Highway boundaries

The highway boundary is the line of the boundary that divides public highway from private land. There is often a highway boundary feature sitting upon this line, such as a hedge or a fence. However some highway boundaries have no physical feature on them.

What is a public highway

Public highway is a route over which the public have the right to freely pass and repass. This right is known as a public highway right and applies to all types of public highway.

The public highway can include the carriageway (the surface of the road) and adjoining footways and verges. Other pieces of land lying next to a road can also form part of the public highway. There is no standard width for any part that makes up the public highway.

The difference between a carriageway and highway

A highway route is made up of one or more surfaces. Public highway often consists of a metalled (or surfaced) carriageway or road - mainly for the use of vehicles. There are often footways and/or grass verges on each side of the carriageway - mainly for the public on foot.

The carriageway is a single element within the wider 'highway corridor'. The highway corridor is the space in between the highway boundaries on either side of the highway.

Cross-section example of an average road

The diagram shows a road with a footway on either side. On the outside edge of one footway is a hedge and on the outside edge of the other footway is a drainage ditch. These are known as boundary features. Highway rights exist between those two boundary features, covering the road, footways and any verges, roadsigns or lamp posts. Most drainage ditches are privately owned and are not part of the public highway. In common law, the adjacent landowner to a road owns the land that their property stands on and also the subsoil from the highway boundary to the centre of the road.

The different types of public highway

There are five types of public highway:

• Full public rights
• Foothpaths
• Bridleways
• Restricted byways
• Byways open to all traffic (BOAT)

Some of these have legal restrictions regarding the public rights of way over them.

Private roads are not considered public highway. They will only become public highway if they are 'adopted' by Norfolk County Council. 

Full public rights

The most common form of public highway is one over which the public have 'full' public rights. Most surfaced roads in Norfolk belong to this category.  

These routes are only for: 

• Any kind of motorised transport (cars, motorbikes, lorries etc)  
• Any type of pedal cycle (bicycle etc) 
• Any type of powered wheelchair or mobility scooter 
• Walking 
• Horse riding/traffic 

Footpaths 

These routes are only for:  

• Walking 
• Any type of powered wheelchair or mobility scooter

Bridleways 

These routes are only for:  

• Walking 
• Horse riding/traffic 
• Any type of pedal cycle 
• Any type of powered wheelchair or mobility scooter 

Restricted byways 

These routes are only for: 

• Any type of transport without a motor 
• Walking 
• Horse riding/traffic 
• Any type of powered wheelchair or mobility scooter 

Byways open to all traffic (BOAT) 

These routes are only for: 

• Any kind of motorised transport (cars, motorbikes, lorries etc)  
• Any type of pedal cycle (bicycle etc) 
• Any type of powered wheelchair or mobility scooter 
• Walking 
• Horse riding/traffic