Photo: Roman Ska, Pexels
To parallel park in the US, signal, stop about 2 feet out beside the car in front of the space, back slowly while turning the wheel fully toward the curb, then straighten up as the car slides in and finish close to the curb. That is the method in the California, New York and Pennsylvania handbooks. This guide gives the steps, the reference points that make them repeatable, the official space sizes some states use on the road test, and how close to the curb you must finish.
Key facts
- Space size on the test: Pennsylvania uses a space 24 feet long and 8 feet wide between two uprights. Georgia uses 22 feet by 10 feet. In other states, ask the testing office.
- Curb distance: within 18 inches in California, Georgia, Texas and West Virginia; no more than 12 inches (1 foot) in Pennsylvania and New York.
- Attempts: Pennsylvania gives one attempt with no more than three adjustments. West Virginia allows up to three attempts.
- Self-parking features: must be switched off on the test in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and California. A backup camera is not a substitute for looking.
- Not every state tests it. See which states have parallel parking on the road test.
How to parallel park, step by step
These steps are for a space on your right, which is what nearly every road test uses. The wording follows the California handbook, with Pennsylvania and New York detail where they add something.
- Find the space and signal. California says to look for a space at least 3 feet longer than your car. Check your mirror and turn on your right signal early, so drivers behind know you are stopping.
- Pull up alongside the car in front of the space. Leave about 2 feet between the two cars, side to side. Stop when your rear bumper lines up with the front of the space (California) or when you are level with the car ahead (Pennsylvania). Keep the signal on.
- Check all around. Look in the mirror and over both shoulders for traffic, cyclists and pedestrians.
- Reverse and turn hard toward the curb. Back slowly, turning the wheel fully right. California describes aiming for about a 45 degree angle into the space. Look through the rear window, not only the mirrors.
- Straighten the wheels. Pennsylvania says to straighten as your front door passes the back bumper of the car ahead, then keep backing straight. New York uses the moment your front wheels are level with that bumper as the signal to start turning the other way.
- Turn the wheel away from the curb. Once your front end is clear of the car ahead, turn the wheel fully left and keep backing slowly to swing the front in. California says to start this when your rear wheel is within 18 inches of the curb.
- Stop before you touch the car or upright behind. Then straighten the wheels and pull forward to center yourself in the space.
- Check your curb distance. Fix it with a short forward and back move if you need to, but count your moves (see the test rules below).
- Secure the car. Shift to park, set the parking brake and cancel the signal. Before opening your door, check for bicycles and motorcycles.
Reference points that make it repeatable
Reference points are things you can see from the driver’s seat that tell you when to turn. Every car is slightly different, so set them in an empty lot with two cones or trash cans before you try a real street.
| Moment | Reference point | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Start | About 2 feet beside the car ahead, your rear bumper level with its rear bumper or the front of the space | Stop, reverse, check over your shoulder |
| First turn | As soon as you start rolling back | Steering fully toward the curb |
| Straighten | Your front door (Pennsylvania) or front wheels (New York) level with the other car’s back bumper | Wheels straight, keep backing |
| Second turn | Front end clear of the car ahead, rear wheel about 18 inches from the curb (California) | Steering fully away from the curb |
| Finish | Car parallel, close to the curb, not touching the car or upright behind | Stop, straighten, pull forward to center |
Practice plan
- Empty parking lot, two markers set 24 feet apart (the Pennsylvania test length). Walking pace only.
- Once you finish inside the markers three times in a row, shorten the gap to about 3 feet more than your car’s length.
- Quiet street with one parked car, then two.
- A one-way street, so you can practice a left-side park too. West Virginia tests left or right.
Log it as part of your supervised hours. The session-by-session plan for parents puts parking in the early lot sessions.
What size is the parallel parking space on the road test?
Only a few states publish it. Where they do, it is roomy compared with a crowded city street.
| State | Official space or limit | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 24 feet long, 8 feet wide, between two uprights | Whole car inside the space; no touching the uprights, crossing the painted line or mounting the curb; one attempt, up to three adjustments |
| Georgia | 22 feet by 10 feet | Finish within 18 inches of the curb |
| West Virginia | Check with the DMV | Up to three attempts; outside 18 inches from the curb line after three attempts is a fail; 4 points or less to pass |
| New York | Check with the DMV | Finish no more than one foot from the curb; points lost for too many moves |
| Texas | Check with DPS | Texas law requires parked wheels within 18 inches of the curb |
State guides with full scoring: Pennsylvania 24 by 8 foot test, New York parallel parking, Texas parallel parking, Georgia road test and West Virginia parallel parking and turnabouts.
Which states test parallel parking?
Official pages list it on the road test in states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware (on the DMV road test page; the July 2026 manual’s road test list leaves it out, so confirm with the DMV), Vermont, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Hawaii and DC. Florida does not include it, California does not score it as a separate maneuver, and Ohio uses a cone course instead. The full table is in US road test by state. Even if your state skips it, the handbook still covers it, so it can come up on the permit test.
Hitting the curb, and other ways to lose points
- Touching or climbing the curb. Pennsylvania fails you for going up onto or over the curb. West Virginia scores a tap and fails a jump.
- Hitting an upright, cone or car. A fail in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
- No signal or no shoulder check. New York and West Virginia both mark these.
- Relying on the camera. West Virginia scores relying solely on the camera. Use it as a glance, not your main view.
- Too many moves or too far from the curb. Both are listed errors in New York.
If you touch the curb during the test
Stop. Don’t keep pushing against it. Pull forward a little, straighten and reverse again if you still have adjustments left. A light touch costs points in some states, but climbing the curb or hitting a marker usually ends the maneuver.
Pulling out of a parallel space
- Wheels straight, back up close to the car behind without touching it.
- Signal left.
- Check the mirrors and look over your left shoulder for traffic and cyclists.
- Move forward slowly, turning away from the curb, and clear the car in front.
- Check over your shoulder again before you join the lane.
New York lists “fails to check blind spot” when leaving the curb as a road test error, so make that head turn obvious.
Common questions
Can I use my backup camera when parallel parking on the test?
Usually as an aid, not instead of looking. California bans automated parallel parking and other driver assistance features on the drive test. Pennsylvania and West Virginia require self-parking to be off. See backup cameras and parking assist on the road test.
How far from the curb is acceptable?
California, Georgia, Texas and West Virginia use 18 inches. Pennsylvania and New York want no more than 12 inches. Aim for 6 to 12 inches and you meet every one of them.
How many tries do I get?
It depends on the state. Pennsylvania allows one attempt with up to three adjustments. West Virginia allows up to three attempts. Other states score each extra move.
Is parallel parking on the permit test?
Questions about curb distance, hill parking and where you may not park are common. Learn the no-parking distances in US parking rules for new drivers.
Does it matter which car I use?
A smaller car is easier, but use the car you have practiced in. Check the rules in which car you can use for the road test.
What else should I practice for reversing?
Straight-line backing and turnabouts. See backing up on the road test and three-point turns and turnabouts.
Sources
- California DMV, “California Driver’s Handbook, Section 6: Navigating the Roads” and “Section 3: The Testing Process” (dmv.ca.gov)
- Pennsylvania DMV, “Pennsylvania Driver’s Manual: Testing” and “Everyday Driving Skills: Parking” (pa.gov)
- New York DMV, “New York State Driver’s Manual, Chapter 7: Parallel Parking” (dmv.ny.gov)
- Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Drivers Manual, Section 3” (dds.georgia.gov)
- West Virginia DMV, “Drivers Licensing Handbook” and road skills score forms (transportation.wv.gov)
- Texas Legislature, “Transportation Code section 545.303” (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, road test page and “Delaware Driver Manual (July 2026)” (dmv.de.gov)