Default speed limits by state
The speed limits each state's handbook gives for school zones, residential streets, business districts and highways when no sign says otherwise.
By state
| State | Speed limits |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Urban district: 30 mph; Unpaved road: 35 mph; County paved road (unless posted): 45 mph; Other locations: 55 mph; Where posted: 65 mph; Interstate where posted: 70 mphSource |
| Alaska | Alley: 15 mph; Business district: 20 mph; School zone: 20 mph; Residential district: 25 mph; Any other roadway: 55 mph (selected highways may be posted at 65); Backing (suggested): 5 mph or less |
| Arizona | Approaching a school crosswalk: 15 mph; Business or residential district: 25 mph; Open highways or city freeways: 55 mph; Designated open highways: 65 mph; Rural freeways: 75 mph; Roundabouts (design speed): 15-20 mph; Motorcycle lane filtering (max motorcycle speed, road limit 45 or less): 15 mphSource |
| Arkansas | County road with no limit set by the county judge: 40 mph; Work zone: Reduced limit as posted; if no reduced limit is posted, the normal posted limit. Fines double for moving violations when workers are present (PDF pp. 29, 31); Other roads: Not stated in the guide (obey posted limits)Source |
| California | most California highways (maximum unless posted): 65 mph; two-lane undivided highway, and vehicles towing trailers: 55 mph; within 500 feet of a school while children are outside or crossing: 25 mph (some school zones as low as 15 mph); business or residential district: 25 mph unless posted; blind intersection: 15 mph; alley: 15 mph; within 100 feet of a railroad crossing when you cannot see the tracks for 400 feet in both directions (no gates/signal/flagger): 15 mph; passing a bus, streetcar or trolley stopped at a safety zone or traffic light: 10 mph; visibility under 100 feet in heavy rain or snow: no faster than 30 mph is safe; Basic Speed Law: never faster than is safe for conditions |
| Colorado | Narrow, winding mountain highways and blind curves: 20 mph; Business district: 25 mph; Residence district: 30 mph; Open mountain highways: 40 mph; Vehicles in the business of hauling trash: 45 mph; Urban interstates and highways: 55 mph; Designated rural interstates and highways: 65-75 mphSource |
| Connecticut | Highways without a posted higher limit (statutory maximum): 55 mph; Limited-access highways designated for 65 (statutory maximum): 65 mph; Ice cream truck with flashing lights, after stopping: 5 mph past the truck; Farm tractors, animal-drawn and road maintenance vehicles (typical speed, not a limit): 25 mph or lessSource |
| Delaware | School zones (when children are present): 20 mph; Business districts: 25 mph; Residential districts: 25 mph; Two-lane roads: 50 mph; Divided roads and roads with four or more lanes: 55 mph; Controlled access highways (turnpikes and expressways): 55 mph; Route 1 and Interstate 495: 65 mphSource |
| Washington DC | City streets (unless posted): 20 mph; Alleys: 15 mph; School zones: 15 mph; Ordinary highways: 30-50 mph; Divided highways: 30-55 mph; Interstate highways: 55-75 mphSource |
| Florida | School zone: 20 mph; Municipal, business or residential area: 30 mph (unless otherwise posted); Streets and highways: 55 mph (unless otherwise posted); Limited access highways: 70 mph; Minimum on highways posted 70 mph: 50 mphSource |
| Georgia | Urban or residential district: 30 mph; Unpaved county road: 35 mph; Rural interstate: 70 mph; Urban interstate or multi-lane divided highway: 65 mph; All other areas: 55 mph; Super Speeder ($200 state fee): 75 mph or more on a two-lane road, or 85 mph or more on any roadSource |
| Hawaii | bicycles riding on sidewalks (not allowed in business districts): 10 mph or lessSource |
| Idaho | Interstates: 75 mph (80 where posted; rural interstates up to 80, urban interstates up to 65 where designated); State highways: 65 mph (70 where posted); Other locations: 55 mph unless posted (up to 70 allowed); Residential, business or urban districts: 35 mph unless posted; Passing on two-lane road with limit 55+: may exceed posted limit by up to 15 mph while passing (not in work zones, not towing) |
| Illinois | Interstates and tollways: 70 mph; Four-lane highways: 65 mph; Other highways and rural areas: 55 mph; City/town areas: 30 mph; Alleys: 15 mph; School zones (school days 6:30 a.m.-4 p.m. when children are present and signs are posted): 20 mphSource |
| Indiana | Rural interstate (passenger vehicles): 70 mph; Rural interstate (trucks over 26,000 lb): 65 mph; Rural state divided highway: 60 mph; Urban interstate: 55 mph; Non-divided state highway / county roads: 55 mph; Most urban residential areas: 30 mph; Alleys: 15 mph; Work sites: at least 10 mph below the normal maximum (as posted); School zone: posted school zone limit (commonly 7 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays or when beacons flash); School bus off interstates and state highways: 40 mph (60 mph on interstate/highway) unless posted lower |
| Iowa | Business district (unposted): 20 mph; Residential or school district (unposted): 25 mph; Suburban district: 45 mph; Any vehicle pulling another vehicle: 45 mph; Unsurfaced secondary roads sunset to sunrise; trucks on secondary roads: 50 mph; Primary roads, urban interstates, secondary roads (unpaved by day): 60 mph; Rural interstate: 70 mph; Interstate minimum: 40 mph |
| Kansas | School zone / business district (when properly marked): 20 mph; Urban district: 30 mph; County or township road: 55 mph; State or federal highway: 65 mph; Separated multilane highway as designated and posted: 75 mphSource |
| Kentucky | Interstate highways and parkways: 65 mph (secretary may raise specific highways to 70 mph); All other state highways: 55 mph; Business/residential district: 35 mph; Off-street public parking facility: 15 mph; Visibility 100 feet or less (rain, fog, snow): no faster than 25 mph; Recommended maximum for most vehicle-trailer combinations: 55 mphSource |
| Louisiana | Interstate (maximum unless posted): 70 mph; Portions of I-49: 75 mph; Pulling or towing another vehicle: 45 mph; School buses frequently stopping to load or unload children: 35 mph; Roundabouts (approach): 15 mph or less / about 15-20 mph; School zones, residential and business areas: reduced limits (as posted) |
| Maine | Outside business, residential or built-up areas (unposted): 45 mph; Business district, residential district or built-up area (unposted): 25 mph; School zone during recess or when children are going to/from school: 15 mph (fines doubled) |
| Maryland | Highways in a business district (unless posted otherwise): 30 mph; Undivided highways in a residential district: 30 mph; Divided highways in a residential district: 35 mph; Undivided highways in other locations: 50 mph; Divided highways in other locations: 55 mph; Highest limit allowed (interstates/expressways only above 55): 70 mph; Slow-moving vehicle emblem: 25 mph or less; Mopeds and scooters allowed on roads posted: 50 mph or less |
| Massachusetts | School zone: 20 mph; Thickly settled or business district (unless posted): 30 mph (25 mph in communities that adopted it, posted at town entrances); Outside thickly settled or business district: 40 mph; Highway outside thickly settled or business district: 50 mph; Limited-access highways: 50-65 mph as posted; Massachusetts Turnpike minimum: 40 mph; Boston Harbor tunnels minimum: 20 mphSource |
| Michigan | Mobile home parks and some municipal parks: 15 mph; Platted subdivisions and condominium complexes: 25 mph; Work zones (if posted; often only when workers are present): 45 mph; Streets and highways that are not freeways (unless posted): 55 mph; Freeways (unless posted): 70 mph maximum / 55 mph minimum; trucks and school buses 65 mph (55 mph on freeways posted below 70)Source |
| Minnesota | Alleys: 10 mph; Urban or town roads (urban district): 30 mph; All other locations not specified: 55 mph; School zone (where a local authority establishes one): posted school limit, in effect when children are present; not lower than 15 mph and not more than 30 mph below the street limit (Minn. Stat. 169.14 subd. 5a); the manual says only to slow down when children are present; Residential roadways (if adopted and signed by the road authority): 25 mph (Minn. Stat. 169.14); Noninterstate expressways and freeways: 65 mph (Minn. Stat. 169.14); Interstates outside urbanized areas over 50,000: 70 mph (Minn. Stat. 169.14); Interstates inside urbanized areas over 50,000: 65 mph (Minn. Stat. 169.14); Passing on a two-lane highway posted 55 mph or more: may exceed the limit by 10 mph while lawfully passing; Over 100 mph: revocation at least six monthsSource |
| Mississippi | Interstates: 70 mph max, 40 mph min; Four-lane state and U.S. highways: 65 mph max, 40 mph min; Two-lane state and U.S. highways: 55 mph; Natchez Trace Parkway: 50 mph; School zone: 15 mph; School bus on regular routes / on interstate: 45 mph / 65 mph |
| Missouri | City, town or village (unless posted): 25 mph; Rural interstates and freeways: 75 mph (RSMo 304.010, effective Aug 28, 2026; an older paragraph in the guide still says 70); Rural expressways: 65 mph; Interstates, freeways or expressways in urbanized areas: 60 mph; All other roads not in an urbanized area: 60 mph; Lettered roads: 55 mph; Interstate minimum (normal conditions): 40 mphSource |
| Montana | Interstate highways (cars and light trucks): 75/80 mph day and night; Urban-area interstates (Billings, Great Falls, Missoula): 65 mph; Two-lane highways (cars and light trucks): 70 mph day / 65 mph night; Heavy trucks on interstates: 65 mph; Heavy trucks on two-lane highways: 60 mph day / 55 mph night; Roundabouts: 15 mph or less; School zones (may be set as low as): 15 mph; Passing on a two-lane road: May exceed the limit by 10 mph to pass and returnSource |
| Nebraska | Business districts: 20 mph; Residential districts: 25 mph; Gravel / non-dustless roads: 50 mph; Paved roads not on the state highway system: 55 mph; Four-lane divided highways not on the state system; state highways other than expressways/super-twos/freeways: 65 mph; Expressways, super-two highways and freeways on the state system: 70 mph; Rural interstate: 75 mph (minimum 40 mph on the interstate)Source |
| Nevada | School zones: 15 or 25 mph (school days, from half an hour before school begins to half an hour after it ends, unless posted); Business and residential areas: 25 mph; Reduced speed areas going into towns: 45 mph; Urban freeways, rural highways: 65 mph; Rural interstate freeways: 70+ mph |
| New Hampshire | Business or urban residence district: 30 mph; Rural residence district / Class V highway outside compact area: 35 mph; Other locations: 45 or 55 mph; Interstates and turnpikes (4+ lane divided): 65 mph; I-93 mile marker 45 to Vermont border: 70 mph; Interstate minimum: 45 mph; Posted school zone (45 min before opening to opening; closing to 45 min after): 10 mph below the usual posted limitSource |
| New Jersey | School zones, business or residential districts: 25 mph; Suburban business and residential districts: 35 mph; Non-posted rural roadways: 50 mph; Certain state highways (as posted) and interstates: 55 mph; Certain interstate highways (as posted): 65 mph; Passing a school bus stopped in front of a school / dual highway opposite side: 10 mph; Passing a frozen dessert truck showing red lights and stop arm: 15 mphSource |
| New Mexico | School zone (posted): 15 mph; Business or residential areas: 30 mph; Public highways: 55 mph; Rural interstate highways: 75 mphSource |
| New York | statewide, where no limit is posted: 55 mph; New York City, unless another limit is posted: 25 mph; expressways: normally 55 mph; up to 65 mph posted in some rural areas; work areas: can be posted as low as 25 mph; speeding fines double in work zones; roundabouts: designed for 30 mph or less (design speed, not a posted legal limit); school zone / residential: null |
| North Carolina | cities and towns (unless otherwise posted): 35 mph; outside cities and towns (unless otherwise posted): 55 mph; interstates (maximum): 70 mph; school buses (maximum): 45 mph; school activity buses (maximum): 55 mph; school zones: posted; the handbook gives no statewide figure; work zones: as posted; an extra penalty applies where it is postedSource |
| North Dakota | Approaching a railroad crossing or intersection with an obstructed view; passing a school during recess or arrival/dismissal: 20 mph; Business or residential district: 25 mph; Gravel, dirt or loose-surface roads; unposted paved two-lane county and township highways: 55 mph; Rural paved 2-lane highways if posted: 65 mph; Paved, divided multi-lane highways: 70 mph; Rural Interstate: 80 mphSource |
| Ohio | Alleys within a municipal corporation: 15 mph; School zones (recess and arrival/dismissal): 20 mph; Streets within a municipal corporation: 25 mph; State routes/through highways within municipal corporations outside business districts: 35 mph; State routes within municipal corporations outside urban districts: 50 mph; Freeways with paved shoulders inside municipal corporations: 55 mph; Rural freeways: 70 mphSource |
| Oklahoma | Controlled access highways: 75 mph; Turnpikes: 80 mph; Undivided state highways: 65 mph; County roads: 55 mph; Highways in state parks or wildlife refuges: 35 mph; Marked school zones on highways outside a municipality: 25 mph; Expressway minimum (usually): 40 mphSource |
| Oregon | Alleys; narrow residential roadways: 15 mph; Business district: 20 mph; School speed zone (when signed conditions apply): 20 mph; Residential district; public parks; ocean shores: 25 mph; Other roads and highways unless posted: 55 mph; Interstates: varies (as posted)Source |
| Pennsylvania | Maximum in Pennsylvania: 70 mph; School zone (lights flashing or posted times): 15 mph; Open-bed truck with a person in the bed: 35 mph; Avoid overdriving low beams on a dark road: 45 mph (advice); Move Over: if unable to change lanes: at least 20 mph below the posted limit |
| Rhode Island | Residential areas: 25 mph; Most highways: 50-65 mph; Speeding fine 1-10 mph over: $95; Speeding 11+ mph over: $10 per mph over, $200 minimum; Work zones: Posted construction limit; speeding fines doubled 24 hours a day |
| South Carolina | Interstates and other freeways (where posted): 70 mph; Multilane divided primary highways (where posted): 60 mph; Other highways: 55 mph; Unpaved roads: 40 mph; Urban district: 30 mph; Golf carts allowed only on roads posted: 35 mph or less; Recommended maximum towing a trailer: 55 mphSource |
| South Dakota | Passing a stopped vehicle with amber/yellow/blue lights on a two-lane highway: at least 20 mph below the posted limit (5 mph where posted 20 or less); Following a snowplow with red or amber lights on roads posted 35 mph or more: stay at least 200 feet behind; School zone when lights are flashing or children are present: obey the slower posted school-zone limit (no number given in the manual); Work zone: posted reduced limit; fines for speeding may be doubledSource |
| Tennessee | Primary and secondary state/federal highways (unless posted): 55 mph; Interstate maximum (most rural sections): 70 mph; Urban interstates (typical): 55 mph; Interstate minimum, right lane(s): 45 mph; Interstate left-most lane minimum: 55 mph; Some residential/city streets: 25 or 35 mph; Roundabouts (typical posted): 15-25 mphSource |
| Texas | Urban district: 30 mph; Alley: 15 mph; Beach / county road next to a public beach (if declared): 15 mph; Texas- or U.S.-numbered highway outside an urban district (incl. FM/RM roads): 70 mph; Highway not numbered by Texas or the U.S., outside an urban district: 60 mph; Limited-access highways (posted): 75 up to 85 mph; Neighborhood electric vehicle may use streets posted: 45 mph or less; Motor-assisted scooter may use streets posted: 35 mph or lessSource |
| Utah | School zone (children present/recess or lights flashing): 20 mph; Business or residential area: 25 mph; Major highways (as posted): 55 mph; Rural interstates: 65/70/75/80 mph; Street-legal ATV/UTV: Lesser of posted limit or 50 mphSource |
| Vermont | All Vermont roads (unless posted): 50 mph; Interstate (unless posted): 65 mph; Interstate, can't change lanes past stopped emergency/repair vehicle: 20 mph below the limitSource |
| Virginia | School, business and residential areas (unless posted): 25 mph; Unpaved roads (unless posted): 35 mph; All other roads (unless posted): 55 mph; Reckless driving threshold: 20+ mph over the limit or over 85 mph regardless of the limit; Low speed vehicles may use roads posted: 35 mph or less; Trash collection vehicle on road of fewer than 4 lanes: 10 mph below the posted limit when passing |
| Washington | School zone: 20 mph; Ocean beaches (Grays Harbor and Pacific counties): 25 mph; Roundabouts (design speed): 15-25 mph; Emergency zone: 10 mph below posted, never over 50 mph |
| West Virginia | Interstate (unless posted): 70 mph; Open county highway: 55 mph; Business or residential area: 25 mph; School zone while children are present: 15 mph; Interstate minimum (unless conditions or posted): 55 mph; Low-speed vehicles allowed only on municipal roads posted at: 25 mph or lessSource |
| Wisconsin | Residential areas (unless posted): 25 mph; School zone when children are present: 15 mph; Outlying parts of cities and villages with no posted limit: 35 mph |
| Wyoming | Interstate highways: 80 mph or 75 mph (as posted); Secondary highways: 70 mph; Residential areas: 30 mph; Business areas: 30 mph; School zones: 20 mphSource |
More rules of the road
From each state's driver handbook or licensing agency; laws change, so check your state's current handbook.