What does the Stay In Lane sign mean?
The Stay In Lane sign (MUTCD R4-9) is a regulatory sign under the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, the national standard the states build from. Lane changes are prohibited through this section.
Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Table 2B-1, checked 2026-09-09.
What shape and color is the Stay In Lane sign?
| MUTCD code | R4-9 |
|---|---|
| Group | Regulatory signs |
| Shape | Vertical rectangle |
| Color | White background, black legend and border |
What a vertical rectangle means. Usually regulatory: a law you must obey. Speed limits, turn restrictions and parking rules take this shape.
What white means. Regulatory. A black legend on a white background is a law, not advice.
Regulatory signs. Every sign in this group has a statute behind it, so disobeying one is a citable offense on its own. Permit tests tend to word them as a duty you owe rather than show you the face.
What is the Stay In Lane sign often mistaken for?
Do Not Pass (R4-1). Stay In Lane bans any lane change, including one that is not a pass.
|  |
|---|---|
| GroupRegulatory signs | GroupRegulatory signs |
| ShapeVertical rectangle | ShapeVertical rectangle |
| ColorWhite background, black legend and border | ColorWhite background, black legend and border |
| What it meansLane changes are prohibited through this section. | What it meansPassing is prohibited from this point until a sign or marking permits it again. |
What are the other regulatory signs?
All 39 regulatory signs on one page, or every US road sign by shape and color.
Test yourself on this sign and the rest of the set with a road signs practice test for Florida, Texas or California.
The artwork is the federal design itself, which the manual dedicates to the public domain in MUTCD 11th Edition, Part 1, Section 1D.06, checked 2026-09-09. The Interstate Shield, the 511 pictograph and the National Scenic Byway graphic are named exceptions and are not reproduced anywhere on this site.
Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, 11th Edition. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration or any state agency.