NC night driving hours: 10 of the 60
Ten hours of the North Carolina permit log must be at night. Night is after sunset. That is a different rule from the 9 p.m. driving limit, and mixing the two is how families under-count night hours or void a session.
What NCDMV counts as night
The current NC Driver Handbook: daytime driving is sunrise to sunset while daylight exists. Nighttime driving is after sunset, when sunlight or daylight does not exist. Form DL-4A has separate columns for time of day and time of night. Pick one per session based on whether the sun is down.
A 6:30 p.m. drive in January in Raleigh is usually night. The same clock time in June is usually day. DriveMint 1.6 computes night minutes from local sunrise and sunset on the device, so you are not guessing from a 9 p.m. clock.
The 9 p.m. rule is a curfew, not the definition of night
Level 1, first six months: you may drive only 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., supervisor beside you. After six months at Level 1, you may drive any hour with a supervisor. Level 2 unsupervised driving is 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. again (work and some volunteer exceptions).
So in the first six months you still need 10 night hours, but you have to collect them between sunset and 9 p.m. That window is short in June and comfortable in December. Plan night hours early in winter if the permit starts in fall.
Families sometimes report that an examiner tossed a whole session that ran one minute past 9 p.m. during the first six months. End the log before 9 if you are still in that window. Confirm current practice with NCDMV.
For how other states define night, see the national night driving hours page.
Log NC night hours against real sunset
DriveMint splits night minutes on the phone from local sunrise and sunset. No account, and the log never goes to our servers.
Night hours questions
How many night driving hours do you need in NC?+
10 hours. They are part of the 60-hour total, not on top of it. You need 60 hours altogether, and at least 10 of those after sunset.
What time is night driving in North Carolina?+
The NC Driver Handbook says nighttime driving is after sunset, during hours when sunlight or daylight does not exist. Daytime is sunrise to sunset while daylight lasts. It is not a fixed clock time.
Can a Level 1 permit holder drive at night?+
For the first six months, only between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m., with a supervising driver. After six months, they may drive at any hour with a supervisor. Night hours can still be logged before 9 p.m. in winter, because sunset is earlier than 9.