North Carolina Drivers License Restrictions

In certain cases, a restriction may be placed onto your North Carolina drivers license. Some of the North Carolina drivers license restrictions are health-related and permanent, while others can be removed from the license when you meet certain conditions. A good example of temporary restrictions are North Carolina provisional driver's license restrictions that are part of the state's graduated license system. Once the licensee graduates from the program, these restrictions are removed from the license. If you need help with a specific North Carolina driver's license restriction code, please contact the Department of Transportation.

North Carolina Drivers License Restriction Codes

We were unable to locate the list of drivers license restriction codes for North Carolina, so if you need help deciphering a specific code, please contact the Division of Motor Vehicles directly.

Level Two Limited Provisional License Restrictions

A level two provisional driver's license can be issued to drivers under the age of 18 who have held a North Carolina limited learners permit for at least 12 months and have passed a North Carolina drivers license test. If you are operating under a level 2 provisional license, the following drivers license restrictions apply:

Curfew. No driving alone between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. If you want to drive during these hours, you must have a supervising driver seated next to you.
Passenger restrictions. You can carry no more than one passenger who is younger than 21 years of age and who is not an immediate family member. This restriction does not apply to your immediate family members.
Seat belts. Everyone in the vehicle must be buckled up.
Cell phones. You cannot operate a cell phone or any other communication devices while driving a vehicle. Exceptions can be made if you need to call an emergency service.

A limited license must be held for at least six months before you can go ahead an upgrade to the next level or the North Carolina graduated drivers license program. During these six months, you must keep a clean driving record, if you are convicted of a moving violation, your provisional period is extended by another six months.

Once you meet the above requirements, you are granted a level three provisional license that retains only the cell phone restrictions, otherwise it is almost a full license. Your actual unrestricted North Carolina driver license is issued once you reach the age of 18 years.

North Carolina Permit Restrictions

Please note that what is listed above are the drivers license restrictions. If you just took your North Carolina permit test and were issued with a drivers permit, you need to observe the North Carolina learners permit restrictions. Thus, you are not allowed to drive alone and must have a supervising driver seated next to you whenever you are practicing driving.