Is my road classified? How to check, and why it matters for a dropped kerb

Last reviewed: 6 October 2026

What is a classified road?

The Department for Transport's guidance on road classification describes four classes of local road:

• A roads: major roads providing large-scale transport links within or between areas.
• B roads: roads connecting different areas and feeding traffic between A roads and smaller roads.
• Classified unnumbered roads: smaller roads linking unclassified roads with A and B roads, often linking a housing estate or village to the rest of the network. The guidance says these are "sometimes known unofficially as C roads".
• Unclassified roads: local roads for local traffic. The guidance says the vast majority (60%) of roads in the UK fall into this category.

Since April 2012, local highway authorities have decided classification for their own roads without needing the Department's approval. They record classification in the National Street Gazetteer. C roads have no national numbering: some councils give them local numbers (Darlington's list includes roads such as "Burtree Lane (C40a)"), but the guidance advises that local numbers shouldn't be shown on signs. Motorways and the main trunk A roads in England (the strategic road network) are run by National Highways, which is the highway authority for them.

Why it matters for a dropped kerb

Permitted development for a new access to a road, Part 2 Class B of the GPDO 2015 in England, only covers "a highway which is not a trunk road or a classified road". Wales has the same wording in its GPDO 1995. So on a classified road, the access needs planning permission. You still need the highway authority's consent for the dropped kerb itself, whichever kind of road you're on.

Of the councils we've checked, 63 mention classified roads in their dropped kerb rules, usually to say you need planning permission first. Some councils also have stricter siting rules on classified roads. For example, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire ask for more distance from junctions on classified roads (15 m rather than 10 m). Northern Ireland works differently but reaches a similar result: DfI Roads says A, B and C roads need planning permission. In Scotland, ask your council: Aberdeenshire, for example, tells residents to ask the local roads office whether the road is classified.

How to check if your road is classified

1. Your council's list or map. Some councils publish a list of classified roads (see below). Search your council's website for "classified roads" alongside "dropped kerb" or "vehicle crossing".
2. FindMyStreet. FindMyStreet shows every street in England and Wales held in the National Street Gazetteer. Carmarthenshire County Council tells residents to use it to find out whether their road is an "A, B or C classified road".
3. Road signs and maps. If your road has an A or B number, it's classified. A road without a number can still be a classified unnumbered (C) road, so don't rely on signs alone.
4. Ask the highways team. North Tyneside, for example, says its highways team can advise whether a road is classified.

Watch out for service roads and slip roads. Brent says that if the road outside your property is part of the same named road and doesn't have a separate official street name, it's treated as part of the classified road.

Councils that publish lists of classified roads

• Bedford Borough Council: a classified roads page listing roads by area, which says you need planning permission for a dropped kerb on any of them.
• Brent Council: a classified roads section on its vehicle crossings page, covering A and B roads, major roads such as the North Circular (A406) and other roads it has identified.
• Darlington Borough Council: a list of classified roads with road numbers, on its vehicle accesses page.
• North Tyneside Council: a downloadable "List of Classified Roads in North Tyneside" on its dropped kerbs planning page.
• Stockport Council: a "list of classified roads in Stockport" (PDF) linked from its dropped kerbs page.
• Carmarthenshire County Council: points residents to FindMyStreet from its vehicle access page.

Other councils may publish similar lists. Check your council's page.

If your road is classified

1. Apply for planning permission for the access first (a householder application for a house). Councils such as Cardiff and Gateshead ask for a copy or evidence of planning permission with the dropped kerb application.
2. Then apply to the highway authority for the dropped kerb. See how to apply and planning permission for a dropped kerb.
3. Expect closer checks on visibility and distance from junctions, which some councils set higher for classified roads.