Virginia 45-Hour Driving Log: Who Signs It
Virginia's 45-hour driving log explained: what each column asks for, who can supervise and sign, how to time after-sunset hours and where the log goes.
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Virginia’s 45-hour driving log is the form at the back of the state’s 45-Hour Parent/Teen Driving Guide. If you’re under 18, you need at least 45 hours of driving while holding a learner’s permit, at least 15 of them after sunset, certified by a parent, foster parent or legal guardian. The log itself goes to the behind-the-wheel instructor.
Get the guide from the Virginia Department of Education’s Parent Resources page. We worked from an archived copy of the July 2025 edition.
Road44, the driving log app mentioned later on, is our app. We checked the rules below on October 31, 2026, in the Code of Virginia, Virginia DMV pages and forms, and that archived guide. A newer edition may exist and rules change, so confirm with your instructor or DMV. This isn’t legal advice.
What Virginia requires in 2026
The hours come from § 46.2-335(B) of the Code of Virginia. No license goes to anyone under 18 “unless, while holding a learner’s permit, he has driven a motor vehicle for at least 45 hours, at least 15 of which were after sunset, as certified by his parent, foster parent, or legal guardian unless the person is married or otherwise emancipated.”
Night hours sit inside the 45, which leaves 30 hours (our arithmetic) that can fall at any time of day.
Class time is a gray area. The statute doesn’t say whether behind-the-wheel lessons count. The guide treats the instructor’s in-car hours as separate from the parent’s log, so we’d count only family practice and ask the instructor if you’re unsure.
DMV’s learner’s permit page adds two requirements for under-18s: “Successfully complete a state-approved driver education program” and “Hold a learner’s permit for at least nine months before you can receive a driver’s license.” The guide puts the minimum license age at 16 years and 3 months. Our road test eligibility date calculator has a Virginia preset for the nine-month hold and that minimum age.
A change taking effect January 1, 2027 sets new rules for older first-time applicants. DMV’s FAQ asks whether it affects applicants under 18 and answers: “No. The same requirements that applied prior to January 1, 2027 will still apply to applicants under 18 years old.”
What the 45-hour log asks for, column by column
The blank log is at the end of the guide, headed “Please photocopy log sheets as necessary.” Across the top are two blanks, one for total daytime hours and one for total nighttime hours. Below them, each row has seven columns:
- Date.
- Skills Practiced. The guide’s lesson titles make good labels: Backing, Parking, City Driving, Expressways. For more ideas, see what to practice in your first 50 hours.
- Total Daytime Minutes. Minutes driven in daylight.
- Total Nighttime Minutes. Minutes driven after sunset.
- Total Minutes. The two added together.
- Parent/Guardian Initials. Handwritten, row by row.
- Comments. The guide’s sample log uses this for coaching notes, such as “We need to practice this more.”
The log counts minutes and the top line counts hours, so divide by 60 when you fill it in. Forty-five hours is 2,700 minutes, and 15 hours is 900 (our arithmetic).
The form has no supervisor column. If several people ride along, we’d note the name under Comments.
Two things that can confuse you
The sample log earlier in the guide has “Total Mileage” where the blank log has “Total Minutes.” Follow the blank log.
Schools can also add their own rules. Matoaca’s behind-the-wheel page says “The log will not be accepted by the instructor if the session column is blank,” yet the July 2025 blank log has no session column. That undated page may reflect an older edition or the school’s own sheet, so ask your instructor early which log they want.
Who can supervise, and who signs
These are two separate lists, and the second is shorter.
| Role | Who qualifies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Supervise (ride beside the teen) | Any licensed driver 21 or older; a parent or legal guardian; a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister 18 or older | § 46.2-335(A) |
| Certify the 45 hours | A parent, foster parent or legal guardian | § 46.2-335(B) |
The person riding along must be “alert, able to assist the driver, and actually occupying a seat beside the driver,” and “lawfully permitted to operate the motor vehicle.” So a grandparent or family friend who is 21 or older and licensed can supervise, but can’t sign unless they’re also the teen’s foster parent or legal guardian.
The guide wants parents close by. It says “If neither parent has a valid driver’s license, a friend or relative can conduct the guided practice sessions,” and that parents “should remain involved in the learning process as observers in the car.”
The two signatures
The person certifying signs in two places:
- The log’s certification block. It reads “I certify that ____ has completed 45 hours of guided practice, 15 of which were after sunset,” with lines for the signature, the date and a driver’s license or DMV-issued ID number. The block is printed on each log sheet, and the guide doesn’t say whether every photocopied sheet needs signing, so ask your instructor.
- The completion certificate (DTS-B or TDL-180). DMV’s instructions to schools say a parent, foster parent or legal guardian “must sign the Student Copy of the certificate to attest to academic standing, and certify that the student has driven at least 45 hours, 15 of which occurred after sunset.” DMV’s driver education page asks for a license or state-issued ID number here too.
The statute calls for “the driver’s license or Department of Motor Vehicles-issued identification card number of the person making the certification.” So a parent without a driver’s license can still sign with a DMV ID number, but can’t supervise.
Read the wording before signing. The log says “It is illegal for anyone to give false information in connection with obtaining a driver’s license. This certification is considered part of the driver’s license application, and anyone who certifies to a false statement may be prosecuted.”
Separately, § 46.2-348 says any person who “knowingly makes a false statement or conceals a material fact or otherwise commits a fraud during the driver’s license examination … or in his application is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.”
Where the sources don’t match
State materials describe the 18-plus family supervisor in different ways:
- The statute names siblings, half-siblings and step-siblings 18 or older, plus a parent or legal guardian.
- DMV’s Parents in the Driver’s Seats adds “first cousin.”
- The guide says “a licensed family member at least 18 years old.”
- DMV’s learner’s permit page says “18 years of age or older if they are your legal guardian or sibling.”
We follow the statute. If your supervisor is under 21 and not on its list, ask DMV first. The materials we read also don’t cover a teen with no parent, foster parent or guardian available to certify, so that’s a question for the school or DMV too.
Night hours: what “after sunset” means in Virginia
Virginia says “after sunset” and stops there, with no buffer or twilight window in the statute or the state materials we read. Windows from other states, such as Maryland’s, don’t carry over.
Sunset at both ends of the year, from US Naval Observatory data:
| 2026 | Richmond | Arlington | Bristol |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 (EDT) | 8:34 p.m. | 8:37 p.m. | 8:51 p.m. |
| December 21 (EST) | 4:55 p.m. | 4:50 p.m. | 5:17 p.m. |
Bristol’s December sunset comes 27 minutes after Arlington’s (our arithmetic), so use your own town. The Observatory’s one-day lookup covers any place and date. Richmond’s pages: June 21 and December 21.
The clock change moves sunset overnight. Richmond’s sunset goes from 6:12 p.m. on October 31 to 5:11 p.m. on November 1, 2026.
Evening practice also has a hard stop. § 46.2-335(D) says “No learner’s permit shall authorize its holder to operate a motor vehicle between midnight and four o’clock a.m.” In Richmond, sunset to midnight is 3 hours 26 minutes on June 21 and 7 hours 5 minutes on December 21 (our arithmetic).
Early morning is an open question. Nothing we read says whether time before sunrise counts, so ask your instructor before counting a pre-dawn drive toward the 15.
Drives that cross sunset
The log has daytime and nighttime columns on one row, so a drive that crosses sunset splits across them.
A Richmond drive from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. on October 31 straddles the 6:12 sunset: 27 daytime minutes and 33 nighttime minutes. The same drive on November 1 is entirely after the 5:11 sunset, so all 60 minutes are nighttime.
Keep a running record, then copy it to the log
The guide says: “After each driving session, don’t forget to evaluate your child’s skills and document your driving time on the log.” If the sheet is at home when the drive ends, keep a quick record and copy it over soon after.
Nine months is about 39 weeks, so 45 hours works out to about 69 minutes a week, and the 15 night hours to about 23 of those minutes (our arithmetic). Those are averages, and the guide’s lesson times are estimates: “you need to spend as much time as necessary to allow your child to master the skills before moving on to the next lesson.”
Our supervised driving hours calculator has a Virginia preset for the 45 and 15, and the driving practice schedule calculator turns what’s left into a weekly plan.
We’d run the record like this:
- Record each drive as soon as it ends: date, start and end time, skills and who supervised.
- Check that day’s sunset, and split any drive that crossed it.
- Copy to the log on a set day, one row per drive, with the parent’s initials.
- Keep two totals: all minutes toward 2,700 and night minutes toward 900.
- Have the parent read the whole log before signing the certification.
Keep the phone out of the teen’s hands. DMV’s Teen Driving Restrictions page says “Virginia’s cellular telephone law prohibits the use of cell phones while driving, regardless of whether such device is or is not hand-held.”
If drives have already slipped through, forgot to log driving hours? covers rebuilding them honestly. Our driving log template vs app guide weighs paper against a phone.
Where Road44 fits
Road44 is the running record we built. Pick Hours as your goal, change the all-time target to 45 (onboarding suggests 50) and set the night-hours goal to 15 (it starts at 10). Both goals are free.
Start a live drive before pulling out or let the supervisor run it. There’s no GPS: every drive is started, stopped or typed in by hand, and “Add past drive” covers forgotten ones.
Check the night flag, because the app doesn’t know sunset. A drive is marked night if it starts between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., and one flag covers the whole drive.
In Richmond, a 5 p.m. drive on December 21 is after sunset but reads as day, and a 7:15 p.m. drive on June 21 is before sunset but reads as night. Flip the Night drive switch to match.
For a drive that crosses sunset, edit it to end at sunset, add the rest with “Add past drive” and turn on its Night drive switch. Check the first part’s flag too, since a summer start after 7 p.m. reads as night. Starts before 7 a.m. also default to night, so see the pre-dawn note above.
The free CSV export has the date and duration in minutes, and its Period, Conditions and Notes chips add day or night, skills practiced and your notes (Notes starts off each time). Initials stay handwritten.
It’s a personal record, not an official or certified logbook, and it doesn’t replace the state’s log or the parent’s signature. Drives stay on your phone with no account or cloud sync, so export regularly as a backup.
Handing it in and what comes next
The guide says “Give the completed log to your child’s in-car teacher/instructor” and “This log must be completed prior to issuance of the 180-day temporary driver’s license.”
DMV’s booklet agrees. It describes “a 45-hour driving log that you complete and give to your teen’s driver education instructor.” No DMV page we read asks an applicant to bring it. We’d photograph the signed log before handing it over.
Your school may want to see it sooner. Matoaca’s page asks families to bring it to the sign-up appointment, even if it’s incomplete, and suggests having about 20 hours logged when you request that appointment.
After that:
- The road skills test. DMV says under-18s “must complete the road skills test through your driver’s education program.” The guide says the in-car teacher or instructor gives it.
- The certificate. If your teen passes, meets all licensing requirements and the parent gives the school permission, the instructor issues a DTS-B or TDL-180.
- The signatures and copies. The parent signs the student copy, and the school sends DMV’s copy. In DMV’s words, “DMV does not accept completion certificates directly from applicants.”
- Driving on the certificate. DMV’s teen FAQ says that with a valid permit, the certificate “is a valid driver’s license for 180 days from the eligibility date shown on the certificate, or until you turn age 18.”
- The license. The same FAQ says “you may be required to attend a court licensing ceremony with your parent or guardian to receive your license.”
Home-schooled teens have a separate process. DMV’s HS 3 sheet asks for “At least 45 hours of additional driving, 15 hours of which must occur after sunset,” then says “DMV will administer the final road skills test” and issue an HS 2 certificate.
Track drives however you like. The certification on the state’s log is the part that has to be true.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours do you need to drive in Virginia before getting a license?
If you're under 18, at least 45 hours while holding a learner's permit, with at least 15 after sunset, certified by a parent, foster parent or legal guardian. That comes from Code of Virginia § 46.2-335. Married or otherwise emancipated teens are excepted from the certification. Night hours count toward the 45, so the other 30 can fall at any time of day.
Who signs the Virginia 45-hour driving log?
A parent, foster parent or legal guardian, who also gives a driver's license or DMV-issued ID number. Other licensed drivers can supervise practice, but they don't certify it. A parent without a driver's license can still sign with a DMV-issued ID number. The same group signs the student copy of the completion certificate (DTS-B or TDL-180).
Do you turn in the 45-hour log to DMV?
The state's guide and DMV's Parents in the Driver's Seats booklet both send it to the behind-the-wheel instructor, and the guide says it must be completed before the 180-day temporary license is issued. The completion certificate reaches DMV through the driver training school, and DMV says it doesn't accept completion certificates directly from applicants. No DMV page we read asks an applicant to bring the log.
Does night driving have to be after sunset, or just dark?
Virginia's wording is "after sunset." Neither the statute nor the state materials we read define it further or add a twilight window, so look up sunset for your town and date. Nothing we read says whether time before sunrise counts, so ask your instructor before counting a pre-dawn drive toward the 15.
Can a grandparent or friend supervise the 45 hours?
Yes, if they're a licensed driver 21 or older who is alert, able to assist and seated beside the teen. The state's guide says that when neither parent has a valid license, a friend or relative can conduct the sessions, and parents should stay involved as observers in the car. A parent, foster parent or legal guardian still certifies the hours.
Do behind-the-wheel class hours count toward the 45?
The statute doesn't say outright. The guide treats the instructor's in-car instruction and observation as separate from the parent's log, and DMV's home-school sheet (HS 3) calls the 45 hours "additional driving." Our advice is to count only family practice and ask the instructor if you're unsure.
Can you use an app instead of the paper log?
No state source we read says an app or a printout replaces the guide's log, and none addresses whether an instructor or DMV accepts one. Keep whatever running record you like, then copy it onto the state's log, which the parent signs. If you want to attach a printout, ask the instructor first.
Does the January 2027 change affect the 45 hours?
Not for applicants under 18. DMV says "The same requirements that applied prior to January 1, 2027 will still apply to applicants under 18 years old." The change sets new permit-holding and driver education rules for older first-time applicants.