North Carolina License & Test Fees

A learner permit (Level 1 limited learner permit for teens, or an adult learner permit) costs a flat $25.50. A motorcycle learner permit is also $25.50 and is valid for 12 months, renewable for one additional 6-month period.

Source: Official NCDMV: Fees (Permits & Provisional Licenses / Graduated Licensing tables), read Sept. 27, 2026 · Verified Sep 2026

NCDMV charges no separate fee to take the knowledge test for a regular Class C license or learner permit. The test is covered by the fee for the permit or license you are applying for, which you pay when it is issued.

Source: Official NCDMV: Fees (License & ID Fees table), read Sept. 27, 2026: no knowledge-test line item for a regular license · Verified Sep 2026

NCDMV charges no separate road test fee: the cost of the driving test at a driver license office is covered by the license fee itself, and the state fee schedule has no road test or retest line for a regular Class C license. The optional alternative does cost money. Certified private driver education schools, authorized to give the road test to teenagers since 2025 and to adults 18 and older since March 2026, each set their own price, and the published list ranges from about $25 to $200 depending on the school.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Schedule of Fees), p. 29, and N.C.G.S. 20-7(i), neither of which carries a road test or retest line for a regular license; NCDMV, "Road Tests at Driver Education Schools," which lists each certified school's road test fee. · Verified Oct 2026

A first Regular Class C driver license is issued for an 8-year term at $6.50 per year, for a total of $52. Levels 1 and 2 of the teen graduated license (limited learner permit, limited provisional license) are each a flat $25.50; Level 3 (full provisional) is $6.50 per year until the holder turns 21.

Source: Official NCDMV: Fees (Driver Licenses Fees / Graduated Licensing tables), read Sept. 27, 2026 · Verified Sep 2026

A Regular Class C license renews for an 8-year term at $6.50 per year, the same rate structure as a first license, for a total of $52.

Source: Official NCDMV: Fees (Driver Licenses Fees table), read Sept. 27, 2026 · Verified Sep 2026

A North Carolina state identification card is free for any resident who is at least 17 years old, legally blind, or homeless. For a resident under 17 the fee is $16.75, the same amount the state charges for a duplicate license. The documents are the same as for a driver license: proof of identity, residency, and your Social Security number.

Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook (2026), Chapter 1 (Identification Cards; Table 8, No Fee IDs), p. 29: "There is no fee for a state ID card for residents who are any one of the following: at least 17 years old, legally blind, or homeless. The fee for a state ID card for someone under 17 years old is $16.75." N.C.G.S. 20-37.7(d) sets the card fee at the duplicate-license amount and exempts those residents. · Verified Oct 2026

There is no retake fee for a regular Class C knowledge or road test. NCDMV's fee schedule has no test or retest charge for a regular license; you pay the permit or license fee once, when it is issued. You can retake a failed test after seven calendar days.

Source: Official NCDMV: Fees (Driver Licenses Fees table), read Sept. 27, 2026; NCDMV "Driver License Tests" page for the seven-day wait · Verified Sep 2026