Road adoption overview

What is an adopted road?

An adopted road is a road or highway we have taken legal responsibility for maintaining.

What is an unadopted road?

An unadopted road is a private street which is not maintained at public expense. We are under no obligation to clean or carry out repairs to a private street, even if it is a public right of way.

How do I know if a road is adopted?

You can find adopted roads by:

• searching the online list of streets
  
  
• viewing our road status map
  
  
• viewing our list of adopted streets document
  
  
• emailing us for further enquiries

How does a road become adopted?

We usually adopt new roads constructed following our standards, by way of an agreement with developer/client under Section 38 of The Highways Act 1980.

Until we formally adopt the roads, the developer will be liable for any issues that occur on them. This includes issues relating to winter maintenance.

We will not usually adopt existing private roads unless the owners of the road bring them up to current highway adoptable standards.

How do I report a fault on an adopted road?

You can report a road fault through our 'Report It' system.