The Nebraska permit test has 25 questions, and you need 20 correct (80%) to pass. Official source. Page updated 2026-10-27.
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Key Nebraska DMV rules and numbers
These are key rules and numbers from the Nebraska handbook, a few per topic so they fit on one printed page. We favor rules that state a specific number. Every fact below comes from our free Nebraska DMV practice test question bank, which has 500 questions across 9 topics, checked against the Nebraska handbook (last verified 2026-09-07).
Speed limits
- Nebraska sets the default residential district maximum at 25 MPH when no different limit is posted. (Handbook, p. 52)
- A gravel roadway, or another roadway that is not dustless, has a 50 MPH default maximum unless a posted sign changes it. (Handbook, p. 52)
- Nebraska's business district default is 20 MPH unless a different limit is posted. (Handbook, p. 52)
- The listed default for a four-lane divided highway outside the state highway system is 65 MPH. (Handbook, p. 52)
- Nebraska lists 75 MPH for rural interstate highways unless a different limit is posted. (Handbook, p. 52)
Right of way
- At an uncontrolled intersection with no signs or signals, a driver watches for vehicles coming from the right and yields the right of way when vehicles approach at approximately the same time. (Handbook, p. 48)
- At an uncontrolled intersection, the Nebraska example says that car A yields to both car B and car C when A turns left. (Handbook, p. 48)
- After checking cross traffic and yielding to vehicles close enough to cause a conflict, the driver should find an opening, merge, and adjust speed. (Handbook, p. 48)
- At a two-way stop, the driver must make a full stop before entering, look in all directions for approaching pedestrians and vehicles, and wait until all conflicting pedestrians and vehicles have cleared. (Handbook, p. 49)
- Nebraska describes it as common courtesy to permit the driver who stops first to go first. (Handbook, p. 49)
Alcohol and DUI
- Nebraska makes driving unlawful at .02% BAC or higher for a driver under 21. (Handbook, p. 24)
- The manual lists .04% BAC or higher for operation of a commercial motor vehicle. (Handbook, p. 24)
- Nebraska identifies .08% BAC or higher as unlawful regardless of the driver's age or vehicle type. (Handbook, p. 24)
- The manual says crash risk begins to rise noticeably between .04% and .05% BAC and then increases rapidly. (Handbook, p. 25)
- Nebraska averages over 8,000 arrests annually for driving violations involving alcohol or drugs. (Handbook, p. 25)
Signals and markings
- Nebraska assigns a 70 MPH default to expressways, super-two highways, and freeways that are part of the state highway system. (Handbook, p. 52)
- Nebraska's defensive driving guidance says to signal intentions at least 100 feet before planning to change direction. (Handbook, p. 66)
- Nebraska's night driving guidance says to dim high beams when following within 200 feet of another vehicle and when meeting oncoming vehicles. (Handbook, p. 61)
- Double solid yellow lines separate opposing traffic and prohibit passing in either direction. (Handbook, p. 44)
- When a lane is marked with a curved arrow and the word ONLY, you must turn in the direction of the arrow. (Handbook, p. 45)
Parking
- Nebraska prohibits parking or stopping on a bridge, inside a highway tunnel, or within 50 feet of railroad tracks. (Handbook, p. 57)
- Handicapped parking stalls are reserved for vehicles displaying a handicap license plate or permit, from which the handicapped person enters or exits, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. (Handbook, p. 57)
- Nebraska prohibits parking or stopping within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. (Handbook, p. 57)
- Nebraska prohibits parking or stopping within 30 feet of any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or other traffic control device located at the side of the roadway. (Handbook, p. 57)
- Nebraska prohibits parking or stopping within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, and parking on the crosswalk itself is also forbidden. (Handbook, p. 57)
Safe driving
- For the first six months, a POP holder may carry one passenger younger than 19 who is not an immediate family member. (Handbook, p. 1)
- For a driver under 21, Nebraska treats operating a motor vehicle with alcohol in the driver's system as a violation. (Handbook, p. 24)
- Nebraska requires $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one crash. (Handbook, p. 28)
- Defensive drivers check the traffic behind them at least every 10 seconds, and also when changing lanes, backing up, slowing, or driving down steep hills. (Handbook, p. 66)
- Tires have been known to lose up to 1 psi every month, so the manual says to check all tires, including the spare, once a month or before a long trip. (Handbook, p. 30)
Road signs
- Nebraska requires a slow moving vehicle emblem on a vehicle that travels 25 MPH or less while using a public roadway. (Handbook, p. 42)
- Nebraska's octagonal STOP sign requires a complete stop before entering the intersection. (Handbook, p. 36)
- The triangular YIELD sign tells a driver to slow down or stop when necessary to give the right-of-way to crossing or merging vehicles. (Handbook, p. 36)
- The DO NOT ENTER message means a driver must not proceed past the sign. (Handbook, p. 37)
- A WRONG WAY sign means the vehicle is traveling where it should not. (Handbook, p. 37)
Laws and paperwork
- Nebraska sets the minimum age for a Provisional Operator's Permit at 16, and the permit may be applied for 60 days before that birthday but issued only on or after the 16th birthday. (Handbook, p. 4)
- Nebraska provides for automatic revocation when a driver accumulates 12 points in a two-year period. (Handbook, p. 18)
- Nebraska prohibits children under 18 from riding in cargo areas, and the manual identifies that restriction as a Primary Law. (Handbook, p. 26)
- A new Nebraska resident who already holds a valid license from another state has 30 days to obtain a Nebraska license. (Handbook, p. 1)
- A School Learner's Permit requires the applicant to be at least 14, and the manual says an application cannot be made before the 14th birthday. (Handbook, p. 2)
Emergencies
- Nebraska prohibits following a fire apparatus traveling in emergency status closer than 500 feet. (Handbook, p. 52)
- Nebraska permits studded tires only from November 1 through April 1. (Handbook, p. 63)
- With a vehicle stalled on the tracks and no train in sight, everyone leaves the tracks at once and the driver calls the 1 800 number posted on the crossing sign so the railroad can try to stop traffic. (Handbook, p. 58)
- Nebraska's Move Over rule requires the driver to reduce speed and maintain a safe speed past the stopped vehicles when traffic or another condition prevents moving one lane away. (Handbook, p. 51)
- Nebraska's quick clearance rule asks drivers in minor crashes with no injuries to drive their vehicles to the nearest shoulder, out of the travel lanes. (Handbook, p. 51)
Want the reasoning behind these rules? Study the handbook, chapter by chapter, in 27 short lessons quoted from the Nebraska manual.
Signs
Sign shape and color carry meaning before you even read the words. A red octagon always means stop, a red-bordered triangle pointing down means yield, and yellow diamonds warn of a hazard ahead. For every sign image used in our practice test, with the exact meaning and explanation, see the full road sign glossary.
Keep studying
This cheat sheet is a summary, not a substitute for practice. Test yourself with the free Nebraska DMV practice test, which explains the reasoning behind every answer, or see Nebraska DMV facts and fees before test day.