California DMV Numbers Cheat Sheet: Every Number You Need to Memorize
DMV IQ Editorial Team · Published November 7, 2026 · 4 min read
Checked against the handbook: 2025-2026 edition. Values below come from the California Driver Handbook published by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which we host as a free PDF on this site. Nothing comes from a driving school, a forum or another prep site.
The California written test is full of numbers: how far, how fast, how old, how long, how much. This page puts 58 of them in one place, grouped into 14 sections. The biggest sections are speed limits (14), distances and following (9), and lights, loads, vehicle and insurance (9).
A few you will meet early:
Illegal BAC for drivers over 21: 0.08% BAC (over 21)
Minimum age to apply for an instruction permit (under 18): 15½ years
Minimum time to hold an instruction permit before the behind-the-wheel drive test: 6 months
We started from our own California question bank, not from a generic list, so every row is a number our questions actually test. We then took the bank's answer out of the picture and read the figure in the handbook itself. If the handbook does not state a number, it is not on this sheet, even when a question tests it.
California · Numbers reference
Every number the California written test can ask you for, in one place, taken from the official driver handbook and built to print.
58 numbersall tested in our question bank
Showing all 58 numbers
01
License and permit
1 number
License and permit, California
Value
Rule
15½ years
Minimum age to apply for an instruction permit (under 18)Applicants under 18
02
Provisional license (under 18)
4 numbers
Provisional license (under 18), California
Value
Rule
6 months
Minimum time to hold an instruction permit before the behind-the-wheel drive testApplicants under 18 (or until they turn 18)
50 hours, including 10 at night
Supervised practice driving required before the drive testApplicants under 18; supervising driver must be 25 or older
11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Hours a provisional driver under 18 may not driveFirst 12 months of holding the license
Passengers under 20 years old
Passengers a provisional driver under 18 may not carry without an adultUnless a parent, guardian or other licensed driver aged 25 or older rides along
03
Speed limits
14 numbers
Speed limits, California
Value
Rule
25 mph
Speed limit in a business or residential districtUnless otherwise posted
15 mph
Speed limit at a blind intersectionThe handbook defines a blind intersection as one with no stop signs at any corner
15 mph
Speed limit in an alleyAn alley is a road no wider than 25 feet
65 mph
Maximum speed limit on most highwaysUnless otherwise posted
55 mph
Speed limit on a two-lane undivided highwayUnless otherwise posted
55 mph
Speed limit for a vehicle towing a trailerUnless otherwise posted
25 mph (as low as 15 mph in some school zones)
Speed limit near a school while children are outside or crossingWithin 500 feet of a school while children are outside or crossing the street
15 mph
Speed limit near a railroad crossing with a blocked view of the tracksWithin 100 feet of the crossing and you cannot see the tracks for 400 feet in both directions; faster is allowed if gates, a signal or a flagman control the crossing
10 mph
Maximum speed when passing a stopped bus, streetcar or trolley at a safety zoneBus, streetcar or trolley stopped at a safety zone or traffic light
Reduce speed by 5 to 10 mph
Speed reduction on a wet road
Reduce speed by half
Speed reduction on packed snow
No more than 5 mph
Maximum speed on ice
30 mph
Fastest safe speed when you cannot see farther than 100 feet (heavy rain or snow)When you cannot see more than 100 feet ahead
Roads with limits above 35 mph
Neighborhood electric vehicles and low-speed vehicles are restricted from roads with a limit aboveNEVs and LSVs reach a maximum speed of 25 mph
04
Distances and following
9 numbers
Distances and following, California
Value
Rule
3 seconds
Minimum following distance in normal conditionsThe three-second rule
At least 10 seconds ahead
How far ahead to scan the road
300 feet
Do not follow an emergency vehicle with siren or flashing lights withinApplies to fire engines, law enforcement vehicles, ambulances and other emergency vehicles
3 feet
Minimum space when passing a bicyclistWhen you cannot change lanes to pass
Up to 400 feet
Distance a large vehicle can need to stop from 55 mphA passenger vehicle at 55 mph can stop within 300 feet
About 300 feet (a full block)
Space needed to merge into highway trafficHalf a block, about 150 feet, on city streets
At least one-third of a mile
Distance ahead a hill or curve should be before you pass
100 feet
Do not pass within this distance of an intersection, bridge, tunnel or railroad crossing
At least 15 feet
Minimum distance to stop from the nearest railroad track when a train is coming
05
Parking
2 numbers
Parking, California
Value
Rule
Within 18 inches
Distance from the curb when parallel parked
15 feet
Do not park within this distance of a fire hydrant or fire station driveway
06
Signals, turns and lanes
5 numbers
Signals, turns and lanes, California
Value
Rule
No more than 200 feet
Distance you may drive in a center left turn lane before turning
Within 200 feet of the turn
Distance before a right turn where you may drive in a bike lane
No vehicle approaching within 200 feet
Clear distance needed to make a U-turn in a residential district
At least 100 feet
How far before a turn to signal
Five or more vehicles
Number of following vehicles that requires you to use a turnout on a slow two-lane roadWhen driving slowly where passing is unsafe
07
Child restraints and airbags
2 numbers
Child restraints and airbags, California
Value
Rule
Under 8 years old, or under 4 ft 9 in tall
Children who must ride in a child restraint in the rear seatUnder 8, or under 4 feet 9 inches: child passenger restraint system in a rear seat
At least 10 inches
Minimum distance to sit from the airbag coverMeasured from the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone; passengers too
08
Lights, loads, vehicle and insurance
9 numbers
Lights, loads, vehicle and insurance, California
Value
Rule
500 feet
Dim high beams within this distance of an oncoming vehicleAlso within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following
From 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise
When to use headlights
1,000 feet away
Use headlights when it is too dark to see from
White light visible from 300 feet
Visibility of a bicycle front lamp at night
6 inches
Maximum cargo extension past the right-side fenders of a passenger vehicleNothing may extend beyond the fenders on the left side
More than 4 feet: 12-inch red or orange square flag
Rear cargo overhang that needs a daytime flagMeasured from the rear bumper
Two red lights
Marking for rear cargo overhang at nightCargo extending more than 4 feet from the rear bumper
Only the two lanes closest to the right edge
Lanes a tow vehicle may use when there are four or more lanes and none are marked for slower vehicles
$30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000
Minimum liability insurance coverage$30,000 for one death or injury, $60,000 for more than one person, $15,000 property damage
09
Blood alcohol (BAC) limits
3 numbers
Blood alcohol (BAC) limits, California
Value
Rule
0.08% BAC (over 21)
Illegal BAC for drivers over 21
0.01% BAC (under 21)
Illegal BAC for drivers under 21Also 0.01% at any age on DUI probation
0.04% BAC
Illegal BAC when driving a vehicle that needs a commercial licenseAlso 0.04% when driving a passenger for hire
10
Driver record
1 number
Driver record, California
Value
Rule
10 years
How long a DUI conviction stays on your driver’s record
11
Points that lead to suspension
1 number
Points that lead to suspension, California
Value
Rule
4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24 months, or 8 in 36 months
Point totals that can lead to license suspension (negligent driver)Adult drivers
12
Suspensions
2 numbers
Suspensions, California
Value
Rule
1 year
Suspension or revocation for refusing a blood or urine test
Up to four years
Maximum suspension if you are in a collision without insuranceRegardless of who was at fault
13
Fines and penalties
2 numbers
Fines and penalties, California
Value
Rule
Up to six months in jail
Maximum jail sentence on a DUI conviction
Up to $1,000
Fine for failing to stop for a school bus with flashing red lightsYour driving privilege could also be suspended for one year
14
Reporting and emergencies
3 numbers
Reporting and emergencies, California
Value
Rule
Within 24 hours
Time limit to report an injury or fatal collision to law enforcementIf anyone is injured or killed
Within 10 days
Time limit to report a collision to DMV (SR 1)More than $1,000 in property damage, or any injury or death
Dial 511 or use a call box
Number to dial for help if your vehicle is disabled on a freeway
Print it (the button above gives a clean one or two page version) or filter it on screen. Do not try to memorize the whole list in one go. Pick one section, say it out loud, then answer practice questions on that topic until the numbers stick.
What this sheet leaves out
The handbook is a summary of the law, not the law itself. Fines, court costs and fees change, and some are set by statute rather than printed in the handbook. We only list what the handbook (or, where marked, the statute) states, so check the California Department of Motor Vehicles for anything that decides a real case. The handbook edition used here is 2025-2026; the numbers were last checked against it on November 7, 2026.
