California permits U-turns in more spots than most new drivers expect. You may turn around on a green ball or green arrow when no sign forbids it, over one pair of double yellow lines, through a gap in a center divider, and on a home street when nothing is coming within 200 feet. You may not turn around where a sign says no, where the view is shorter than 200 feet either way, on one-way streets, on or at railroad tracks, at a fire station, or anywhere in a downtown business area other than an intersection or a divider gap. Right on red is fine once you have stopped completely, unless a posted sign rules it out.

These rules live in Section 6 of the DMV handbook and in a handful of Vehicle Code sections. The drive test checks them too, so the last part of this guide lists the turn mistakes that fail a test on their own.

U-turns: allowed and not allowed

Where you want to turn around	Answer	Source
Home street, with no vehicle coming within 200 feet	Yes	CVC 22103
Signal-controlled corner, green ball or green arrow, no sign forbidding it	Yes, starting from the left turn lane or the leftmost lane	Handbook Section 6
Over one pair of double yellow lines	Yes	Handbook Section 6
Through a gap built into a center divider	Yes	Handbook Section 6
Over a raised median, a planted strip or two pairs of double yellow lines	No	Handbook Section 6
Mid-block in a downtown or shopping district	No	Handbook Section 6
Any spot where the view is shorter than 200 feet either way	No	Handbook Section 6
One-way streets; on or at railroad tracks	No	Handbook Section 6
Outside a fire station, including turning in its driveway	No	Handbook Section 6
Under a NO U-TURN sign	No	Handbook Section 6

Two words in that table do most of the work. A business district is the part of town where most offices and shops are. There, a U-turn belongs at an intersection or a divider opening and nowhere else. A residence district is governed by Vehicle Code 22103: no U-turn while another vehicle is coming from either direction within 200 feet, unless you are at an intersection where that vehicle is controlled by a signal or sign.

Making the U-turn

Signal, then move into the left turn lane or the far-left lane. Like a left turn, a U-turn requires you to give way to oncoming vehicles close enough to be a hazard and to keep giving way until you can turn with reasonable safety (Vehicle Code 21801). Look in every direction before you start and keep looking while you turn. The DMV's tips for teen drivers suggest learning it on a wide residential street with little or no traffic, and never trying one in heavy traffic.

Red lights: when you may turn

Vehicle Code 21453 sets the rule. At a steady red light, stop at the limit line. With no line, stop before the crosswalk, and with no crosswalk, before the intersection. After that full stop, unless a sign says otherwise, you may:

turn right, or
turn left, but only from a one-way street onto another one-way street.

Either way, you give way to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to any vehicle near enough to be an immediate hazard. A red arrow is different: you may not make the turn it points to until the signal changes. A NO TURN ON RED sign overrides the general rule.

One lane type is an exception. Per the handbook, a dedicated right turn lane (a lane that never has to merge with another) may be used without stopping even when traffic going straight is held at red, except where its own signal or sign directs otherwise. Anyone in the crosswalk still goes first.

On the drive test, rolling through a right turn on red faster than a brisk walk, which the DMV puts at 4 mph, is a Critical Driving Error. So is stopping at a green light when nothing requires it.

Right turns, step by step

The handbook's sequence, in order:

Keep close to the right edge of the road. Use a designated right turn lane if there is one, entering at its opening.
Signal at least 100 feet before the turn. Vehicle Code 22108 requires the signal for the whole last 100 feet. The DMV's teen tips suggest starting about 200 feet out, a little over half a block.
Look over your right shoulder for anyone between you and the curb, such as a rider in the bike lane or a motorcycle, and slow down.
Stop behind the limit line if you must stop, then look left, right and left again.
Finish in the right-hand lane. Do not swing wide into a second lane.

Turning across a bike lane

Where a bike lane runs along the curb, you do not cut across it from the traffic lane. Per the handbook, a car may use a bike lane for three reasons only: parking where that is allowed, getting on or off the road, and setting up a turn within 200 feet of the intersection. The order: signal, look over your right shoulder, ease in behind any rider once you are within 200 feet of the corner, and turn from there.

Examiners watch this closely. The DMV's turn criteria expect the move into the bike lane inside that 200-foot window, and two of its Critical Driving Errors apply here: staying in a bike lane past 200 feet, and turning right across a bike lane without a mirror and shoulder look. Our right-of-way guide covers passing and yielding to bicycles.

Left turns, step by step

Get near the center divider, or into the left turn lane where it opens; never cross a solid line to get there.
Turn the signal on 100 feet before the corner, glance over your left shoulder, and ease off the speed.
Stop behind the limit line if needed. While you wait for a gap, keep the front wheels pointed straight. A car that hits you from behind can push turned wheels into oncoming traffic.
Look left, right, left. Yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians, then turn.
Do not cut the corner early into the oncoming lane. Finish in the left lane nearest the middle of the road going your way, and let the wheel straighten as you speed up.

The handbook allows some flexibility on one-way streets: turning onto a one-way street with three or more lanes your way, you may end in any lane that is open.

Double yellow lines and left turns

A single set of double yellow lines may be crossed to turn left into or out of a driveway or private road, or to make a U-turn. Two sets of double yellow lines two feet or more apart form a barrier. You may not drive over it, turn left across it, or make a U-turn across it, except at a designated opening.

The two-way center left turn lane

On many two-way streets, a center lane bordered by a solid outer yellow line and a dashed inner yellow line on each side serves left turns from both directions. Vehicle Code 21460.5 sets three limits: drive in it only to prepare for or make a left turn, or a lawful U-turn; stay in it no more than 200 feet; and where one exists, do not turn left from any other lane.

Using one well means watching for a driver heading toward you in that same center lane, signaling, glancing at the left blind spot, then pulling all the way in so the car behind is not stuck, and turning once the gap is real. Using it as a passing lane, or creeping along it for a block, is the error examiners look for.

Turn mistakes that fail the drive test

The DMV's scoring criteria split every turn into approach, stop and turn: traffic check, signal at least 100 feet out, smooth braking, correct lane position, wheels straight while stopped for a left, a smooth turn into the proper lane, and the signal cancelled after. Any of these turn-related Critical Driving Errors fails the test by itself:

Rolling at more than 4 mph, about a brisk walk, past a stop sign or a flashing red, or into a right turn on red.
Staying in a bike lane or the center two-way turn lane for over 200 feet.
Turning from the wrong lane: a turn from a straight-only lane, or driving straight on from a lane marked for turns.
Turning right across a bike lane without checking the mirror and over the shoulder.
Using the opposing lane without a reason.

Every other critical item is listed in how examiners score the drive test.

How we practice turns

In lessons, turns come early and come often. Most first-lesson corrections are about speed: brake before the corner, not in it, look through the turn to where the car is going, and let the wheel slide back as the car straightens. Our instructors pick the streets around Folsom, El Dorado Hills and Granite Bay to match the step a student is on, from quiet corners to signals, turn lanes and bike lanes, as described on how we teach. For a final check before the test, our test preparation page explains what is offered.

Quick answers

Is it legal to make a U-turn in California? In many places. A green ball or arrow with no sign against it, one pair of double yellow lines, a divider gap, or a home street with nothing coming inside 200 feet all work. One-way streets, railroad tracks and fire stations never do.

Is right on red allowed? Yes, once you have stopped completely, unless a sign forbids it or the light is a red arrow. Pedestrians and close traffic still get priority.

When is left on red allowed? Only when both streets are one-way, after a complete stop, and only if no sign forbids it.

How long can I stay in the center turn lane? 200 feet at most, and only to set up a left turn or a lawful U-turn.

When should I enter the bike lane to turn right? Inside the last 200 feet before the corner, once a look over your right shoulder shows the lane is clear.

Sources

Check the source. Requirements can change. Confirm current rules on the California DMV website before you apply.

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Turning in California: U-Turns, Right on Red, Left Turns and Center Lanes