No parking sign: what it means

No parking sign: a white square with a black letter P inside a red circle with a red diagonal slash
Drawing: Drivoku, based on MUTCD sign R8-3. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The No Parking symbol sign means you must not park along that stretch of road. Plaques below can add times, days or exceptions.

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What does the no parking sign mean?

MUTCD Section 2B.52 says parking signs cover parking, standing and stopping, and that prohibitions may apply at all times, at certain times, with exceptions, or under certain conditions. The red circle and slash mean prohibition (Section 1D.05).

Quick quiz

What does the sign at the top of this page mean?

  1. No parking here.
  2. Come to a full stop, then go when it is safe.
  3. The way to a hospital open 24 hours.

Show answer

A. No parking here. A red circle and slash over a P means no parking (MUTCD Section 2B.52). Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.52, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, General: Section 1D.05, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Where will you see it?

On busy streets, near intersections, by fire lanes and on bridges. Word versions say NO PARKING with times or ON PAVEMENT, ON BRIDGE or ON TRACKS.

What should you do?

Read the whole sign and any plaque before you leave the car: times, days and arrows show where and when the ban applies.

What do people get wrong?

Thinking a quick stop is not parking. Local and state codes define parking, standing and stopping, and some signs ban all three (Section 2B.52).

Common questions

What do arrows on a No Parking sign mean?

They show which way along the curb the restriction applies from the sign.

Is No Parking the same as No Standing or No Stopping?

No. MUTCD Section 2B.52 explains they are different restrictions; check which one the sign shows.

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Sources

Checked on 3 November 2026 against the MUTCD 11th Edition (FHWA), Sections 1D.05 and 2B.52.

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Section 2B.52, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, General: Section 1D.05, FHWA
  3. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.

This text was written with AI help, checked against the MUTCD and approved by Fri Vei AS. Last updated .

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