Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-301 (2026)

Through ways. Stop signs

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) The Office of the State Traffic Administration may designate any state highway or part thereof or any bridge upon any such highway as a through way, and may, after notice, revoke any such designation. The traffic authority of any town, city or borough may designate any highway or part thereof under the control of such town, city or borough as a through way, and may, after notice, revoke any such designation.

(b) No designation of a through way shall become effective as to regulation of traffic at any intersection thereon until the Office of the State Traffic Administration or such other traffic authority has caused signs to be erected at such intersections. Each such sign shall bear the word “stop”, which shall be self-illuminated at night or so placed as to be illuminated by street lights or by headlights of approaching motor vehicles, and each such sign shall be located as near as practicable to the traveled portion of the highway at the entrance to which the stop is to be made, or at the nearest line of the crosswalk thereat, and shall be clearly visible for a distance of one hundred feet along the street intersecting the through way.

(c) The driver of a vehicle shall stop in obedience to a stop sign at such clearly marked stop line or lines as may be established by the traffic authority having jurisdiction or, in the absence of such line or lines, shall stop in obedience to a stop sign at the entrance to a through highway and shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles not so obliged to stop which are within the intersection or approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard.

(d) Nothing herein contained shall prevent said office or such traffic authority from erecting such stop signs on all corners of any intersection within its jurisdiction, and thereafter the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, relating to the stopping of motor vehicles and the right-of-way within such intersection, shall apply to the operation of motor vehicles on each of the intersecting streets.

(e) The driver of a vehicle shall stop in obedience to a stop sign at a railroad crossing erected and maintained on the highway by requirement of the Commissioner of Transportation or the Office of the State Traffic Administration.

(1949 Rev., S. 2520; 1949, S. 1405d; 1955, S. 1404d; 1959, P.A. 163; 1963, P.A. 29; 1971, P.A. 144; P.A. 75-486, S. 44, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 571, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 12-132, S. 32.)

History: 1959 act amended Subsec. (c) by adding requirement of stopping at stop lines; 1963 act added Subsec. (e); 1971 act deleted clause in Subsec. (c) allowing drivers having once yielded right-of-way to proceed and requiring others approaching to yield to them; P.A. 75-486 replaced public utilities commission with public utilities control authority in Subsec. (e); P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced public utilities control authority with commissioner of transportation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 12-132 replaced references to State Traffic Commission with references to Office of the State Traffic Administration, effective July 1, 2012.

See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.

See Sec. 14-249 re stopping at grade crossings.

Purpose of former statute accomplished by a stop at a stop sign. 116 C. 599; 117 C. 551. Stopping at stop sign not sufficient, as sign may be considerable distance from traveled portion of through street; where no reasonably observable property line, statute inoperative to impose obligation to stop; statute places no duty upon traffic authority to erect sign of any particular type or legible for any particular distance, but, if there is sign legible for 100 feet, duties upon driver of car arise. 127 C. 234. Operator of vehicle approaching from right who complies with stop regulation has superior right-of-way if vehicles arrive at intersection at approximately same time. 130 C. 400. Cited. 131 C. 79. Whether placing of stop sign complies with statute is question of fact for jury. Id., 165. Right-of-way of driver entering through street. 133 C. 455. Where visibility is obscured at required stopping point, statute imposes no duty to make second stop. Id., 724. Failure of defendant to stop at a stop line was negligence. 139 C. 223. Error where court charged, in effect, that car disregarding stop sign at intersection might have right-of-way over car making left turn. 151 C. 199. Charge, “once operator from right has complied with stop sign regulation, he has superior right-of-way if vehicles arrived at intersection at approximately same time”, was erroneous. Id., 221. The word “entrance” does not require a special definition when a jury is charged. 160 C. 480. Cited. 163 C. 279.

Cited. 29 CA 791.

Cited. 24 CS 375; 26 CS 184.

Subsec. (c):

Subsec. explained. 165 C. 635. Cited. 170 C. 583.

Cited. 16 CA 272.

The judge's charge as to statute if read in its entirety was accurate in law, adapted to the issues and sufficient as a guide to the jury. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 164.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 30 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 1963–2026 · leading case: Rubel v. Wainwright, 862 A.2d 863 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005).
Rubel v. Wainwright, 862 A.2d 863 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 6× “” 6 General Statutes § 14-301 (c) provides: “The driver of a vehicle shall stop in obedience to a stop sign at such clearly marked stop line or lines as may be established by the traffic authority having jurisdiction or, in the absence of such line or lines, shall stop in…”
Pickering v. Theresa Rankin-carle, 926 A.2d 1065 (Conn. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 6× “2 At trial, following the conclusion of the evidence, the court charged the jury on the applicable law, which included an explanation of the common law with *14 respect to negligence and rules that govern drivers followed by a recitation of the stop sign statute, General…”
Ventura v. Town of E. Haven, 154 A.3d 1020 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017). · cites it 2× “See General Statutes § 14-301. See General Statutes § 14-302.”
Dumas v. Mena, 842 A.2d 618 (Conn. App. Ct. 2004). · cites it 4× “The defendant Albert DiStefano, a Hartford police officer, investigated *63 the accident and issued a ticket to Dumas for violating General Statutes § 14-301 (c). 2 Dumas subsequently commenced a three count action against Mena, the city of Hartford and DiStefano.”
Ipacs v. Cranford, 783 A.2d 1044 (Conn. App. Ct. 2001). · cites it 6× “f General Statutes § 14-286c; failure to make her turn as close as practicable to the curb or edge of the highway on the far side of the intersection in violation of General Statutes § 14-244; failure to operate her bicycle *448 as near to the right side of the roadway as…”
State v. Escobales, 547 A.2d 553 (Conn. App. Ct. 1988). · cites it 2× “The defendant was thereafter patted down and arrested for possession of a narcotics substance with intent to sell; two counts of stop sign violations in violation of General Statutes § 14-301 (c); operating with a defective tail light in violation of General Statutes § 14-96…”
Salvatore v. Milicki, 303 A.2d 734 (Conn. 1972). · cites it 2× “The defendants claim that the plaintiff was negligent as a matter of law in failing to keep a proper lookout and in proceeding through the intersection when Sudol was so close to the intersection “as to constitute an immediate hazard” in violation of General Statutes § 14-301…”
Clark v. Comm'r of Motor Vehichles, 193 A.3d 79 (Conn. App. Ct. 2018). · cites it 2× “The plaintiff was then charged with violations of General Statutes § 14-301 (failure to obey a stop sign); [General Statutes] § 14-224b (evading responsibility); [General Statutes] § 14-12 (operating an unregistered vehicle); and [General Statutes] § 14-227a (operating under the…”
Velardi v. Selwitz, 345 A.2d 527 (Conn. 1974). “When the court first charged on §14-301 (e) 3 relating to stop signs, it correctly instructed the jury.”
Arroyo v. Walsh, 317 F. Supp. 869 (D. Conn. 1970). “§ 14-301; driving without a license, Conn.”
Dorfman v. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 227 Conn. App. 347 (Conn. App. Ct. 2024). · cites it 2× “violated [General Statutes] § 14-301 by failing to stop his vehicle at the intersection; ‘‘2.”
State v. Czyzewski, 797 A.2d 643 (Conn. App. Ct. 2002). · cites it 2× “The defendant, Andrzej Czyzewski, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after his conditional plea of nolo contendere, of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor in violation of General Statutes § 14-227a, failure to obey a stop…”
— Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-301(c) — 1 case
Ryder v. Pucillo, 518 F. Supp. 2d 391 (D. Conn. 2007).
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