License renewal procedures by state

Due to COVID-19, many states have made temporary operational changes. For the current status, please check with the state licensing authority.

January 2021

State	General population	Older population	General population	Older population	General population	Older population
	License renewal cycle		Proof of adequate vision required at renewal		Mail or online renewal permitted
AL	4 years	4 years	no	no	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
AK	5 years	5 years	when renewing in person	69 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 69 and older
AZ	12 years	5 years for people 65 and older	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
AR	8 years	4 or 8 years for people 70 and older, personal option	every other renewal	every other renewal	no	no
CA	5 years	5 years	when renewing in person	70 and older, every renewal	both, limited to 2 consecutive renewals	not permitted 70 and older
CO	5 years	5 years	every renewal	every renewal	both, limited to 2 consecutive renewals online or every other renewal by mail	by mail, every other renewal for people 66 and older
CT	8 years	2 years for people 65 and older	no	no	no^{Footnote 1}	no^{Footnote 1}
DE	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
DC	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 70 and older
FL	8 years	6 years for people 80 and older	when renewing in person	80 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
GA	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	online, every other renewal	not permitted 64 and older
HI	8 years	2 years for people 72 and older	every renewal	every renewal	by mail, limited to 2 consecutive renewals, but must appear in person at least every 16 years	by mail, limited to 2 consecutive renewals, but must appear in person at least every 16 years
ID	4 or 8 years, personal option	4 years for people 63 and older	every renewal	every renewal	by mail, every other renewal; must choose 4-year license	not permitted 70 and older
IL	4 years	2 years for people 81 - 86; 1 year for people 87 and older	when renewing in person	75 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 75 and older
IN	6 years	3 years for people 75-84: 2 years for people 85 and older	when renewing in person	75 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
IA	8 years or 80th birthday, whichever occurs first	2 years for people 78 and older	when renewing in person	70 and older, every renewal	online, every other renewal	not permitted 70 and older
KS	6 years	4 years for people 65 and older	every renewal	every renewal	no^{Footnote 1}	no^{Footnote 1}
KY	8 years^{Footnote 2}	8 years^{Footnote 2}	no	no	no^{Footnote 1}	no^{Footnote 1}
LA	6 years	6 years	when renewing in person	70 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 70 and older^{Footnote 3}
ME	6 years	4 years for people 65 and older	first renewal after 40 and every other renewal until 62	62 and older, every renewal	both, unless proof of vision required	not permitted 62 and older
MD	8 years	8 years	when renewing in person	40 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
MA	5 years	5 years	when renewing in person	75 and older, every renewal	online, every other renewal	not permitted 75 and older
MI	4 years	4 years	when renewing in person	when renewing in person	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
MN	4 years	4 years	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
MS	4 or 8 years, personal option	4 or 8 years, personal option	no	no	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
MO	6 years	3 years for people 70 and older	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
MT	8 years or 75th birthday, whichever occurs first	4 years for people 75 and older	every renewal	every renewal	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
NE	5 years	5 years	when renewing in person	72 and older, every renewal	online, every other renewal	not permitted 72 and older
NV	4 years (odd number birth years); 8 years (even number birth years); 8 years all licenses starting in 2018	4 years for people 65 and older	when renewing in person	71 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal; available only for holders of a 4-year license	both, every other renewal for people 65 and older
NH	5 years	5 years	every renewal	every renewal	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
NJ	4 years	2 or 4 years for people 70 and older, personal option	every 10 years^{Footnote 4}	every 10 years^{Footnote 4}	both, unless new photo required^{Footnote 5}	both^{Footnote 5}
NM	4 or 8 years, personal option	4 years for people 71-78; 1 year for people 79 and older	when renewing in person	75 and older, every renewal	online, every other renewal; by mail, unless new photo required	not permitted 75 and older
NY	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	both	both
NC	8 years	5 years for people 66 and older	every renewal	every renewal	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
ND	6 years	4 years for people 78 and older	every renewal	every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 65 and older
OH	4 or 8 years, personal option (effective 07/01/21)	4 years for people 65 and older (effective 07/01/21)	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
OK	4 years	4 years	no	no	no^{Footnote 1}	no^{Footnote 1}
OR	8 years	8 years	no	50 and older, every renewal	no	no
PA	4 years	2 years or 4 years for people 65 and older, personal option	no	no	both	both
RI	5 years	2 years for people 75 and older	every renewal	every renewal	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
SC	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	both	both
SD	5 years	5 years	when renewing in person	65 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	both, every other renewal
TN	8 years^{Footnote 6}	8 years^{Footnote 6}	no	no	both	both
TX	8 years	2 years for people 85 and older	when renewing in person	79 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 79 and older
UT	8 years	8 years	when renewing in person	65 and older, every renewal	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
VT	2 or 4 years	2 or 4 years	no	no	by mail, unless new photo required^{Footnote 7}	by mail, unless new photo required^{Footnote 7}
VA	8 years	5 years for people 75 and older	when renewing in person	75 and older, every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 75 and older
WA	6 years	6 years	every renewal	every renewal	both, every other renewal	not permitted 70 and older
WV	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	online, every other renewal	online, every other renewal
WI	8 years	8 years	every renewal	every renewal	no	no
WY	5 years	5 years	every 10 years	every 10 years	by mail, every other renewal	by mail, every other renewal

Footnotes

^{Footnote 1} Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma authorize alternative means of renewal but no programs are yet in place. ↩
^{Footnote 2} In Kentucky, in order to accommodate the transition from a four year licensing schedule to an eight year licensing schedule, the Transportation Cabinet may renew operator's licenses with terms of both four and eight years until January 2023. ↩
^{Footnote 3} In Louisiana, a person age 70 and older can renew by mail or online if he or she is medically diagnosed with a disability that precludes that driver from renewing in person and he or she submits a sworn affidavit by a physician certifying that the person possesses all cognitive functions reasonably necessary to be a prudent driver. ↩
^{Footnote 4} N.J. Stat. § 39:3-10c states, "The division shall require every licensed driver to take and successfully pass a screening of his vision at least once every 10 years as a condition for the renewal of his driver's license and of any endorsement thereon." ↩
^{Footnote 5} N.J. Stat. § 39:3-10f states that, for drivers age 64 and younger, a stored picture can be used to renew a license for two consecutive four-year renewal periods, but the same picture cannot be used for more than 12 years. Drivers 65 and older with a standard basic driver's license can use a stored photograph for each renewal indefinitely. ↩
^{Footnote 6} In Tennessee, the commissioner may issue an initial license or renew a license that shall remain valid for 3 to 8 years in order to transition from the five-year to the eight-year license. ↩
^{Footnote 7} 23 V.S.A. § 610 states that a driver is required to update a driver’s license that has a photo or “imaged likeness” in person “no less often than once every eight years”. ↩