Sign background colors — Tennessee Permit Test

Orange is the background color for construction and maintenance signs, and it is used for nothing else.

Orange tells you workers or machines may be close to your lane. Spotting it early gives you time to slow before you reach them.

ORANGE is used as a background color for construction and maintenance signs and shall not be used for any other purpose.

Yellow is the background color for warning signs, except where orange is used, and for school signs.

A yellow sign means something ahead could catch you out, like a sharp curve. If you treat it as decoration, you reach the curve too fast.

YELLOW is used as a background color for warning signs, except where orange is specified, and for school signs.

Brown is the background color for guide signs to places of recreational or cultural interest.

Knowing brown means a park or historic site lets you skip it fast when you are looking for a gas station or an exit.

BROWN is used as a background color for guide information signs related to points of recreational cultural interest.

Green is the background color for guide signs and mileposts.

Green signs tell you where you are and which way to go. Missing one on a highway can mean missing your exit.

GREEN is used as a background color for guide signs (other than those using brown or white), mileposts and as a legend color with a white background for permissive parking regulations.

Blue is the background color for signs about motorist services, such as police services and rest areas.

When you are tired or low on gas, the blue signs are the ones to watch for. They point you to help and a place to stop.

BLUE is used as a background color for information signs related to motorist services (including police services and rest areas) and the Emergency Route Marker.

Red is used as a background only for stop signs, all-way plates, do-not-enter messages, wrong way signs and on interstate route markers.

Red background means stop or do not go in. Mixing it up with a warning sign could send you the wrong way into oncoming cars.

RED is used only as a background color for STOP signs, multiple supplemental plates (FOUR-WAY or ALL WAY), DO-NOT-ENTER messages, WRONG WAY signs and on Interstate route markers.

Black and white is used for regulatory signs, which tell road users about traffic laws.

A black-and-white sign is the law, not a tip. Treating a posted limit as a suggestion gets you a ticket.

BLACK-WHITE is used for regulatory signs.

What kind of sign uses an orange background?

Construction and maintenance signs. Orange tells you workers or machines may be close to your lane. Spotting it early gives you time to slow before you reach them. Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, p.35: “ORANGE is used as a background color for construction and maintenance signs and shall not be used for any other purpose.”