The ''California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'' (abbreviated CA MUTCD) is the standard for

traffic sign Traffic signs or road signs are signs erected at the side of or above roads to give instructions or provide information to road users. The earliest signs were simple wooden or stone milestones. Later, signs with directional arms were introduc ...

road surface marking Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information; they are commonly placed with road marking machines (also referred to as road marking equipment or pavement marking eq ...

s, and

traffic signal Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

s in the U.S. state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is developed by the

California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...

(Caltrans) Division of Safety Programs "in substantial conformance to" the national '' Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices'' developed by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

. The first edition of the CA MUTCD was published in 2006, replacing an earlier supplement to the national MUTCD. The most recent edition was published in 2014, incorporating the 2009 edition of the national MUTCD. California is one of ten states that publish their own editions of the MUTCD. The CA MUTCD defines the content and placement of traffic signs. Design specifications are detailed on a section of the Caltrans website that is based on the national ''Standard Highway Signs and Markings'' (SHSM) document.

History

In 1952, the

California Department of Public Works The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacramen ...

Division of Highways published a ''Planning Manual of Instructions''. A traffic manual was added to the planning manual in 1955. In 1969, the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

deleted all the provisions of the

California Vehicle Code The California Vehicle Code, informally referred to as the Veh. Code or the CVC, is a legal code which contains almost all statutes relating to the operation, ownership and registration of vehicles (including bicycles and even animals when riding ...

that explicitly specified standards for traffic control devices, making the Division of Highways the sole agency responsible for enacting traffic standards in the state in consultation with the California Traffic Control Devices Committee. In 1972, the traffic manual became a standalone document, titled simply ''Traffic Manual''. A metric version was published in 1996 by the then-renamed Department of Transportation's Division of Traffic Operations. In 2000, Caltrans and the California Traffic Control Devices Committee undertook an effort to reconcile the Traffic Manual with the national MUTCD. In 2004, these efforts resulted in the adoption of the 2003 edition of the national MUTCD along with a California supplement, which replaced various chapters of the 1996 ''Traffic Manual'' pertaining to traffic signs and signals. In 2006, Caltrans once again published its own standard as the CA MUTCD to incorporate the supplement's guidance into the main text of the standard. Subsequent editions were published in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Caltrans made nearly annual revisions to the document from then through at least 2023.

Legal authority

section 21400 provides for Caltrans to adopt a state-specific edition of the MUTCD. Section 21401 legally requires all traffic control devices on streets and highways to conform to these standards. Therefore, the manual is used by state, county, and municipal highway departments, as well as by private construction firms, to ensure that the traffic control devices they use conform to the state standard. Some parts of the national MUTCD have not been incorporated into the CA MUTCD. Where there is a conflict between the two standards, the CA MUTCD takes precedence within California. Several Caltrans-specific signs also appear in the ''California Driver Handbook'', the

driver's education Driver's education, also known as driver's ed, driving education, driver training, or driving lessons, is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also p ...

handbook published by the

California Department of Motor Vehicles The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is the state agency that registers motor vehicles and boats and issues driver licenses in the U.S. state of California. It regulates new car dealers (through the New Motor Vehicle Board), c ...

in 13 languages.

Development

The CA MUTCD is developed by Caltrans in consultation with the California Traffic Control Devices Committee (CTCDC) and other stakeholder agencies. The CTCDC is the successor to the California State Sign Committee, which was originally responsible for highway signage from 1933 to 1947. The ten-member committee consists of representatives designated by Caltrans, the

League of California Cities The League of California Cities is an association of cities within the state of California, founded in 1898. Most of the state's 482 cities are represented in the league. The League publishes ''Western City'', a monthly magazine, and holds an annu ...

, the County Engineers Association of California, the

Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California is the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association (AAA) federation of motor clubs. The Auto Club was founded on December 13, 1900, in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first mo ...

, AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah, and the

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

The CA MUTCD and sign specifications are organized similarly to the MUTCD and SHSM, respectively. Each of the California sign specifications is assigned an alphanumeric designation and organized according to the same series found in the SHSM. The sign designation for a state-specific sign includes a "(CA)" after the sign number. The CA MUTCD also defines some state-specific series: * Series G: California Guide * Series SG: California Special Guide * Series S: California Special Information * Series SC: California Special Temporary Traffic Control * Series SR: California Special Regulation * Series SW: California Special Warning File:MUTCD-CA G10B.svg, Welcome To California
G10B(CA) File:Caltrans G11-4.1.svg, Inventory Marker
G11-4.1(CA) File:MUTCD-CA G11-6.svg, Inventory Marker
G11-6(CA) File:MUTCD-CA G13-1.svg, Historical Landmark
G13-1(CA) File:MUTCD-CA G15.svg, Point of Historical Interest
G15(CA) File:Caltrans G24-6.svg, Pull-Through
G24-6(CA) File:California 1.svg,

State Route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...

Marker
G28-2(CA) File:California Scenic Large.svg,

Scenic Route A scenic route, tourist road, tourist drive, scenic byway, or holiday road is a specially designated road or waterway that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. It often passes by scenic viewpoints. The designation is usually de ...

G30(CA) File:MUTCD-CA G66-22A.svg,

Compressed Natural Gas Compressed natural gas (CNG) is a fuel gas mainly composed of methane (CH4), compressed to less than 1% of the volume it occupies at standard atmospheric pressure. It is stored and distributed in hard containers at a pressure of , usually in ...

G66-22A(CA) File:MUTCD-CA G66-56.svg, STAA Truck Terminal Access
G66-56(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SG25.svg,

Call Box Kutless is an American Christian rock band from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1999. Since their formation, they have released multiple studio albums and one live album, ''Live from Portland''. They have sold over 3 million records worldwide. ...

SG25(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SG47A.svg,
SG47A(CA) File:MUTCD-CA S32.svg,

Adopt-A-Highway The Adopt-a-Highway program, and the very similar Sponsor-a-Highway, are promotional campaigns undertaken by U.S. states, a few provinces and territories of Canada, and some national governments outside North America to encourage volunteers to ...

S32(CA) File:MUTCD-CA S34.svg,

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

S34(CA) File:MUTCD-CA PS-123.svg, No Step
PS-123(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R6-3.svg,
R6-3(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R13A.svg, No Right

Turn on Red Turn on red is a principle of law permitting vehicles at a traffic light showing a red signal to turn into the direction of traffic nearer to them (almost always after a complete stop, depending on the jurisdiction) when the way is clear, wi ...

R13A(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R18B(Rt).svg,
R18B(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R20-1.svg, No Trucks Variable Message
R20-1(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R20H.svg, Truck Length Limit
R20H(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R25A.svg, with Double Arrow
R25A(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R26.svg,
R26(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R26K.svg, Tow-Away No Parking
R26K(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R29-1.1.svg, No Stopping/No Parking Specific Hours
R29(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R31-1.1(S).svg, No Stopping/Parking Specific Hours
R31(S)(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R36.svg,

Commercial Vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. Depending on laws and designations, a commercial vehicle can be any broad type of motor vehicle used commercially or for business purposes. Classi ...

Weight Exclusion
R36(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R47.svg,
R47(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R48.svg,
R48(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R49.svg,
R49(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R53D.svg,
R53D(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R73-3.svg, Intersection Lane Control
R73-3(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R76.svg,
R76(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R81-1.svg, Bike Lane
R81(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R99C.svg, Accessible Parking Only Minimum Fine $250
R99C(CA) File:MUTCD-CA R100B.svg, Disabled Tow-Away
R100B(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SR4-1.svg, School Speed Limit Assembly C (CA)
SR4-1(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SR17.svg,
SR17(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SR50-2.svg,
SR50-2(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SR56.svg, Traffic Signal
SR56(CA) File:CALTRANS SR58.svg,
SR58(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SR60-3.svg,
SR60-3(CA) File:MUTCD-CA W50-1.svg, Rock Slide Area
W50-1(CA) File:MUTCD-CA W82.svg, Light Rail Transit (Trolley) Crossing
W82(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SW59.svg, Migrating Bears
SW59(CA) File:MUTCD-CA SW60.svg,
SW60(CA)

References

External links

*
California sign charts

California sign specification drawings

California Traffic Control Devices Committee
{{Road signs in the US states by the adoption of MUTCD Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Road infrastructure in California Publications of the Government of California Publications established in 2006 California Department of Transportation

History

Legal authority

Development

Contents

References

External links