Adopted roads
We are responsible for maintaining adopted roads - these are public roads under our care. This does not include:
- private roads
- trunk roads (major routes connecting towns and cities)
Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, private roads can be upgraded and added to the public road list if they meet Council standards. Roads built under construction consents are usually adopted after their maintenance period ends.
Maintenance of unadopted or private roads is the responsibility of the property owner or developer.
Find out more about road construction consent
Trunk road maintenance
Trunk roads in the Highlands are managed by Transport Scotland, the national transport agency. They have appointed two contractors to carry out maintenance:
- the A96 (Inverness to Aberdeen) and the A95 (Aviemore to Keith) are maintained by AMEY
- all other trunk roads in the Highland area are maintained by BEAR Scotland
For more information, visit Transport Scotland.
Adopted roads by class
- Trunk Roads
- A Class Roads
- B Class Roads
- C Class Roads
- U Class Roads
View the list of adopted roads
Adopting private roads
The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 allows for private roads to be made up and added to the list of public roads. The road must meet the required standard to be adopted by us. Roads built under road construction consents are usually adopted once their maintenance periods have been satisfactorily completed.