Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1501 (2026)

Drivers required to be licensed.

✓ current as of May 2026

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CHAPTER 15

LICENSING OF DRIVERS

Subchapter

A. General Provisions

B. Comprehensive System for Driver Education and Control

C. Violations

D. Driver's License Compact

Enactment. Chapter 15 was added June 17, 1976, P.L.162, No.81, effective July 1, 1977, unless otherwise noted.

Special Provisions in Appendix. See section 12 of Act 115 of 1994 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to contracts with private entities.

See section 25 of Act 115 of 1996 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to pilot programs for decentralized services for motor vehicle and driver license transactions.

Cross References. Chapter 15 is referred to in sections 1516, 1614, 1702 of this title; section 8613 of Title 20 (Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries); section 4521.1 of Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure).

SUBCHAPTER A

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec.

1501. Drivers required to be licensed.

1502. Persons exempt from licensing.

1503. Persons ineligible for licensing; license issuance to minors; junior driver's license.

1504. Classes of licenses.

1505. Learners' permits.

1506. Application for driver's license or learner's permit.

1507. Application for driver's license or learner's permit by minor.

1508. Examination of applicant for driver's license.

1508.1. Physical examinations.

1509. Qualifications for school bus driver endorsement.

1510. Issuance and content of driver's license.

1511. Carrying and exhibiting driver's license on demand.

1512. Restrictions on drivers' licenses.

1513. Duplicate and substitute drivers' licenses and learners' permits.

1514. Expiration and renewal of drivers' licenses.

1515. Notice of change of name or address.

1516. Department records.

1517. Medical Advisory Board.

1518. Reports on mental or physical disabilities or disorders.

1519. Determination of incompetency.

1520. Acknowledgment of littering provisions.

§ 1501. Drivers required to be licensed.

(a) General rule.--No person, except those expressly exempted, shall drive any motor vehicle upon a highway or public property in this Commonwealth unless the person has a driver's license valid under the provisions of this chapter. As used in this subsection, the term "public property" includes, but is not limited to, driveways and parking lots owned or leased by the Commonwealth, a political subdivision or an agency or instrumentality of either.

(b) Persons in towed vehicles.--No person, except those expressly exempted, shall steer or, while within the passenger compartment of the vehicle, exercise any degree of physical control of a vehicle being towed by a motor vehicle upon a highway in this Commonwealth unless the person has a valid driver's license under the provisions of this chapter for the type or class of vehicle being towed.

(c) Limitation on number of licenses.--No person shall receive a driver's license unless and until the person surrenders to the department all valid licenses in the person's possession issued by this or any other state. The department shall either return surrendered licenses issued by another state to that state or submit a list of the surrendered licenses to the state, together with information that the person is licensed in this Commonwealth. No person shall be permitted to have more than one valid driver's license issued by this or any other state at any time. A nonresident who holds a nonresident commercial driver's license issued by the Commonwealth under Chapter 16 (relating to commercial drivers) shall be permitted to have a regular driver's license issued by the country of his residence.

(d) Penalty.--Any person violating subsection (a) is guilty of a summary offense and shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of $200, except that, if the person charged furnishes satisfactory proof of having held a driver's license valid on the last day of the preceding driver's license period and no more than one year has elapsed from the last date for renewal, the fine shall be $25. No person charged with violating subsection (a) or (b) shall be convicted if the person produces at the office of the issuing authority within 15 days of the violation:

(1) a driver's license valid in this Commonwealth at the time of the violation; or

(2) if the driver's license is lost, stolen, destroyed or illegible, evidence that the driver was licensed at the time of the violation.

(July 1, 1981, P.L.202, No.63, eff. imd.; May 30, 1990, P.L.173, No.42; Dec. 18, 1992, P.L.1411, No.174, eff. 60 days; Dec. 21, 1998, P.L.1126, No.151, eff. 60 days)

1998 Amendment. Act 151 amended subsec. (c).

1992 Amendment. Act 174 amended subsec. (a).

1990 Amendment. Act 42 amended subsecs. (c) and (d), effective November 1, 1990, as to subsec. (c) and 60 days as to subsec. (d).

Special Provisions in Appendix. See section 4 of Act 143 of 1994 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to habitual offenders.

Cross References. Section 1501 is referred to in sections 1511, 1532, 1543.1, 3732, 3732.1, 3735.1, 6309.1, 6503 of this title.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 109 cases (11 in the last 5 years), 1978–2026 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Wise, 171 A.3d 784 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017).

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Commonwealth v. Wise, 171 A.3d 784 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). · cites it 2× “1 The court also convicted Appellant of the summary offense of Drivers Required to be Licensed, 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501(a), and sentenced her to a $200 fine.”

Commonwealth v. Palmer, 145 A.3d 170 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016). “2 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501(a). 3 Moreover, Appellant does not argue that all of his behavior that morning, when considered together, did not give rise to a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.”

Commonwealth v. Leet, 641 A.2d 299 (Pa. 1994). · cites it 2× “Officer Weber then issued citations for driving with an expired license, in violation of 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501; driving with an open can of beer, violating 75 Pa.”

Commonwealth v. Raglin, 178 A.3d 868 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2018). “§ 780-113(a)(31); driving without a license, 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501; and driving with a suspended license, 75 Pa.”

Commonwealth v. Solomon, 151 A.3d 672 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016). “§§ 2702(a)(1), 3733(a), 2705; 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1501(a), and 3361. 2 . Appellant did not take issue with his probation sentences.”

Milan v. Com., Dept. of Transp., 620 A.2d 721 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1993). · cites it 2× “The trial court went on to list the pertinent acts of assembly including, Section 1501 of the Vehicle Code (Code), 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501, which mandates a valid driver's license as a prerequisite to driving a motor vehicle, and Section 1543 of the Code, which provides that a person…”

Com. v. Peak, D., 230 A.3d 1220 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2020). “§ 780-113(a)(16), (30); 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1501(a), 3335(a). -4- J-S08025-20 term of three to six years’ imprisonment for one count of PWID, followed by seven years of probation.”

Hyer v. Commonwealth, Dep't of Transp., Bureau of Driver Licensing, 957 A.2d 807 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2008). · cites it 2× “If the use of the AAMVA Code Dictionary was not improper, Hyer then argues that the Bureau failed to prove that the Maine offense was similar to the offense listed at 75 Pa.”

Cotter v. Commonwealth, 703 A.2d 1092 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1998). · cites it 4× “Cotter (Cotter) from the decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County (trial court) dismissing his appeal of a decision of the Department of Transportation (DOT), which suspended his operating privilege for six months as the result of two violations of 75 Pa.C.S. §…”

Commonwealth v. Lockridge, 810 A.2d 1191 (Pa. 2002). “See 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1501, 3307, 3715. *516 The question we considered and answered in the affirmative in Leet was “whether a deputy sheriff has authority in Pennsylvania to make a warrantless arrest for motor vehicle violations committed in his presence.”

Commonwealth v. Ede, 949 A.2d 926 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2008). · cites it 2× “In this amendment, the General Assembly removed "drivers required to be licensed," 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501(a), from the list of "certain offenses," and in a separate subsection reduced the scope of Section 1501(a) repeat offenses.”

Commonwealth v. Snyder, 560 A.2d 165 (Pa. 1989). · cites it 2× “On June 24, 1984 the Commonwealth filed a criminal complaint against Snyder charging him with violations of 75 Pa.Cons.Stat.Ann. § 1501 (Purdon 1977 & Supp.”

Show all 109 citing cases →

— 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1501(a) — 64 cases

Commonwealth v. Wise, 171 A.3d 784 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2017). “1 The court also convicted Appellant of the summary offense of Drivers Required to be Licensed, 75 Pa.C.S. § 1501(a), and sentenced her to a $200 fine.”

Commonwealth v. Solomon, 151 A.3d 672 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2016). “§§ 2702(a)(1), 3733(a), 2705; 75 Pa.C.S. §§ 1501(a), and 3361. 2 . Appellant did not take issue with his probation sentences.”

Hyer v. Commonwealth, Dep't of Transp., Bureau of Driver Licensing, 957 A.2d 807 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2008). “If the use of the AAMVA Code Dictionary was not improper, Hyer then argues that the Bureau failed to prove that the Maine offense was similar to the offense listed at 75 Pa.”

— 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1501(a)(d) — 1 case

Alburg v. Jones (E.D. Pa. 2025).

— 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1501(c) — 3 cases

Com., Dept. of Transp. v. Cern, 604 A.2d 1135 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1992).

M.A. Perrotta v. Bureau of Driver Licensing (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2019).

Jackie James, Jr. v. Kara Templeton (3rd Cir. 2024).

— 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 1501(d) — 1 case

Com. v. Horsford, R. (Pa. Super. Ct. 2019).

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