Restrictions

Restrictions are tags and relations that can be applied to many elements to indicate prohibitions of usage by mode of transport, time of day, physical dimensions, direction of travel, and other properties.

access=* specifies restrictions on the use of highways and other transportation routes (railways, waterways), as well as facilities such as buildings, building entrances, amenities and leisure entities.

Relation:restriction specifies legally permitted ways to turn from one highway to another in a specified junction.

Implied restrictions

In many cases, access restrictions are determined by the very type of the map feature. For example, highway=motorway implies that the way may only be used by motor vehicles, and not by pedestrians and cyclists. Likewise, highway=footway implies that the way is designated for pedestrians, and motor vehicles are not allowed except in emergency cases; however, it does not imply anything about bicycle or horse access in the absence of specific access tags for those modes of transport, or country-specific rules.

Implied restrictions for a particular map feature should be documented in the implied= field of template:ValueDescription, as encoded in its corresponding data item.

Tools such as routers and renderers need to have some fallback values (defaults) for cases where access data is not explicitly tagged. Some possible global and country-specific values are mentioned on OSM tags for routing/Access restrictions, but it is unknown whatever any data consumer is using data specified there. Data users can have valid reasons to use other fallback values than those, and are known to do so.

Note that explicit tagging of access may be still useful, despite any implied defaults. For example, bare highway=path may mean either "surveyed and all defaults apply" or "mapped from LIDAR, not surveyed, may be private". In contrast, highway=path + foot=yes + bicycle=yes affirms that the path has been surveyed and found to be useful by pedestrians and cyclists. The (volatile) default values are not a reason to omit explicit tagging, and are also not a reason to remove existing tagging.

Highway type restrictions

Various mandatory signs^[1] also invoke (often country-specific) access (and possibly other) traffic rules and restrictions.

For example, the following traffic signs are correlated to values for road types^[2] also tagged in highway=* and commonly imply :

motorways (highway=motorway, highway=motorway_link, motorway=yes, zone:traffic=*:motorway)
roads for motor vehicles (motorroad=yes)
residential areas (highway=living_street, living_street=yes)
cycle tracks (highway=cycleway).^{[note 1]}
footpaths (highway=footway, highway=pedestrian).^{[note 2]}
tracks for riders on horseback (highway=bridleway).^{[note 3]}

Notes

↑ Note that if the track is a sidepath, use of it is compulsory so if the track to a main highway is mapped separately, tag the latter with bicycle=use_sidepath (preferably add a direction if the track is oneway only)
↑ Note that if the footway is a sidewalk, use of it is compulsory so if the footway to a main highway is mapped separately, tag the latter with foot=use_sidepath
↑ Note that if the bridleway is a sidepath, use of it is compulsory so if the bridleway to a main highway is mapped separately, tag the latter with horse=use_sidepath

Properties for highways

Other types of traffic signs may not directly invoke access-restrictions but my invoke other traffic rules:

priority roads (priority_road=*)
built-up areas (urban=yes, zone:traffic=*:urban)

One-way restrictions

Main article: Key:oneway

Ways may have different access restrictions for each direction. The most simple case is a way designated as a oneway road:

oneway=yes - Driving is only allowed in the direction of the way.
oneway=-1 - Driving is only allowed against the direction of the way. If possible reverse the direction of the way and tag with oneway=yes.
oneway=no - Not normally used, as two-way traffic is the default. Use only where another tag (such as highway=motorway) implies oneway=yes.

Exceptions and related special cases

To specify exceptions, add the corresponding transport mode as a suffx to oneway (e.g. oneway:bicycle=no when cyclists can cycle in the opposite direction).

The oneway tag can be translated (for routing purposes) to this generic system as follows (oneway=* restrictions presumably do not apply to pedestrians; see oneway:foot=* for them):

oneway=yes to vehicle:backward=no
oneway=-1 to vehicle:forward=no

Lane-dependent restrictions

Main article: Lanes

Access restrictions may differ between lanes.

hgv:lanes=no|yes|yes - Heavy good vehicles are not allowed on the leftmost lane of a road with three lanes.
bus:lanes:forward=no|yes|designated - Buses are not allowed on the leftmost lane of a road with three lanes in forward direction. The rightmost lane is a designated bus lane.

Turn restrictions

Main article: Turn restriction

Size and statutory restrictions

A number of statutory restrictions based on height, width, weight, etc. can also be defined. They are assumed to be expressed appropriate SI unit and should be specified without any suffix: metres for length, metric tonnes for weights and hours for time. Decimal numbers should include a decimal point. As exceptions, speeds can be expressed in mph where it is the legally used unit, and times which can include a suffix of 'days' if appropriate.

maxaxleload=* – legal maximum axle load in metric tonnes.
maxheight=* – legal maximum height in metres
maxheight:physical=* – maximum height in metres
maxlength=* – legal maximum length in metres
maxspeed=* – maximum legal speed limit on a road, railway or waterway (km/h by default, mph where specified)
maxstay=* – maximum time allowed to stay at a location (e.g., maximum parking time)
maxweight=* – permissible maximum actual weight
maxweightrating=* – legal access restriction for vehicles with a max allowed weight above the specified weight in metric tonnes.
maxwidth=* – maximum width of a vehicle (also note width=* for the physical width of the entire road.)
mindistance=* – minimum trailing distance, often as mindistance:hgv=* on old bridges or in tunnels
minspeed=* – minimum speed limit on a road, railway or waterway.
maxdraught=* – maximum boat draught

Protected areas

In protected areas, such as national parks, wilderness areas or nature reserves, special rules usually apply. Often motor vehicles are banned, sometimes even access on foot is restricted. Details vary depending on the type of area and local jurisdiction and access restrictions can also vary within the area (some ways are allowed for a specific transport mode and some are not). Protected areas are tagged with boundary=protected_area or boundary=national_park, and additionally with protect_class=* to more precisely indicate the type or area. To make access information usable for routing it should be added to the highways in the area. The resulting restrictions can also be added separately on the area, but this is done less often.

Similar considerations apply to low emission zones (boundary=low_emission_zone), military areas (landuse=military), and border zones (boundary=border_zone).

Values

See below for commonly used types of restriction:

Key	Value	Comment
Vehicle types
access	`agricultural` `delivery` `designated` `destination` `forestry` `no` `official` `permissive` `private` `yes`	General access permission. agricultural – Only for agricultural traffic delivery – Only when delivering to the element. designated – A preferred or designated route for a specific vehicle type or types. Not compulsory but often marked by a traffic sign destination – Used for ways in designated local traffic areas, where traffic should only enter if its destination is within the area forestry – Only for forestry traffic no – No access for the general public. Consider using another tag indicating who can use the element official – The way is dedicated to a specific mode of travel by law. Usually marked by traffic signs and exclusive. In Germany use is also compulsory. clarification needed permissive – Open to general traffic until such time as the owner revokes the permission which they are legally allowed to do at any time in the future. private – Only with permission of the owner on an individual basis yes – The public has an official, legal right of access, i.e. it's a right of way (default value)
agricultural	yes / no	Access permission for agricultural vehicles, e.g. tractors.
atv	For values see access above	Access restricted to wheeled vehicles 1.27m (50 inches) or less in width, for example ATV
bdouble	For values see access above	Access permission for Road Train B-double. A B-double (B-Train) consists of a prime mover towing a specialised trailer (known as a "lead" or "A"-trailer) that has a fifth-wheel mounted on the rear towing another semi-trailer, resulting in two articulation points.
bicycle	For values see access above + dismount	Access permission for bicycles. Usage of `bicycle=dismount` and `bicycle=no` will vary in different countries. If according to local traffic rules a bicycle is no longer seen as a bicycle when there's no one driving it, then there's no need for using `bicycle=dismount`. If the local legislation still sees an undriven bicycle as a bicycle then you may need to use both `bicycle=dismount` and `bicycle=no`.
boat	For values see access above	Access permission for small boats and pleasure crafts, including yachts
bus	For values see access above	Access permission for buses acting as public transport vehicles
carriage	For values see access above	Access permission for carriage drawn by horse(s) or other animals
cycle_rickshaw	For values see access above	Access permission for two-tracked human powered pedal vehicles
electric_bicycle	For values see access above	Access permission for electric bicycles (mostly defined as having a maximum speed of 25 km/h)
emergency	yes	Access permission for emergency motor vehicles; e.g., ambulance, fire truck, police car
foot	For values see access above	Access permission for pedestrians.
forestry	yes / no	Access permission for forestry vehicles, e.g. tractors.
golf_cart	For values see access above	Access permission for golf carts and similar small, low-speed electric vehicles
goods	For values see access above	Access permission for light commercial vehicles (LCV) or goods vehicles of category N1 with a maximum allowed mass of up to 3.5 tonnes. In the USA, combined weight 26,000 lbs or less.
hand_cart	For values see access above	Access permission for human-pulled/pushed hand carts
hazmat	For values see access above	Access permission for vehicles carrying hazardous materials.
hgv	For values see access above	Access permission for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) (UK), e.g. for goods vehicles of category N2 and N3 (trucks, lorries) with a maximum allowed mass over 3.5 tonnes. In the USA, combined weight 26,001 lbs or greater.
horse	For values see access above	Access permission for horse riders.
hov	For values see access above	Access permission for high-occupancy vehicles
inline_skates	yes / no	Access permission for Inline Skates
lhv	For values see access above	Access permission for Longer Heavier Vehicle (LHV), e.g. for vehicles with 6 axles and can carry up to 44 metric tons
mofa	For values see access above	Access permission for mofas
moped	For values see access above	Access permission for mopeds
motorboat	For values see access above	Access permission boats and yachts using motor
motorcar	For values see access above	Access permission for (motor) cars
motorcycle	For values see access above	Access permission for motorcycles
motor_vehicle	For values see access above	Access permission for any motorized vehicle
psv	For values see access above	Access permission for Public Service Vehicles (UK), e.g. buses and coaches
roadtrain	For values see access above	Access permission for Road train, A road train consists of a relatively conventional tractor unit, but instead of pulling one trailer or semi-trailer, the road train pulls two or more of them.
ski	For values see access above	Access permission for skiers
speed_pedelec	For values see access above	Access permission for electric bicycles (mostly defined as having a maximum speed of 45 km/h)
tank	For values see access above	Access permission for (military) tanks
taxi	For values see access above	Access permission for taxis
trailer	For values see access above	Access permission for vehicles with trailers
tourist_bus	For values see access above	Access permission for buses that are not acting as public transport vehicles
vehicle	For values see access above	Access permission for all vehicles
4wd_only	yes	A road signed as only suitable for 4WD (offroad) vehicles
Other
alcohol	yes / no	Whether alcohol is allowed, or what type of alcohol may be served, at a location.
dog	yes / no	Describes if dogs are allowed.
drinking_water:legal	yes / no	Indication whether a feature is officially considered as a drinking water.
female	yes	Female-only or gender segregated (with `male=yes`) feature
gender_segregated	yes/no	Used for indicating whether a feature has separated male and female facilities.
male	yes	Male-only or gender segregated (with `female=yes`) feature
max_age	age	The legal maximum age
maxaxleload	Weight	The legal maximum axleload – units other than tonnes should be explicit
maxheight	Height	Height limit – units other than metres should be explicit
maxlength	Length	Length limit – units other than metres should be explicit
maxspeed	Speed	Maximum speed – units other than km/h should be explicit
maxstay	Duration	Maximum stay – units other than minutes should be explicit)
maxweight	Weight	Weight limit – units other than tonnes should be explicit
maxwidth	Width	Width limit – units other than metres should be explicit
min_age	age	The legal minimum age
minspeed	Speed	Minimum speed – units other than km/h should be explicit
noexit	yes	A dead end road/cul de sac with only one access road
oneway	yes / no / -1	`oneway=yes` for traffic direction same as the sequence of nodes of the way. `oneway=no` for bidirectional traffic. `oneway=-1` for traffic direction opposite to the sequence of nodes of the way (if the way cannot be reversed). Some road types are assumed to be one-way (e.g. `highway=motorway`), others are assumed to be two-way (most others).
openfire	yes / no	This property specifies whether open fires are allowed at a feature.
Relation:restriction		Used for a set of tags and members to represent a turn restriction.
smoking	yes / no	For marking applicable smoking rules. However, if a law mandates a given smoking rule, that need not be mapped.
toll	yes	Toll or fee must be paid to access way. See also `barrier=toll_booth`
traffic_sign	city_limit	Start/end sign of city limits, in most countries implies a specific "city maxspeed".
unisex	yes	Unisex feature