All-way stop sign: what it means

All-way stop sign: a STOP sign with a red ALL WAY plaque in white letters mounted below it
Drawing: DriveQuiz, based on MUTCD sign R1-3P. Simplified; real signs follow the FHWA Standard Highway Signs specifications.

The ALL WAY plaque under a STOP sign means every approach to the intersection has a STOP sign, so all traffic must stop. It is a red plaque with white letters.

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What it means

MUTCD Section 2B.04: at intersections where all approaches are controlled by STOP signs, an ALL-WAY plaque is mounted below each STOP sign, with a white legend and border on a red background. Plaques such as 2-WAY, 3-WAY or 4-WAY are not used with STOP signs.

Who goes first is set by state traffic law, not by the sign manual. Check your state’s driver handbook for the right-of-way rules at all-way stops, and be ready to wait even when you think it is your turn.

Where you see it

At intersections chosen for all-way stop control, normally after an engineering study (MUTCD Section 2B.12).

A common mistake

Assuming cross traffic also stops when there is no ALL WAY plaque. Without the plaque, other approaches may not have to stop at all. Some intersections even add a plaque saying cross traffic does not stop (Section 2C.66).

Quick quiz

What does a red ALL WAY plaque under a STOP sign tell you?

  1. Only you must stop
  2. Traffic from every direction must stop
  3. Stop only during school hours
Show answer

B. Traffic from every direction must stop. Section 2B.04: the plaque is used where all approaches are controlled by STOP signs. Source: MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Sections 2B.04, 2B.12, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.66, FHWA; MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA

Compare with

Next in regulatory signs: Do not enter sign. See all regulatory signs or the full road signs list.

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Sources

  1. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2B, Regulatory Signs, Barricades, and Gates: Sections 2B.04, 2B.12, FHWA
  2. MUTCD 11th Edition, Chapter 2C, Warning Signs and Object Markers: Section 2C.66, FHWA
  3. MUTCD 11th Edition, FHWA. FHWA lists the current version as the 11th Edition with Revision 1, dated December 2025

Sign pictures are our own simplified drawings of the MUTCD designs, which are in the public domain (MUTCD Section 1D.06). Sources and image credits.