Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Graduated Licensing

You are a minor applying for a California instruction permit and your parents share joint custody. Whose signature does the application require?

  1. A.
    Notarized signature from one parent if the other lives out of state.
  2. B.
    Both parents must sign to approve the application. Correct
  3. C.
    Only one parent, so long as they are the custodial parent.
The Why

The answer is "Both parents must sign to approve the application."

When parents share joint custody, both must sign the instruction permit application. Drivers who pick the single-custodial-parent option are carrying a habit from school and medical consent forms where either parent's signature is enough; California's DMV rule names both.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Notarized signature from one parent if the other lives out of state.

The manual gives a both-signatures requirement for shared joint custody and does not offer a one-parent notarized alternative. Treats an out-of-state parent as an exception notarization can solve, a workaround the California application never lists.

C. Only one parent, so long as they are the custodial parent.

For a minor whose parents share joint custody, California requires both signatures, so one custodial parent's signature is not enough. Assumes 'either parent may sign' authority carries into DMV forms the way it does on most school and medical consent forms.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Graduated Licensing in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Applying For An Instruction Permit," p.3..

More from this topic

Related California questions

More than a book

You just took one California question apart. The book does it for the whole test.

The California book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.

Get the book on Amazon

$18.99 paperback, free companion included.

Free study plan

Your free California study plan

A short run of study emails for the California DMV test: what to drill, the rules people trip on, and a final pre-test checklist. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.