Road Signs · Regulatory
Regulatory Signs
Every regulatory signs you'll encounter on the DMV permit test, with shape, color, and meaning in plain English.
STOP
Come to a complete stop at the painted line. Yield to all cross-traffic and pedestrians before proceeding.
The only octagonal sign on US roads. If the line is missing, stop before the crosswalk; if there is no crosswalk, stop before entering the intersection.
Sign details →Yield
Slow down and let cross-traffic and pedestrians clear. Stop only if necessary.
The only downward-pointing triangle on US roads. You can be cited for failure to yield even if you do not actually collide.
Sign details →Do Not Enter
You are facing the wrong way on a one-way road or ramp. Do not enter under any circumstances.
Often paired with Wrong Way signs on freeway exit ramps.
Sign details →Wrong Way
You are driving against traffic. Pull over safely, turn around, and re-enter in the correct direction.
Frequently posted lower than Do Not Enter signs so impaired drivers see them in their headlights.
Sign details →One Way
Traffic on this street moves only in the direction of the arrow.
Black-on-white arrow signs sit at intersections of one-way streets.
Sign details →No Parking
You may not park here at the times shown. Stopping briefly to load passengers may still be allowed.
Read the small print: many no-parking zones are time-limited (e.g., 7am-9am).
Sign details →No U-Turn
You may not make a U-turn at this intersection or anywhere this sign is posted.
Even where allowed, U-turns are illegal across solid yellow lines.
Sign details →Speed Limit
The maximum legal speed under ideal driving conditions.
You must drive slower if conditions (rain, fog, traffic) require it — see basic speed law.
Sign details →Minimum Speed
You may not drive slower than the speed shown unless conditions require it.
Common on Interstates to keep slow vehicles from creating hazards.
Sign details →Keep Right
Pass on the right side of the divider, sign, or obstruction ahead.
Often appears at traffic islands and freeway gore points.
Sign details →No Left Turn
Left turns are prohibited at this intersection.
A red circle with a slash means the depicted action is forbidden.
Sign details →No Right Turn
Right turns are prohibited at this intersection.
May apply only at certain hours; check supplemental plate.
Sign details →No Passing Zone
Posted on the LEFT side of the road. Do not cross into the oncoming lane to pass.
Pennant-shaped — the only horizontal-pointing pentagon used in US signage.
Sign details →HOV Lane
Lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles with the indicated number of passengers or more.
Solo drivers using HOV lanes face large fines, especially in California.
Sign details →How regulatory signs appear on the DMV test
Regulatory Signs account for a meaningful chunk of every state DMV permit test. Examiners may show you a picture and ask the meaning, describe a situation and ask which sign would be posted, or give you a sign's shape and color and ask you to identify its general purpose.
The most reliable way to study them is to drill in groups by shape: study every diamond once, then every rectangle, then every pentagon. Your brain remembers patterns far better than isolated facts. Use our main road signs page to flip between categories, and then take a state-specific practice test to confirm you can apply the knowledge under question pressure.
Remember: every state's DMV uses the same federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), so a sign you learn for the California test will look identical in Texas, New York, or Florida. The exact wording of test questions varies, but the signs do not.