Teens in Bell Gardens take the same 30-hour online driver education course as everywhere in California, then the permit test at a DMV office. The nearest DMV field office is the Bell Gardens office at 6801 South Garfield, Bell Gardens, about 0.5 miles in a straight line from Bell Gardens's public high schools.
Where do Bell Gardens teens take the permit and drive tests?
These offices are closed on weekends and open at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays. Book an appointment on the DMV appointments page (opens in a new tab), and arrive well before 4:30 p.m.: knowledge tests are not given after that. What to bring is on our permit visit checklist.
| Office | Address | Hours | Phone | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Gardens DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 6801 South Garfield, Bell Gardens 90201 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 0.5 mi |
| Montebello DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 424 N Wilcox Avenue, Montebello 90640 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 3.5 mi |
| Whittier DMV office (opens in a new tab) | 9338 S Painter Avenue, Whittier 90605 | Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 am–5 pm; Wed 9 am–5 pm | 1-800-777-0133 | 6.5 mi |
Public high schools in Bell Gardens
Bell Gardens has 1 active public high school inside city limits or with a Bell Gardens mailing address (1 traditional) in 1 district, with 1,912 students enrolled in the 2025-26 school year. That is about 1,912 high-school students for each DMV office in the city. Most teens reach 15½, the earliest permit age, in 9th or 10th grade (Education Code 48000 (opens in a new tab) sets the school entry age). Finish the online course before then: the permit application needs the DL 400C.
| School | District | Type | Students | Nearest DMV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell Gardens High (opens in a new tab) | Montebello Unified (opens in a new tab) | Traditional | 1,912 | Bell Gardens (0.5 mi) |
Licensed driving schools for the 6 hours of training
One driving school holds an Active California DMV license at an address inside Bell Gardens city limits or with a Bell Gardens mailing address (DMV list checked 2026-10-04). The list is alphabetical; we do not rank schools. Confirm a license on the DMV lookup (opens in a new tab) before you pay.
| Driving school | DMV license | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Driving School | E3943 | 7125 Garfield Avenue B, Bell Gardens | (562) 806-5701 |
Learning to drive in Bell Gardens: busy corridors, crash rankings and I-710 bridge work
Bell Gardens has a heavy crash record for its size, as the state's 2023 rankings (opens in a new tab) show. They put it eighth worst of 93 peer cities, with 219 people killed or injured. It was also in the worst ten for night crashes, hit-and-runs, and crashes hurting cyclists or motorcyclists. The city's 2020 Complete Streets Plan (opens in a new tab) listed not yielding, speeding and bad turns as the leading crash causes. Residents picked Eastern Avenue, Clara Street and Gage Avenue as most in need of safety fixes. On these streets, hold the speed limit and wait for a real gap before you turn.
Interstate 710 passes through Bell Gardens, and Caltrans has repaired bridges there. In September 2025, it closed lanes to fix girders (opens in a new tab) on the Clara Street Overcrossing. Northbound I-710 closed overnight between Firestone Boulevard and Florence Avenue, with one full eight-hour closure early on a Sunday. The Firestone on-ramps to the northbound freeway closed too, and traffic took local detours. Before a late-night freeway trip, check Caltrans QuickMap for closures and learn your detour in advance.
The path to a license in Bell Gardens
- Finish the online driver education course (30 hours, $49.95 with Traffic Tutors) and wait for the mailed DL 400C.
- At 15½, apply for the permit at the Bell Gardens DMV office or any other, with the DL 400C and a parent's signature.
- Book the first behind-the-wheel lesson; the instructor validates the permit.
- Practice 50 hours with a licensed driver 25 or older, 10 at night, while finishing the 6 training hours.
- After 6 months with the permit and at 16 or older, take the drive test. Dates: age date tool.
Nearest other city guides: Bell (2.1 mi) and Montebello (3.0 mi). Every county is listed on drivers ed by county.
Quick answers
Sources
- California DMV field office list (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Education: public schools directory, 2025-26 (fetched 2026-10-05) (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Finance: E-1 population estimates, January 1, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV: Teen drivers (opens in a new tab)
- California DMV Occupational License Lookup: driving schools (checked 2026-10-04) (opens in a new tab)
- California Education Code section 48000: kindergarten admission age (opens in a new tab)
- California Department of Education School Directory: district offices (checked 2026-10-04) (opens in a new tab)
- California Office of Traffic Safety: 2023 Crash Rankings, Bell Gardens (opens in a new tab)
- City of Bell Gardens: Complete Streets Plan (February 2020, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Caltrans District 7: Northbound I-710 Closures in Bell Gardens for Clara Street Overcrossing Repairs (August 2025) (opens in a new tab)
Checked: October 6, 2026. Rules and forms can change; recheck the official page before acting.
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