Right turn on red by state
When you may turn right on a red light after stopping, and where a left turn on red from a one-way street is allowed.
By state
| State | Turning on red |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Right turn after stopping for a red light if in the proper lane. Left turn after stopping from a one-way street onto a one-way street with traffic moving right to left. Yield to traffic and pedestrians, and obey signs prohibiting turns on red. A dark signal is treated as a four-way stop.Source |
| Alaska | Right turn on red only after a full stop when safe and not prohibited by a 'No turn on red' sign. (The manual shows one-way to one-way left-turn diagrams but does not state a left-on-red rule.) |
| Arizona | Right on red after a complete stop before the crosswalk unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red allowed only from a one-way road onto a one-way road, after stopping and yielding, unless signs prohibit it.Source |
| Arkansas | Right turn on red after a complete stop and check for traffic and pedestrians, unless a sign prohibits it. Left-on-red is not addressed in the guide.Source |
| California | Right turn on a solid red allowed after a complete stop at the limit line, yielding to pedestrians, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. No turns on a red arrow. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street unless a sign prohibits it, yielding to traffic and pedestrians with a green light. |
| Colorado | Right on red after stopping and yielding unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street unless prohibited.Source |
| Connecticut | Right turn on red allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it. The manual does not address left on red.Source |
| Delaware | Right on red after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it or a steady red arrow is shown. Left on red after a full stop from a one-way street to another one-way street unless prohibited.Source |
| Washington DC | Allowed after a complete stop before the crosswalk unless 'No Turn on Red' is posted, yielding to pedestrians, bicyclists and traffic. Left turn on red is illegal in DC.Source |
| Florida | Right turn on red allowed after a complete stop unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted, yielding to pedestrians and traffic. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street with traffic moving to the left.Source |
| Georgia | Right on red allowed after a complete stop, yielding to traffic and pedestrians, unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red allowed from the left lane of a one-way street onto a one-way street going left, after a complete stop, unless prohibited (manual PDF p.19).Source |
| Hawaii | After stopping you may turn right on red unless a sign prohibits it, yielding to all pedestrians and vehicles; you may also turn left on red from a one-way street into a one-way street with traffic moving left (p.39).Source |
| Idaho | Right turn on red after stopping and yielding unless posted; left on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street after stopping and yielding unless prohibited. |
| Illinois | Right turn on red allowed after a complete stop and yielding unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street with traffic moving left, after a complete stop and yielding. The same applies at a steady red arrow.Source |
| Indiana | Right on red after a full stop, yielding to vehicles and pedestrians, unless a No Turn on Red sign is posted. Left on red only from a one-way street onto a one-way street, after a full stop. |
| Iowa | Right on red after a complete stop and yielding to all traffic, unless NO TURN ON RED is posted. Left on red after a stop from the left lane of a one-way street onto another one-way street. |
| Kansas | Right on red after stopping and checking for traffic and pedestrians unless NO TURN ON RED is posted. Some left turns on red may be permitted from a one-way street onto a one-way street or from a two-way street onto a one-way street.Source |
| Kentucky | Right on red after stopping unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red only from a one-way street onto a one-way street, after stopping.Source |
| Louisiana | Right on red after stopping and yielding unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted; some left turns on red allowed from a one-way street onto another one-way street. |
| Maine | Right turn on red permitted after stopping unless posted otherwise, yielding to pedestrians and all traffic. Left on red is "rarely allowed in Maine" (manual section 10). |
| Maryland | After a complete stop, right on red, or left from a one-way street onto another one-way street, unless a sign prohibits it; yield to pedestrians and all other traffic. |
| Massachusetts | Right on red after a complete stop and yielding, unless NO TURN ON RED is posted. Left on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street. Same rules on a steady red arrow (pp.81, 98).Source |
| Michigan | Right on red is allowed after a complete stop, checking for cross traffic and pedestrians and yielding, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. Left on red is allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street (complete stop, check traffic from the right) and from a two-way street onto a one-way street (full stop, scan traffic from the right, and yield to opposite vehicles turning right). Handbook pp. 29-30, 44, 50.Source |
| Minnesota | Right on red after a complete stop unless a No Turn on Red sign is posted. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street after a complete stop, yielding (manual p.28-30, p.66).Source |
| Mississippi | Right turn on red allowed after a complete stop and yielding, unless a sign prohibits it; merely yielding without stopping is illegal. Left-on-red not addressed in the manual. |
| Missouri | Right turn on red allowed after a complete stop if clear of pedestrians and traffic, unless a 'No Right Turn On Red' sign is posted. Left on red from one-way to one-way is not addressed in the guide.Source |
| Montana | Right turn on red after stopping unless a sign or officer prohibits it; left turn on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street is also allowed after stopping.Source |
| Nebraska | Right on a circular red after a complete stop and yielding, unless prohibited. Left on red only from a one-way onto another one-way street after stopping. Turning on a red ARROW is prohibited.Source |
| Nevada | Right on red allowed after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red allowed only from a one-way street onto a one-way street with traffic moving left, after a complete stop and yielding. |
| New Hampshire | Allowed only if no sign prohibits it (after stopping). Left on red: not addressed in the manual.Source |
| New Jersey | Allowed after a full stop unless a No Turn on Red sign is posted; yield to all traffic and pedestrians (manual p.72). Left on red is not addressed in the manual.Source |
| New Mexico | Right on red after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it; left on red from a one-way street into another one-way street unless prohibited (manual p.4, p.16).Source |
| New York | Right turn on steady red allowed after a full stop and yielding to traffic and pedestrians unless a NO TURN ON RED sign, another sign, signal or marking prohibits it. Left on red allowed only from a one-way road into another one-way road after a full stop. No turns on red in New York City unless a sign permits it. No turn on a red arrow. A school bus carrying students may not turn right on any red light (MV-21 p.31). |
| North Carolina | Allowed after a complete stop unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. You must yield to other traffic and to pedestrians in or near the crosswalk; failing to yield to a pedestrian carries a penalty of $100-$500. The handbook does not mention left turns on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street (handbook PDF p. 82).Source |
| North Dakota | Right on red after stopping when the intersection is clear, unless a sign prohibits it. Left on red from a one-way onto a one-way street, unless prohibited. A dark signal: stop and yield to any vehicle in the intersection.Source |
| Ohio | Right on red allowed after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it, yielding to crossing traffic and pedestrians. Left on red only from the extreme left lane of a one-way street onto another one-way street, unless posted.Source |
| Oklahoma | After a complete stop you may turn right on red, and left from a one-way street into a one-way street, unless signs forbid it; yield to pedestrians, vehicles and bicycles (p.26).Source |
| Oregon | After a complete stop, unless a sign or officer says otherwise: right turn onto a two-way road; right or left turn onto a one-way road in the direction of traffic (so left on red from a one-way or two-way road onto a one-way road is allowed). Left on red onto a two-way road is illegal. Same turns allowed on a red arrow. No right on red at bike-box intersections (pp.15, 39-40, 51).Source |
| Pennsylvania | Right on red allowed after a full stop, yielding to pedestrians and traffic, unless NO TURN ON RED is posted. Left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street after stopping. The same turns on red are allowed at a steady red arrow. |
| Rhode Island | Permitted (not required) after a full stop and yielding to pedestrians and oncoming traffic, unless 'No Turn on Red' is posted. The manual does not address left on red from one-way to one-way. |
| South Carolina | Allowed after stopping unless a sign prohibits it; stop before the near crosswalk and yield to pedestrians and other traffic. Left on red: not addressed in the manual.Source |
| South Dakota | Right on red after a complete stop unless a sign prohibits it, yielding to all traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists (manual p.32). Left on red is not addressed.Source |
| Tennessee | Allowed after a complete stop unless posted, yielding to pedestrians and traffic. Left on red is allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street going in the turn direction (not onto a two-way street).Source |
| Texas | Right turn on a steady red allowed after stopping unless prohibited; left turn on red allowed when both streets are one-way, unless prohibited. Must yield to pedestrians and other traffic.Source |
| Utah | Allowed after a complete stop unless posted. Left turn on red only from a one-way street onto a one-way street (handbook mentions it when stranded by a red left-turn arrow).Source |
| Vermont | Right turn on red usually allowed after a complete stop and yielding unless signs prohibit; never right on a red arrow or when 'No Turn On Red' signs are lit. Left on red not addressed.Source |
| Virginia | Right on red allowed after a complete stop, yielding to pedestrians and traffic, unless 'No Turn on Red' is posted or a red right arrow is shown. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto another one-way street after a complete stop. No turns on red arrows unless a 'Right/Left on Red Arrow After Stop' sign is posted. No right on red at intersections with bicycle boxes. |
| Washington | Right turn on red after a complete stop if no 'no turn on red' sign; left on red onto a one-way street after a complete stop. No right on red near a bicycle box. |
| West Virginia | Right on red after a complete stop at two-way streets unless signed otherwise; left on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street.Source |
| Wisconsin | Right on red allowed after a full stop if safe and no sign prohibits it. Left on red allowed from a one-way street onto a one-way street. |
| Wyoming | Right on red after stopping and yielding unless a sign prohibits it; left on red from a one-way street onto a one-way street after stopping and yielding (p.97).Source |
More rules of the road
From each state's driver handbook or licensing agency; laws change, so check your state's current handbook.