Turns, lanes, passing and parking
How close to a fire hydrant may you legally park?
- No closer than 15 feet. Correct answer
- No closer than 20 feet.
- No closer than three feet.
Why
Fifteen feet is the clearance a fire hydrant needs, and the same 15 feet applies to a fire station driveway. The two wrong answers are real distances from the same list of places you may never park, which is precisely why they slip in so easily. Twenty feet is the clearance from a marked or unmarked crosswalk, dropping to 15 feet where a curb extension is present. Three feet is the clearance from a sidewalk ramp for people with disabilities. The fire station shows up in a second rule as well, and it is one people forget: never make a U-turn in front of a fire station, and never use its driveway to turn around.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is No closer than 15 feet.
The rule behind this one
Turns, lanes, passing and parking in California goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on turns, lanes, passing and parking
- When does the handbook tell you to use hand-and-arm signals instead of your signal lights?
- You are about to cross an intersection and plan to turn into a driveway just beyond it. When should you turn on your signal?
- Traffic lanes are often referred to by number. On a road with several lanes in your direction, which one is the Number 1 Lane?
- You are parked at the curb and about to pull out onto a street with several lanes in your direction. Which lane do the handbook's tips point you to?