Road signs/No Left Turn Sign

No Left Turn Sign: what it means and what to do

A no left turn sign means left turns are prohibited at this intersection. Go straight or turn elsewhere.

Regulatory · MUTCD R3-2 · Checked October 8, 2026

What it looks like

A white square with a black left-turn arrow inside a red circle and slash.

Do not turn left at the intersection the sign is posted for.
Choose another route, such as turning right and then looping back, or using the next intersection that allows a left.
The prohibition applies at the intersection where the sign is posted, so you may turn left at the next one that allows it.

Two questions to test what you just read.

Quick check 11 of 2

What does the no left turn sign mean?

Tests ask the meaning of the circle and slash with a left arrow.

2 questions across our state banks show this sign. Here is how many each bank has, and what each state's own test rules say about road signs.

State	Questions showing it	What the state says about signs
Arizona	1	No separate sign section published.
Virginia	1	Part one is 10 traffic-sign questions and you must answer all 10 correctly before part two opens.

Sign	How to recognise it	What it means
No Left Turn Sign	White square sign with a left-turn arrow inside a red circle with a slash	A no left turn sign means left turns are prohibited at this intersection.
No Right Turn Sign	White square sign with a right-turn arrow inside a red circle with a slash	A no right turn sign means right turns are prohibited at this intersection.
No U-Turn Sign	White square sign with a U-turn arrow inside a red circle with a slash	A no U-turn sign means you may not make a complete turn to go back the way you came.
No Turn on Red Sign	White rectangular sign reading NO TURN ON RED	A no turn on red sign means you may not turn during the red light, in any direction the sign covers.

What does the no left turn sign mean?

You may not turn left at that intersection. The red circle and slash over a left arrow is the prohibition symbol.