Texas DMV Permit Test · Class C Knowledge Test
Texas DMV Permit Test: Speed, Lanes, Passing, and Parking Concepts
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Overview
This chapter covers how fast to drive, how to use lanes and pass, and where you may not park. It has more numbers than any other chapter, so it helps to learn them as one list.
When no sign is posted, Texas sets the limit by the type of road: 30 mph on a city street in an urban district, 15 mph in an alley, 70 mph on a U.S. or state numbered highway outside a city, 60 mph on other roads outside a city, and 15 mph on a beach. A posted limit is the most you may drive. In rain or fog you must drive slower if that is what safety needs.
To keep a safe gap, watch the car ahead pass a fixed object and count the seconds until you reach it. When you pass on a two-lane road, return to your lane only when you are safely clear of the other car. In a city or town, do not pass on the left within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing. A paved shoulder may be used in limited cases, such as going around a car that is stopped to turn left.
Parking rules keep space clear for safety. Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a stop sign, or 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. When you park along a curb, your wheels must be within 18 inches of it.
Key concepts
Speed limits when no sign is posted
Urban district street: 30 mph. Alley in a city or town: 15 mph. U.S. or state numbered highway outside an urban district: 70 mph. Other roads outside an urban district: 60 mph. Beach: 15 mph.
Memory tipAlley and beach are both 15. City is 30. Out of town: 70 on numbered highways, 60 elsewhere.
Source: Texas Transportation Code · as of 2026
Safe for conditions
Even under the posted limit, you may not drive faster than is safe for traffic, weather, and the road. In heavy rain or fog, the legal speed can be well below the sign.
Memory tipThe sign gives the top speed, not the right speed.
Following distance
Pick a fixed object such as a sign. When the car ahead passes it, count the seconds until your car reaches the same spot. Give yourself more seconds in bad weather.
Memory tipCount from the sign: the more seconds, the more time to stop.
Passing limits in town
In a city or town, you may not drive on the left side of the road to pass within 100 feet of an intersection or a railroad crossing. Move back to your lane only when you are safely clear of the car you passed.
Memory tip100 feet shows up twice: signaling a turn and no passing near intersections.
Source: Texas Transportation Code · as of 2026
No-parking distances
Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, 30 feet of a stop sign or traffic signal on the approach, or 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.
Memory tipClimb by steps: hydrant 15, crosswalk 20, stop sign 30, railroad 50.
Source: Texas Transportation Code · as of 2026
Parking at a curb
When you parallel park on a street with a curb, park facing the same way traffic moves, with the wheels nearest the curb no more than 18 inches from it.
Memory tip18 inches is about one and a half rulers.
Source: Texas Transportation Code · as of 2026
Often tested
- The 15 mph alley limit and the 30 mph urban limit are easy to swap. Read the road type in the question carefully.
- Watch for 70 vs. 60 outside town: 70 is only for U.S. or state numbered highways.
- Parking distance questions swap 15, 20, 30, and 50. Tie each number to its object.
- If a question mentions rain or fog, the answer is usually to drive slower than the posted limit.
Easy to confuse: Numbers that are easy to mix up
| Rule | Number |
|---|---|
| Alley speed limit | 15 mph |
| Urban district speed limit | 30 mph |
| Signal before a turn | At least 100 feet |
| Park from a fire hydrant | 15 feet |
| Park from a crosswalk at an intersection | 20 feet |
| Park from a stop sign | 30 feet |
| Park from the nearest railroad rail | 50 feet |
| Wheels from the curb | 18 inches or less |
3 sample questions
Verified practice questions from this unit.
Question 1. No speed limit sign is posted. What is the Texas speed limit on a city street (urban district) that is not an alley?
- ① 30 mph
- ② 25 mph
- ③ 40 mph
- ④ 35 mph
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Answer: ① 30 mph
Key point: Unposted city street (urban district) = 30 mph
When no other limit is posted, Texas law sets the speed limit at 30 mph on a street in an urban district (other than an alley).
Wrong choices
- 25 mph: 25 mph is used in some states, but the Texas unposted city limit is 30 mph.
- 35 mph: 35 mph is higher than the 30 mph Texas limit.
- 40 mph: 40 mph is far above the unposted limit for city streets.
Question 2. The posted limit is 60 mph, but there is heavy rain and fog. How fast may you legally drive?
- ① Any speed, as long as your headlights are on
- ② 10 mph over the limit if traffic is moving faster
- ③ 60 mph, because that is the posted speed limit
- ④ No faster than is safe for the conditions, even below 60
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Answer: ④ No faster than is safe for the conditions, even below 60
Key point: Basic speed rule: drive at a safe speed for conditions
Texas has a basic speed rule: you may not drive faster than is reasonable and prudent for the conditions. In rain, fog, or heavy traffic, the safe speed may be well below the posted limit.
Wrong choices
- 60 mph, because that is the posted speed limit: The posted limit is the top speed in good conditions, not a safe speed in rain and fog.
- Any speed, as long as your headlights are on: Using headlights does not make an unsafe speed legal.
- 10 mph over the limit if traffic is moving faster: Driving over the limit is never allowed, even if others are speeding.
Question 3. In Texas, how close to a fire hydrant may you park?
- ① No closer than 5 feet
- ② No closer than 15 feet
- ③ No closer than 10 feet
- ④ No closer than 20 feet
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Answer: ② No closer than 15 feet
Key point: Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
Texas law says you may not stand or park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, except for a moment to pick up or drop off a passenger. Firefighters need room to reach it.
Wrong choices
- No closer than 10 feet: 10 feet is too close; the law requires 15 feet.
- No closer than 20 feet: 20 feet is the distance from a crosswalk at an intersection, not from a hydrant.
- No closer than 5 feet: 5 feet would block the hydrant.