The NJ Stop & Yield Statute
N.J.S.A. 39:4-144, explained.
Every stop-sign and yield-sign ticket in New Jersey is written under this statute — and it is more precise than "you didn't stop." The five-foot rule, the immediate-hazard element, and the right-turn pedestrian duty, in plain English. Figures verified July 2026.
What the Statute Says
Three duties at signed intersections
Stop signs
A complete stop within five feet of the nearest crosswalk or marked stop line — then proceed only after yielding to cross traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard.
Yield signs
Slow to a speed reasonable for the conditions and visibility, stop if necessary, and yield to any traffic constituting an immediate hazard.
Right turns
At either sign, no right turn without stopping — and remaining stopped — for pedestrians in the marked or unmarked crosswalk you're turning into.
Each duty gives the defense something concrete: where the stop happened relative to the line, whether cross traffic was genuinely an immediate hazard, what the officer could see from where he sat. The deeper treatment — obstructed signs, vantage-point disputes, and how these cases actually get contested — is on our failure-to-stop defense page. And when a signal at an intersection goes dark, 39:4-81 converts it into exactly this kind of stop intersection.
Points & Money
What a conviction carries
| Consequence | Amount |
|---|---|
| MVC points | 2 |
| Payable fine (includes court costs) | $86 |
| Payable fine in a Safe Corridor, construction zone or 65-mph area | $141 |
Statewide Violations Bureau payable amounts, verified July 2026; base statutory fine $50–$200 (N.J.S.A. 39:4-203).
Keep the systems separate: the fine is $86 and done. The points live for years — stacking toward the MVC's 6-point surcharge ($150 a year for three years, plus $25 per point over six) and the 12-point suspension — and your insurer reads the conviction at renewal regardless. Many point tickets resolve as negotiated amendments to lesser or no-point violations such as unsafe driving under 39:4-97.2 — never guaranteed, and nobody is obligated to offer it. Full schedule on our NJ points list.
Common Questions
39:4-144 questions we hear
How many points is a stop sign ticket in NJ?
Two points, with an $86 payable fine ($141 in a Safe Corridor, construction zone or 65-mph area). Yield-sign violations are charged under the same statute at the same 2 points. As always, the fine is the small part — points stack toward the 6-point MVC surcharge and 12-point suspension, and insurers read the conviction for years.
What legally counts as a complete stop?
The statute requires the vehicle brought to a complete stop within five feet of the nearest crosswalk or stop line, and then requires yielding to traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard before proceeding. The rolling stop — slow, look, roll — is the classic violation. But where the stop happened, and whether the officer could actually see the wheels from his vantage point, are the classic defenses.
Is a yield sign ticket the same charge?
Same statute, different duty. A yield sign requires slowing to a speed reasonable for the conditions and visibility — stopping if necessary — and yielding to any traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard. Whether the traffic you are accused of cutting off was genuinely an "immediate hazard" is an element, not a formality.
What is the right-turn rule at stop signs?
Subsection (c) is newer than the rule most drivers learned: turning right at a stop or yield sign requires stopping and remaining stopped for any pedestrian crossing in a marked crosswalk — or an unmarked one — that you are turning into. Tickets from that rule are often disputes about where the pedestrian actually was, which is a factual defense worth developing rather than paying away.
Related violations & resources
Failure-to-stop defense
How stop-sign and signal cases get fought, and what we charge.
The practice pageTraffic signals (39:4-81)
The signal statute — including the dark-signal rule that borrows from this one.
Signal statuteImproper turns (39:4-123)
The 3-point turn-position family, often charged at the same intersections.
Turning violationsNJ points list
Every point-carrying violation, by statute.
Look up a violationYour first court date
What actually happens if you fight the ticket.
Court-date guideNJ municipal courts
Where your ticket gets heard, and how a session runs.
Court guideTicketed under 39:4-144?
Tell us where the officer was and how the stop happened. You'll hear the realistic outcomes and our flat fee before you decide whether fighting it makes sense.
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