warrant the Motor Vehicle Administration to place a restriction onto your Maryland drivers license. Although Maryland drivers license restrictions limit your driving privileges, they are truly there for your own safety. Provisional drivers license restrictions are part of the Maryland graduated license program and apply to everyone who holds a provisional drivers license. If you need help with a specific Maryland driver's license restriction code, please go ahead and contact the MVA directly.
License Restriction Codes
The following list of Maryland drivers license restriction codes is also available on the MVA website. If your drivers license contains a code that is not listed here, please go ahead and contact the MVA over the phone or visit one of the local MVA branches.
- B - Corrective Lenses
- C - Special brakes, hand controls or other (see restriction card)
- D - Prosthetic Aid
- E - Automatic Transmission
- F - Outside Mirror
- G - Limited to Daylight Only
- H - Limited (see restriction card)
- I - Limited (see restriction card)
- J - Other (see restriction card)
- K - CDL Intrastate Only
- L - Vehicles without Airbrakes
- M - Except Class A Bus
- N - Except Class A & B Bus
- O - Except Tractor Trailer
- Z - Organ Donor, Hearing/Speech Impaired
A restriction may be placed onto your Maryland learners permit or drivers license at the time when you submit your initial application. In order to remove a restriction from your driver license, you will need to prove that the condition that warranted for the restriction to be applied in the first place no longer applies. For example, if you are limited to operating vehicles with automatic transmission and you would like to have this limitation removed, you are required to pass a Maryland driving test in a vehicle equipped with manual transmission.
Provisional Drivers License Restrictions
Provisional license restrictions are part of the Maryland graduate driver's license program. Once the permit holding period is up and you pass the driving test, you are issued with a provisional drivers license that allows you to start driving without a supervising driver being present in the vehicle. However, this drivers license is not called provisional for no reason. Although you are allowed to drive alone, you must observe the following provisional driver's license restrictions in Maryland:
- Curfew. The nighttime driving restriction prohibits you from operating a vehicle between midnight and 5 a.m. The restriction does not apply if you have a supervising drivers seated next to you or are traveling to/from work or a school-related activity
- Passenger restrictions. For the first 151 days, no passengers under the age of 18 years are allowed to be present in the vehicle. Passenger restriction do not apply if the licensee is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian or the passengers are members of his immediate family
- Cell phones. Usage of cell phones or other communication devices while driving is strictly prohibited.
The above provisional drivers license restriction apply only to drivers under 18 years of age. If you are at least 18, you do not have to observe these restrictions, however you must still keep a clean driving record throughout your provisional license holding period. The MVA will monitor your driving record closely during these 18 months and if you commit too many offenses, your driving privileges are suspended.
Drivers Permit Restrictions
If you just passed your Maryland driver's permit test and are operating under a drivers permit, you need to mind Maryland drivers permit restrictions, which are as following:
- No driving alone. You must have a supervising driver seated next to you whenever you are behind the wheel. The supervising driver must hold a valid drivers license, be at least 21 years of age and have 3 or more years of driving experience.
- No cell phones. You cannot use a cell phone or any other communication device at this stage.
These restrictions need to be observed for at least six months before you can take the driving test and obtain a Maryland drivers license. If this is your first drivers license, it is marked as provisional and you have to observe all Maryland provisional driver's license restrictions up until the point when you upgrade it to a full license.
