California road signs, all 1034 of them
Sorted the way the road itself is organized: by MUTCD series. Each sign here carries the official code that identifies it anywhere in the United States, what it means, and what you are expected to do about it.
Regulatory signs
365 signs
Signs that state a law. Disobeying one is a traffic violation, which is why they carry the strictest shapes and colors on the road.
Warning signs
274 signs
Yellow diamonds that tell you what is ahead before you can see it — a curve, a merge, a crossing, a change in the road surface.
Guide and destination signs
158 signs
Where you are, where the next town is, and how far. They never state a law, so their job is purely to keep you oriented.
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Route markers and plaques
91 signs
The shields that tell you which road you are on. The shape identifies the type of route, and the plaques around it add the direction, the junction and the turn.
Freeway and expressway guide signs
51 signs
Exit numbers, advance guides and lane assignments on freeways, where decisions have to be made earlier and at higher speed.
Work zone signs
41 signs
Temporary signs around road work. Fines are doubled in an active work zone in California, and the layout they describe changes from week to week.
General information signs
26 signs
Services, facilities and landmarks — airports, rest areas, river crossings, state lines. Useful rather than mandatory.
Emergency and evacuation signs
15 signs
Evacuation routes, shelters and area closures. Rarely on the test, but the ones that matter most on the day they appear.
School area signs
13 signs
School zones and school speed limits, with the plaques that say when the limit is in force.
How to read a sign you have never seen
You are not expected to memorize 1034 signs. Shape and color carry the meaning before you can read a word: a red octagon can only be a stop, a yellow diamond is always a warning, and a white rectangle states a law.
That is why the DMV test shows signs you may never have met — it is testing whether you can read the system, not whether you memorized the catalog.