Functional Classification

Planning resources

Functional classification

Connecting highways

National Highway System

Functional classification groups highways and streets according to the character of service they are intended to provide, ranging from a high degree of travel mobility to land access functions.

Available on the WisDOT FTP server are PDFs of approved functional classification maps for rural, urban, and urbanized areas, as well as other incorporated cities and villages meeting standards for small community criteria. Rural county and small community maps are available as well as larger urban community maps.

WisDOT uses functional classification:

For general transportation planning
When referencing highway and street construction standards
To determine eligibility for the rural or urban surface transportation program

Routes are classified using the Functional Classification Criteria (687 KB) (based on the former Wisconsin Administrative Code Trans 76), developed by WisDOT in April 2003.

Functional classification must be updated every 10 years to coincide with the U.S. Census analysis of urban and urbanized areas but can be updated at any time. WisDOT works in cooperation with appropriate local or MPO officials in development of a functional classification system. After WisDOT and local officials agree, FHWA approves the functional classification system.

Requests to amend the functional classification of highways and streets often occur when new routes are planned or when existing routes indicate changes in travel patterns.

Related information

Transportation and land use