Speed limits in Ontario

A speed limit is the maximum speed the law allows in ideal conditions — a clear, dry road in good light. It is not a target, and it is not a promise that the speed is always safe. Your job is to drive at a speed that is safe for the conditions right now, which is often slower than the number on the sign.

When no sign is posted

Most roads have a posted limit, but not all of them. When there is no sign, the limit depends on where you are. Inside a built-up area — a city, town, or village — the default is 50 km/h. Once you leave the built-up area and are out on a rural road or highway with no posting, the default rises to 80 km/h. Ontario's 400-series highways are usually posted at 100 km/h, and a few stretches are posted higher.

• 50 km/h
  Default in cities, towns and villages when nothing is posted.
• 80 km/h
  Default outside built-up areas when nothing is posted.
• 100 km/h
  Typical maximum on 400-series highways (some sections higher, where posted).
• A posted sign always wins
  Wherever a sign is posted, follow it — it overrides the default.

Slower is often the rule, not the exception

Rain, snow, fog, heavy traffic, a school zone, or a construction zone all mean you should be below the posted limit. In a community safety zone, fines for speeding are increased. Driving far over the limit — 40 km/h over where the limit is under 80, or 50 km/h over where it is 80 or more — is treated as stunt driving and brings an immediate roadside licence suspension and vehicle impoundment.