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, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is No closer than 15 feet..