Louisiana driving laws
The rules your permit test asks about, in plain English. Each one is quoted from Louisiana’s statutes or an official OMV page. Handbooks are often years out of date, so where the law has changed we follow the law.
Checked October 2, 2026.
The short version
- Phones and texting
- Louisiana is hands-free for every driver: you may not hold or use a phone or other wireless device while driving unless the vehicle is lawfully stationary.
- Alcohol and drugs (DUI)
- In Louisiana it is a crime to drive with a BAC of 0.08 or more (0.02 or more if you are under 21), and commercial drivers face CDL disqualification at 0.04 in a commercial vehicle.
- Seat belts and child seats
- Everyone in a passenger car, van, SUV or truck of 26,000 pounds or less must be buckled, front seat and back.
- Speed limits
- Unless signs say otherwise, the Louisiana highway limit is 55 mph, 65 mph on multi-lane divided highways without full access control, and 70 mph on interstates.
Phones and texting
Louisiana is hands-free for every driver: you may not hold or use a phone or other wireless device while driving unless the vehicle is lawfully stationary. Hands-free calls are allowed, but texting, social media and video are banned even hands-free.
Official wording (8 sources)
“no person shall operate any wireless telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle upon any public road or highway, unless the motor vehicle is lawfully stationary.”
legis.la.gov“Holding or physically supporting a wireless telecommunications device in either or both hands”
legis.la.gov“Engaging in a call, which means talking or listening during a voice transmission on a wireless telecommunications device or manually entering names or telephone numbers to initiate a voice transmission, except when using a hands-free wireless telephone.”
legis.la.gov“If a violation of this Section occurs in a school zone or in a highway construction zone it shall be a primary offense and shall be punishable as follows: (a) By a fine of two hundred fifty dollars.”
legis.la.gov“it shall constitute a secondary offense when the officer detains a driver for an alleged violation of another provision of this Chapter and shall be punishable as follows: (a) By a fine of one hundred dollars.”
legis.la.gov“§300.5. Repealed by Acts 2025, No. 288, §3.”
legis.la.gov“any person, regardless of age, issued a first driver's license from this state shall be prohibited from using a cellular telephone for any purpose while operating a motor vehicle for a period of one year commencing from the date of issuance of his first driver's license.”
legis.la.gov“A first offense violation of the provisions of this Section shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars or by sentence of sixteen hours of community service, or both.”
legis.la.gov
Alcohol and drugs (DUI)
In Louisiana it is a crime to drive with a BAC of 0.08 or more (0.02 or more if you are under 21), and commercial drivers face CDL disqualification at 0.04 in a commercial vehicle. Refusing a chemical test brings a one-year suspension for a first refusal.
Official wording (10 sources)
“The operator's blood alcohol concentration is 0.08 percent or more by weight based on grams of alcohol per one hundred cubic centimeters of blood.”
legis.la.gov“when the operator's blood alcohol concentration is 0.02 percent or more by weight based on grams of alcohol per one hundred cubic centimeters of blood, if the operator is under the age of twenty-one.”
legis.la.gov“driving under the influence of alcohol with an alcohol concentration of at least 0.04 percent but under an alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent while operating a commercial motor vehicle.”
legis.la.gov“If the person refused to submit to the test, his driving privileges shall be suspended as follows: (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, one year from the date of suspension on a refusal.”
legis.la.gov“Two years from the date of suspension on the second and subsequent refusal occurring within ten years of the date of a refusal to submit to the test.”
legis.la.gov“Any person who refuses to submit to a chemical test as required by the provisions of this Paragraph shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars and imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than six months.”
legis.la.gov“on a conviction of a first offense violation of R.S. 14:98, the offender shall be fined not less than three hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, and shall be imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than six months.”
legis.la.gov“Serve forty-eight hours in jail, which shall not be suspended, or in lieu thereof, perform no less than thirty-two hours of court-approved community service activities”
legis.la.gov“The department shall suspend the license of any person for a period of twelve months upon receiving”
legis.la.gov“his driving privileges shall be suspended for one hundred eighty days from the date of suspension on first offense violation”
legis.la.gov
Seat belts and child seats
Everyone in a passenger car, van, SUV or truck of 26,000 pounds or less must be buckled, front seat and back. Police can stop you for a seat-belt violation alone. Children under 13 ride in the back seat when one is available, in the seat their age and size call for.
Official wording (7 sources)
“each occupant of a passenger car, van, sports utility vehicle, or truck having a gross weight of twenty-six thousand pounds or less in this state shall have a safety belt properly fastened about his or her body at all times when the vehicle is in forward motion.”
legis.la.gov“Probable cause for violation of this Section shall be based solely upon a law enforcement officer's clear and unobstructed view of a person not restrained as required by this Section.”
legis.la.gov“MOTOR VEHICLES: Provides for clarification on the proper way to wear a safety belt. (8/1/26)”
legis.la.gov“A child who is younger than the age of two years shall be restrained in a rear-facing child restraint system that complies with all applicable federal regulations until the child reaches the weight or height limit”
legis.la.gov“A child who is at least four years of age and has outgrown the forward-facing weight or height limits of the child restraint system as set by the manufacturer shall be restrained in a belt-positioning child booster seat”
legis.la.gov“A child who is at least nine years of age or has outgrown the height or weight limits of a child restraint system or belt-positioning child booster seat as set by the manufacturer shall be restrained with the motor vehicle's adult safety belt”
legis.la.gov“A child who is younger than thirteen years of age shall be transported in the rear seat of a motor vehicle, when available”
legis.la.gov
Move Over law
For a parked emergency vehicle, tow truck or other vehicle showing warning lights, and since August 1, 2026 for any disabled vehicle showing hazard lights or flashers, move to a lane not next to it on a multi-lane road. If you can't change lanes safely, or you are on a two-lane road, slow to a reasonably safe speed.
Official wording (5 sources)
“yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the parked vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions. If a lane change is not possible, the driver shall slow to a reasonably safe speed.”
legis.la.gov“Maintain a safe speed for road conditions, if unable or unsafe to change lanes, or driving on a two-lane road or highway.”
legis.la.gov“shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection, and shall stop and remain in such position until the authorized emergency vehicle has passed”
legis.la.gov“Provides for approaching emergency or disabled vehicles on or near highways. (8/1/26)”
legis.la.gov“Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 234.”
legis.la.gov
School buses
Stop at least 30 feet from a school bus showing its stop signals, whether you are behind it or meeting it, and wait until it moves or the signals go off. You need not stop when the bus is on a separate roadway of a divided highway; a road with one lane each way and a center turn lane is not divided.
Official wording (4 sources)
“meeting or overtaking from any direction any school bus that has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children shall stop the vehicle not less than thirty feet from the school bus”
legis.la.gov“said driver shall not proceed until such bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer activated.”
legis.la.gov“The driver of a vehicle upon a highway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on a different roadway”
legis.la.gov“A highway with one lane in each direction and with a dedicated two-way left-turn lane shall not be considered a divided highway with separate roadways for purposes of this Section.”
legis.la.gov
Speed limits
Unless signs say otherwise, the Louisiana highway limit is 55 mph, 65 mph on multi-lane divided highways without full access control, and 70 mph on interstates. Always drive no faster than is reasonable for conditions.
Official wording (4 sources)
“No person shall operate a vehicle on any highway of this state in excess of fifty-five miles per hour, unless a lower maximum speed is posted on the highway”
legis.la.gov“No person shall operate a vehicle on any interstate or controlled access highway of this state in excess of seventy miles per hour.”
legis.la.gov“No person shall operate a vehicle on any multi-lane divided highway of this state which has partial or no control of access in excess of sixty-five miles per hour.”
legis.la.gov“No person shall drive a vehicle on the highway within this state at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and potential hazards then existing”
legis.la.gov
After a crash
If a crash injures or kills anyone, or causes property damage over $500, you must notify the police right away: city police inside a city or town, otherwise the sheriff or the nearest state police station.
Official wording (2 sources)
“The driver of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury to or death of any person or property damage in excess of five hundred dollars shall”
legis.la.gov“Immediately give notice of the crash to the local police department if the crash occurs within an incorporated city or town or, if the crash occurs outside of an incorporated city or town, to the nearest sheriff's office or state police station.”
legis.la.gov
Insurance
Louisiana requires liability coverage of at least $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage (15/30/25).
Official wording (2 sources)
“Fifteen thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person in any one accident, and (b) Subject to said limit for one person, thirty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in any one accident”
legis.la.gov“Twenty-five thousand dollars because of damage to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
legis.la.gov
Motorcycle helmets
Every motorcycle rider and passenger in Louisiana must wear a helmet with a chin strap fastened. Riders also need approved eye protection unless the motorcycle has a windshield tall enough to protect the eyes.
Official wording (4 sources)
“No person shall operate or ride upon any motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or motorized bicycle unless the person is equipped with and is wearing on the head a safety helmet”
legis.la.gov“which shall be secured properly with a chin strap while the vehicle is in motion.”
legis.la.gov“No person shall operate a motorcycle or motor driven cycle unless the person is wearing an eye protective device of a type approved for such use by the secretary, except when the motorcycle or motor driven cycle is equipped with a windshield of sufficient height to afford adequate eye protection”
legis.la.gov“Eye protective devices used at night shall not be tinted.”
legis.la.gov
Motorcycle permit rules
Louisiana has no separate motorcycle permit: a motorcycle endorsement is added to your license after you pass motorcycle knowledge and skills tests, or after you complete the state Motorcycle Safety, Awareness and Operator Training Program, which replaces both tests. A learner's license holder under 17 riding a motorcycle must stay within 3 miles of home.
Official wording (5 sources)
“Any person under the age of seventeen who has a valid learner's license and is operating a motorcycle is restricted to a distance of three miles from the applicant's residence”
legis.la.gov“an applicant at least fifteen years of age, but less than seventeen years of age, applying for the first time may be issued a Class "E" learner's license. The license may be issued for a four-year period”
legis.la.gov“The Class "E" learner's license shall authorize the holder to drive while being accompanied by a licensed parent, guardian, adult at least age twenty-one or older, or licensed sibling at least age eighteen or older.”
legis.la.gov“No written knowledge test or operator's skill test shall be required if an applicant has successfully completed the Motorcycle Safety, Awareness, and Operator Training Program provided in R.S. 32:402.3.”
legis.la.gov“A separate license to operate a motorcycle is not issued in Louisiana. Once an applicant proves he is qualified, a motorcycle endorsement is added to the existing Louisiana license.”
expresslane.la.gov
Lane splitting
Lane splitting and filtering are illegal in Louisiana: you may not ride between lanes of traffic or between rows of vehicles, or pass in the same lane as the vehicle you are overtaking.
Official wording (3 sources)
“No person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows of vehicles.”
legis.la.gov“The operator of a motorcycle shall not overtake and pass in the same lane occupied by the vehicle being overtaken.”
legis.la.gov“Motorcycles shall not be operated more than two abreast in a single lane.”
legis.la.gov
This page summarizes the law for study purposes and is not legal advice. Laws change; confirm with Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (Department of Public Safety and Corrections).