ADE/DE Control Number: What It Is and Where to Find Yours
Short answer: the “ADE/DE Control Number” is the field that asks for the number from your driver education certificate. For adults, that number is the certificate (serial) number printed on your ADE-1317 Certificate of Completion. You type it into the field when you register for Impact Texas Adult Drivers (ITAD), and you bring the certificate itself — which carries this number — when you apply for your license at DPS, so the state can confirm you completed the required driver education.
Where to find yours
You completed a TDLR-approved adult course
Your number is the certificate (serial) number printed on your ADE-1317 Certificate of Completion. Happy Drivers Ed students log in, open the course dashboard, open the Certificate of Completion section, and download the PDF — the number is printed in red with the ADEE prefix. You can re-download and reprint it as many times as you need, at no charge.
You completed the teen / parent-taught program
The teen program issues a DE-964 certificate, and the “control number” terminology belongs to that certificate. If that is the course you took, the number is on your DE-964 rather than an ADE-1317. This adult guide covers the ADE-1317 side only.
You have not taken a course yet
You will not have a number until you finish an approved course and earn the certificate. If you are 18–24 and getting your first Texas license, the state requires the 6-hour adult driver education course first — see the next section. If you are 25 or older, the course is optional, but anyone who takes it voluntarily receives the same certificate and number.
What the field looks like and what to enter
When you register for ITAD, the form shows a required field labeled exactly “*ADE/DE Control Number(?)”, with the note “Only enter the numbers of the control, no letters.” It looks like this:
*ADE/DE Control Number(?)
Your certificate prints this as ADEE + 8 digits, in red — the field wants just the 8 digits.
The same form also asks for a separate TDLR Number. Those are two different numbers, and mixing them up is the most common mistake:
| Number | What it identifies | On your adult certificate? |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (serial) number | Your specific Certificate of Completion (ADE-1317) | Yes — printed with the ADEE prefix, in red |
| Provider number (#C3476) | Happy Drivers Ed as a TDLR-licensed school | Yes — identifies the provider, not you |
| “DE control number” | Teen DE-964 certificate terminology | No — not used in the adult program |
You may see the form written as ADE-1317 or ADEE-1317 — it is the same Texas adult Certificate of Completion. The ADEE prefix is also how your individual certificate serial number is printed.
The three mistakes that get entries rejected
- 1.Typing the ADEE letters into the control-number field — it accepts numbers only, so enter just the 8 digits.
- 2.Putting the school's provider number (C3476) in the control-number field — that one belongs in the TDLR Number field.
- 3.Following teen-program instructions — DE-964 guidance is for the teen certificate and does not match what the adult ADE-1317 shows.
And one thing you will not need it for: the paper license application itself. The current DL-14A (Rev. 8/2025) never asks for the number — its only driver education question is a yes/no “Are you enrolled in or have you completed an approved driver education course?” You simply bring your printed certificate to your DPS visit.
No certificate number yet? Start with the course
You only get a certificate number once you finish an approved course. If you are 18–24 and getting your first Texas driver license, the state requires you to complete a 6-hour adult driver education course before DPS will issue that license, and Happy Drivers Ed offers it fully online for $39.95. If you are 25 or older, the course is optional, though many adults still take it.
When you finish the course — meeting the required course time and passing the in-course written exam — your Certificate of Completion is issued with its number, and Texas DPS accepts it in lieu of the written knowledge test. You still complete ITAD and take the vision and road tests at DPS.
Get your ADE-1317 and its number
The TDLR-approved 6-hour course is online, self-paced, and just $39.95. Finish, pass the in-course written exam, and your ADE-1317 — with its certificate number — is issued instantly for you to download.