Road adoption

Until a road has been adopted by us the required maintenance and safety issues are the responsibility of the developer and/or owner.

You can check if a road is adopted or unadopted on the FindMyStreet website.

Our development implementation team is responsible for overseeing road adoption processes. These are known as Section 38 and Section 278 agreements (under the Highways Act 1980).

Agreements under Section 38 concern the adoption of new roads.

Agreements under Section 278 provide for developers to alter the existing highway network.

How to apply for a road to be adopted

We have a guide for developers which explains our road adoption processes including costs and timescales:

If you have any questions about applying for either the adoption of a new highway or the modification of an existing highway you can contact the development implementation team.

What happens next

We check that submitted details are in accordance with both the approved highway layout from the planning application and technical specifications in relation to the construction of the roads.

During the construction phase we inspect site operations, liaising with the developers, consultants and contractors.

Roads offered for adoption remain private until we issue a final certificate of adoption and the agreement is completed.

Once the road has been adopted we are responsible for its maintenance.