Is it against the law to run a stop sign in a parking lot in NC? It’s complicated

Evan Moore
·2 min read
6

The direction on a stop sign is pretty clear.

North Carolina law requires drivers to stop at stop signs. If you don’t, you could get a ticket — and endanger other drivers on the road.

However, in parking lots, the law is a lot less straightforward.

Is it illegal to run a stop sign in a parking lot? To find out, we need to answer a few questions first.

Do NC motor vehicle laws apply in parking lots?

North Carolina law defines the parking lots of “any service station, drive-in theater, supermarket, store, restaurant or office building” as “public vehicular areas,” meaning the state’s motor vehicle laws are in effect there, according to Swanson Klein Law, a firm based in Durham.

Are all parking lots public vehicular areas?

Not necessarily.

State law says “any area of private property used for vehicular traffic may be designated by the property owner as a public vehicular area by registering the area with the Department of Transportation and by erecting signs identifying the area as a public vehicular area in conformity with rules adopted by the Department of Transportation.”

That means you can be charged for running a stop sign in a parking lot if it is registered as a public vehicular area, Asheville Police Department spokesperson Christina Hallingse told the Citizen Times.

So does NC law say drivers are required to stop in parking lots?

The state law that requires drivers to stop at stop signs does not mention public vehicular areas (parking lots), Swanson Klein Law says.

However, the law does say drivers are required to stop at places other than intersections, where there is a stop sign or “appropriately marked stop line.”

So, should you always stop at a stop sign in a parking lot?

In short: yes.

Though it’s unlikely you’ll get a ticket, according to Swanson Klein Law, it’s best to stop whenever you see a stop sign in a parking lot.

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