Which way do you turn your wheels when parking on a hill?

Downhill: toward the curb. Uphill with a curb: away from the curb. Uphill with no curb: toward the road edge. The goal is always that a rolling car ends up against the curb or off the road, not in traffic.

How far from a fire hydrant can you park?

The classic rule — used by most states and most permit tests — is 15 feet. A few states use a different figure, so confirm in your state's handbook.

What does a red curb mean?

No stopping, standing, or parking at any time. Red is the strictest curb color.

Parking Rules: Hills, Hydrants, and Painted Curbs

Parking questions are pure memorization, which makes them the most reliable points on the permit test — there's no judgment call in 'how far from a fire hydrant?' The two sets to master: wheel positions on hills, and the distance table for forbidden zones.

Parking on hills: where the wheels point

The logic behind the rule beats memorizing three cases blindly: aim the car so that if the brakes fail, it rolls away from traffic and into the curb — or off the road if there's no curb.

Downhill, curb or not: turn wheels toward the curb / right edge. The curb catches the car.
Uphill with a curb: turn wheels away from the curb. Rolling back, the tire wedges against the curb.
Uphill with no curb: turn wheels toward the road edge (right) — the car rolls off the road, not into traffic.
Every case: set the parking brake and leave the car in Park (or in gear for a manual).

The distance table

States differ slightly, but the classic figures — the ones tests draw from — are worth knowing cold: 15 feet from a fire hydrant, 20 feet from a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet from a stop sign, yield sign, or traffic signal, 20 feet from a fire-station driveway (75 feet on the opposite side), and 50 feet from the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.

Curb colors

Painted curbs are regulatory: white means stopping only for picking up or dropping off passengers or mail; green allows parking for a limited, posted time; yellow means stop only to load or unload, staying with the vehicle in many states; red means no stopping, standing, or parking at all; and blue is reserved for holders of disability placards or plates.

Never-park zones

Beyond measured distances, some places are always off-limits: on sidewalks and crosswalks, inside intersections, on bridges and in tunnels, in bike lanes, on the roadway side of a parked car (double parking), in front of driveways, and anywhere your car would hide a traffic sign from other drivers. If your parked car would force anyone — driver or pedestrian — to alter course, it's illegal.

Now make it stick

Reading builds recognition — answering builds recall. Drill this topic with original practice questions and full explanations.

Practice Parking questions

Frequently asked questions

Which way do you turn your wheels when parking on a hill?: Downhill: toward the curb. Uphill with a curb: away from the curb. Uphill with no curb: toward the road edge. The goal is always that a rolling car ends up against the curb or off the road, not in traffic.
How far from a fire hydrant can you park?: The classic rule — used by most states and most permit tests — is 15 feet. A few states use a different figure, so confirm in your state's handbook.
What does a red curb mean?: No stopping, standing, or parking at any time. Red is the strictest curb color.