Ohio 50-Hour Driving Log & Affidavit: Filled-Out Example

To document Ohio’s 50 hours of supervised driving, record your practice on the log included with BMV form 5791 or use RoadReady Ohio. At least 10 of the 50 hours must qualify as night driving. The completed affidavit needs to be notarized and brought to your driving-test appointment. You can build the hours a little at a time—we’ll walk through the paperwork below.

Who needs Ohio’s 50-hour driving log?

Ohio’s current BMV guidance requires the completed Fifty Hour Affidavit for driving-test applicants under age 21 and applicants with a limited-term Non-Renewable/Non-Transferable TIPIC. The supervised practice is in addition to required driver education—not a replacement for classroom instruction or professional behind-the-wheel training. Check the Ohio BMV requirements for your age and permit type before scheduling.

If you are completing the separate 21-and-older abbreviated adult training path after a failed driving test, its 24-hour supervised-driving option uses a different affidavit. Our adult abbreviated course guide explains that path; don’t substitute its hours or form for the 50-hour requirement.

Driving log vs. affidavit: two parts of the same form

• The supervised driving log: Records the individual drives: dates, supervising driver information, start and end times, and day and night hours.
• The Fifty Hour Affidavit: Identifies the permit holder and eligible adult. The adult attests to the completed practice, signs before a notary, and has the affidavit notarized.

Download the official BMV 5791 PDF before you start. It includes both sections, so you don’t need to hunt for a separate Ohio 50-hour affidavit and driving log.

Ohio 50-hour driving log filled-out example

Here are two fictional practice drives to show how entries work. They are not a completed 50-hour record or a form to submit. On the official paper log, hours and minutes have separate boxes: “0:45” below means 0 hours and 45 minutes.

Together, those entries add up to 1 hour and 15 minutes of practice, including 30 minutes at night. Night hours are part of the 50-hour total—not 10 extra hours on top. The night example assumes the entire drive falls within the qualifying nighttime window for that date and location.

Use your own accurate information on the official form, including the supervisor’s actual license number where requested. Keep completed records private; they contain permit, license, and contact information.

How to fill out the Ohio driving log, step by step

1. Record the drive date: Use the date the practice actually happened, not the date you later enter it.
2. Identify the supervising driver: Fill in the name and the supervising adult’s Ohio driver license number in the fields provided.
3. Write the start and end times: Include AM or PM so the duration is clear.
4. Separate day and night time: Enter hours and minutes in the matching boxes. If a drive crosses the nighttime boundary, split the qualifying time rather than counting the whole drive as night.
5. Check the totals regularly: You need at least 50 hours overall, including at least 10 qualifying night hours. A quick check after each drive helps avoid a last-minute scramble.

What counts as night driving in Ohio?

BMV form 5791 defines nighttime as one-half hour after sunset through one-half hour before the following sunrise. It is not simply sunset to sunrise. Check the local sunset and sunrise times for the date you drive, and count only time within that window toward the night requirement.

Who can supervise—and who signs the affidavit?

These are related questions, but they are not identical. Under age 16, Ohio BMV says a parent, guardian, or licensed driving instructor must be in the passenger seat. Once the permit holder is 16, other licensed adults may also supervise subject to the BMV’s age and overnight-driving rules. Check the current supervision rules before practicing with another adult.

The affidavit must be completed by an eligible adult as defined on the form: a parent, guardian, custodian, or another qualifying adult acting in place of a parent. Don’t assume that every adult who can accompany a drive automatically qualifies to sign the affidavit. The form also gives a special instruction for limited-term applicants: the supervising adult must hold a valid Ohio driver license and be the same adult who completes the attestation.

How to track hours with the RoadReady Ohio app

If keeping a paper log feels like one more thing to remember, RoadReady Ohio is another option. The Ohio Traffic Safety Office’s official page has download links and detailed instructions. The BMV form expressly allows practice hours to be documented with the app.

1. Set up both accounts: The supervising adult creates a Driving Supervisor account, invites the student, and the student uses the invitation to link a Student Driver account.
2. Log from the supervisor’s phone: Start a New Drive before practice and finish it afterward. Set up the phone while safely parked; the learner should not handle it while driving.
3. Review the entries: Check the duration and day/night classification against the actual drive and the official nighttime definition. “Log Previous Drive” is available for a real drive that wasn’t recorded.
4. Export when the required hours are complete: Open Driving Log and choose “Export Driving Report.” Ohio’s instructions explain how to download the affidavit and driving log; a copy is also emailed.
5. Finish the paperwork: Print the report, complete the affidavit, sign before a notary, and bring the notarized paperwork to the driving skills test.

Visit RoadReady Ohio for the iPhone and Android downloads, screenshots, and troubleshooting. It is a separate app from HelloDrive: RoadReady tracks supervised practice, while HelloDrive provides the online classroom course. Using RoadReady does not replace required professional driving lessons.

Before your driving-test appointment

• Check that the record shows at least 50 total practice hours, including at least 10 qualifying night hours.
• Make sure the permit-holder and eligible-adult information is accurate and the affidavit has been notarized. Wait to sign until you are before the notary.
• Bring the completed BMV 5791 paperwork or your completed, notarized RoadReady affidavit report with its driving log—not just the app open on your phone.
• Review the BMV’s full appointment requirements for your permit, course-completion documentation, and test vehicle.

Check the Ohio BMV driving-test checklist before leaving home. If you are unsure whether an adult qualifies to sign or how a particular practice situation counts, ask the BMV before the appointment—you don’t have to guess.