District of Columbia Parking practice test

Key District of Columbia facts: Parking

• When parallel parking, the vehicle must be within 12 inches of the curb. Driver Manual, p. 43
• Standing or parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant is prohibited. 18 DCMR § 2405.2(b)
• Standing or parking in front of or within 5 feet of a driveway or alley is prohibited. 18 DCMR § 2405.2(a)
• Parking within 20 feet of a fire station driveway entrance is prohibited. 18 DCMR § 2405.2(f)
• Parking within 50 feet of a railroad crossing is prohibited. 18 DCMR § 2405.2(e)

Sample Parking questions

May you stop or park on a crosswalk?

• Yes, at night
• Yes, if no pedestrians are present
• Yes, for short stops
• No

Show the answer

No

Stopping or parking on a crosswalk is prohibited.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.1

How close to the curb must a vehicle be when parallel parking?

• Within 3 feet
• Within 5 feet
• Within 2 feet
• Within 12 inches

Show the answer

Within 12 inches

The manual requires parking within 12 inches of the curb.

Source: DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (published Dec. 2023), Driver Manual, p. 43

What must you do before leaving a vehicle parked on a street?

• Leave the key in the ignition for safety
• Leave the engine running if you are quick
• Leave the gear in neutral with no brake
• Stop the engine, take the key, set the brake

Show the answer

Stop the engine, take the key, set the brake

The manual lists these steps for street parking.

Source: DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (published Dec. 2023), Driver Manual, p. 43

Which way do you turn the front wheels when parking downhill next to a curb?

• Into the street
• Away from the curb
• Toward the curb
• Straight ahead

Show the answer

Toward the curb

Turning toward the curb keeps the vehicle from rolling into traffic.

Source: DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (published Dec. 2023), Driver Manual, p. 43

How close to a public or private driveway or alley may you stand or park?

• Not within 25 feet
• Not within 50 feet
• Not within 15 feet
• Not within 5 feet

Show the answer

Not within 5 feet

Parking in front of or within 5 feet of a driveway or alley is prohibited.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.2(a)

May a motor vehicle stop or park in a bicycle lane?

• Yes, if the hazard flashers are on
• Yes, for up to 15 minutes at a time
• Yes, at any time outside rush hour
• No, except in a few limited cases

Show the answer

No, except in a few limited cases

Stopping in a bicycle lane is allowed only to enter a legal space, follow police or give way to an emergency vehicle.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.8

Which way do you turn the front wheels when parking uphill next to a curb?

• Straight ahead
• Toward the curb
• Away from the curb
• Toward the center of the road

Show the answer

Away from the curb

Away from the curb, so the vehicle rolls against it if the brakes fail.

Source: DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (published Dec. 2023), Driver Manual, p. 43

How close to a railroad crossing may you stand or park?

• Not within 15 feet
• Not within 50 feet
• Not within 100 feet
• Not within 5 feet

Show the answer

Not within 50 feet

Parking within 50 feet of a railroad crossing is prohibited.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.2(e)

How close to a fire hydrant may you stand or park?

• No closer than 3 feet
• No closer than 5 feet
• No closer than 10 feet
• No closer than 20 feet

Show the answer

No closer than 10 feet

The rule keeps a 10-foot clearance around a hydrant.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.2(b)

How close to a fire station driveway entrance may you stand or park?

• Not within 50 feet
• Not within 20 feet
• Not within 10 feet
• Not within 5 feet

Show the answer

Not within 20 feet

Parking within 20 feet of a fire station driveway entrance is prohibited.

Source: 18 DCMR § 2405, 18 DCMR § 2405.2(f)

Take this topic's test

More District of Columbia practice

• Full practice testAll topics, as in the knowledge test
• Road SignsWhat signs mean and what to do when you see them89 questions, 11 on District of Columbia rules
• Right-of-WayWho goes first at intersections, crosswalks and roundabouts36 questions, 13 on District of Columbia rules
• Traffic SignalsLights, arrows and pedestrian signals36 questions, 12 on District of Columbia rules
• Lanes & TurnsLane markings, turns, passing and merging45 questions, 12 on District of Columbia rules
• Speed LimitsLimits and how to adjust your speed25 questions, 10 on District of Columbia rules
• Safe DrivingFollowing distance, weather, night driving and sharing the road68 questions, 25 on District of Columbia rules
• Alcohol & DrugsBlood alcohol limits, DUI rules and medication26 questions, 14 on District of Columbia rules
• EmergenciesBreakdowns, emergency vehicles and railroad crossings32 questions, 14 on District of Columbia rules
• License RulesPermits, restrictions for new drivers and points30 questions, 30 on District of Columbia rules
• Insurance & CollisionsRequired coverage and what to do after a crash21 questions, 10 on District of Columbia rules
• Phones & DistractionPhone rules and other distractions26 questions, 11 on District of Columbia rules

About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual (English), District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles; 59 pages; the DMV publication page 'DC DMV Automobile Driver Manual' is dated Jan 22, 2024 and the Issuu file metadata gives a first publication date of 2023-12-20 (no edition or revision mark inside the manual); read 2026-11-10. The manual is offered only as an Issuu flipbook linked from https://dmv.dc.gov/publication/dc-dmv-automobile-driver-manual (no PDF on dmv.dc.gov), so the 59 page images were fetched from Issuu's image host and read with macOS Vision OCR into sources/DC/dc_manual_ocr.txt; page numbers cited are printed page numbers, which equal the page order. Cited in questions as the DMV publication page because Issuu is not a .gov host. Rules not in the manual come from the District's official law: D.C. Official Code Title 50 (code.dccouncil.gov) and 18 DCMR (dcregs.dc.gov), both read 2026-11-10. The manual has no section on DUI penalties, insurance minimums or crash reporting thresholds, so those facts come from the Code or are not tested. DC is not a state, so the District's own statutes and regulations replace state codes. Handbook statements that differ from or go beyond current law and how they were handled: (1) child restraint (manual p. 48 says only that a child under 3 rides in a child safety seat in the back seat) differs from D.C. Code 50-1703, which requires a child restraint under 3, a car seat or booster under 8 and a restraint or belt under 16; questions use the Code. (2) School buses (manual p. 38: stop at least 20 feet away; exception on a divided highway) differs from 18 DCMR 2209.1 (stop not less than 15 feet; exception only across a median strip divider); questions use the regulation. (3) Headphones (manual p. 47: earphones for cell phones are acceptable) is out of date against D.C. Code 50-1731.04(c) as amended by D.C. Law 26-55 (Dec. 6, 2025), which bans headphones over both ears and earbuds in both ears while driving; the question uses the Code. (4) Provisional and under-18 night hours (manual pp. 14-15: stop at 10:59 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 11:59 p.m. Friday-Sunday) differ from D.C. Code 50-1401.01 (restricted from 11 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday nights outside July and August, and from 12:01 a.m. otherwise); only the Tuesday-night 11 p.m. and the July-August 12:01 a.m. rules are tested. (5) Phones (manual pp. 19 and 26 say only that drivers must be hands-free) is narrower than D.C. Code 50-1731.04 (holding is also banned; exceptions for emergency calls, starting or ending a call and a vehicle stopped off the active road) and 50-1731.05 (no phone at all for learner permit holders and drivers under 18, even hands-free); questions follow the Code. (6) The manual (pp. 42, 50) says a right turn on red is allowed after a stop unless a No Turn on Red sign is posted. D.C. Law 24-214 (Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022) added a rule that from Jan 1, 2025 a driver may not turn on a steady red unless DDOT has posted a sign allowing it, but the Code annotation to 50-2201.04e says that amendment is subject to funding and has not been implemented; the DDOT page 'No Turn On Red Intersections' also exists. The right-turn-on-red permission is therefore not tested; only the left turn on red ban (manual pp. 42, 50) and the No Turn on Red sign are. (7) Speed limits (manual p. 46 lists 30-50 mph on ordinary highways, 30-55 on divided highways and 55-75 on interstates) are not repeated in 18 DCMR 2200.6, which sets 20 mph as the maximum unless designated; the ranges are not tested. The school zone limit has hours (6 a.m. to 7 p.m., 18 DCMR 2200.8) that the manual omits; the regulation is used. (8) Parking distances: the manual (p. 44) puts the stop-sign rule at 25 feet in front of a flashing signal, stop sign or signal; 18 DCMR 2405.2 uses the approach side of a STOP or YIELD sign and also bans parking within 40 feet of the intersection of curb lines; the manual's safety-zone distance (30 feet) differs from the regulation (90 feet); only hydrant (10 feet), driveway (5 feet), fire station (20 feet) and railroad crossing (50 feet) distances, which match, are tested. (9) The knowledge test retake wait is 'three calendar days' on the DMV Knowledge Tests page and in the manual (p. 12) but 72 hours in 18 DCMR 104.11; only the 72 hours after a failed road test (manual p. 13, same 72 hours) is tested. (10) Point totals for suspension and revocation (manual pp. 19-20) and the GRAD learner-stage point suspension (manual p. 16) could not be matched to a current regulation text (the 18 DCMR 302 text returned by DCRegs was a proposed-rule notice); they follow the manual, and the speeding and leaving-the-scene point values come from 18 DCMR 303.2. (11) The manual says a driver who moves must update a change of address within 60 days (p. 19) and that out-of-state license holders must get a DC license within 60 days (p. 11); these were not compared with the Code. The vision, fee, organ donor and Selective Service sections were not used. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV), and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.