Parking lessons · Paint that means something
Curb colors (California)
What white, green, yellow, red and blue curbs mean in California. Other states mostly use signs: read yours.
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Five colors, five rules
In California a painted curb is a parking rule. Outside California, look for signs and your own state's manual.
- White: Stop only long enough to pick up or drop off passengers.
- Green: Park for a limited time, shown on a sign or painted on the curb.
- Yellow: Stop only to load or unload passengers or freight, for no longer than the posted time.
- Red: No stopping, standing or parking (buses may stop in a red bus zone).
- Blue: Parking only for a disabled person, or someone driving a disabled person, with a disabled placard or plate.
Practice it
On your next drive in California, name each painted curb you pass and what it allows. Outside California, read the parking signs out loud instead. Then log the drive.
Lessons are written in Park Weldon's own words from the manuals cited on each step (fetched October 2026). Rules differ between states and change: your own state's driver manual wins.