Good Parking Spaces

Do "Stop" signs in the middle of parking lots have any valid legal weight?

Here in San Diego, a lot of malls and supermarkets have Stop signs in their parking lots to help control traffic. They're the same regular red hexagons as official ones out on street corners. So, if a cop observed me not stopping completely, could I actually be ticketed?

Public Comments

1. Usually no, because they are considered private property even though they are public, they are privately owned.
2. i think so, it's still a traffic control device
3. yep depending on the cops mood.
4. If you go really slow through them the cop will write the ticket really slowly too.
5. Hey, my brother is a Cop in San Diego, I'll ask him and I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks
6. if you have an accident at the sign the insurance company will care
7. yeah I think they weigh about 100 pounds, the best time to steal one is about 4AM, just before the sun comes up. Make sure you cover them so that people can't see when you are driving along, they make great Christmas presents... :P
8. snowball is correct. it is private property.
9. Yes... Although... It's one of those...They don't patrol those kind as often as the streets...but...they DO occasionally ticket for not stopping at those...it's rare...and it's embarassing...but it happens...I've gotten one before many years ago...almost like getting one for "jaywalking..." (And one time...on the UCSB college campus...I got a ticket on my skateboard for riding on the sidewalk...where the hell else was I supposed to ride?!? Skateboards don't work well on grass or in the middle of traffic...WTF?!?)
10. My sister was a cop in Illinois and told me that traffic signs which are on PRIVATE PROPERTY do not carry the weight of signs on the public roads. So if you go through a stop sign in a parking lot, no cop should be giving you a ticket..... now... as for giving you a "dirty look"... that's a different question! The only "traffic offenses" in a private parking lot would include things like, "failing to yeild," "improper backing," parking in the handicapped parking spaces, parking in a marked fire zone... and so on. That reminds me... regarding handicapped parking... My usual saying about this is that EVERYONE who parks in the handicapped space IS TRULY HANDICAPPED... either physically or MENTALLY!!! Everyone is entitled to my opinion.