Highway searches
How to find out if land is part of the public highway.
Our Highway Register page will tell you if a road is a public highway. If you need further confirmation of the extent of the public highway, you can apply for a highway search.
Requesting a search
To request a search, you must complete the form below and provide a plan or drawing showing the area in which you are interested (a marked section of an Ordnance Survey plan is ideal).
You must submit a separate search for each area if you require multiple locations.
If you need to pay a fee, we will contact you with payment options before we carry out the search.
We no longer accept payment by cheque.
| Type | Cost (including VAT) |
|---|---|
| Highway extent (per A3 sheet or part thereof) | £78 |
| Per additional question | £19 |
| Con29 property search | £78 |
| Type | Cost (including VAT) |
|---|---|
| Basic highway extent research (per linear km – see notes below) | £185 |
| Highway extent confirmation with site survey (per linear km – see notes below contact us before submitting this request) |
£764 |
Highway search map results are valid for 28 days from the date of reply. We will charge for a follow-up or repeat request.
Ownership
Just because an area is public highway does not mean that we own it. To find out who owns it, you can contact the Gloucester Office of the Land Registry, and make local enquiries as we can only tell you what we own.
Timescale
A straightforward request for highway information can be provided in a few working days, however sometimes additional research and site visits may be required so more complicated searches may take longer to provide. We will confirm the expected timescales when we supply your quote.
Planning permissions
You should be aware that planning permission, on its own, does not confer a third party right over the public highway.
Important information
- You should not put up any structure or carry out any planting on the highway.
- Rights over the public highway are different from rights over private land; we can advise you further.
- If you believe our highway records are incorrect, there is a process of appeal.
How to apply
You will need the following:
- An electronic version of a site/location plan
- Your reference (if applicable)
- Address including postcode of the property/land
This form should be used for highway record searches only.
Further guidance on search classifications
The search classifications listed on our scale of charges comprise the following:
The highway extent request will provide you with a standard-sized copy (to a maximum size of A3) of the highway record plan (or multiples thereof) at £73 each, including VAT, and will apply to most highway search requests.
Basic highway extent research
Basic highway extent research is not so commonplace and will only apply if your search requires us to carry out additional research to provide you with your result. This is more likely to apply in rural areas where our larger-scale mapping may be incomplete or where your search area is larger than usual such as farms, estates, solar farms or land earmarked for development.
You should allow us approximately three to six weeks to complete the research and the fee will be £185 including VAT per linear kilometre of research.
This measurement is cumulative per search; for instance, two stretches of road that require research, each 0.5km long, will be charged at £185. If the search area is large, we may charge an additional fee for a standard search per additional A3 sheet, but we will confirm this when providing your quotation.
Highway extent confirmation
Highway extent confirmation with site inspection will apply in exceptional cases if the site boundary is unclear or your site requires us to carry complex additional research and/or site inspection to provide you with your result. This is more likely to apply in rural areas if the highway boundary is unclear on-site, where your search area is larger than usual or where it has a complex history. This service is also available to developers in connection with planning applications or developments where confirmation is required for legal agreements.
You should allow us 6-8 weeks for this type of in-depth historical research and site inspection so the fee of £764 including VAT will apply per linear kilometre (as for a basic search above) will apply.
Con29 property search/ Road traffic schemes
Con29 property search (under sections 3.1-4.0) as a single standalone enquiry will provide you with written confirmation of any schemes affecting a property in your area of interest at £78 including VAT per property.
Supplementary questions
In addition to these charges, supplementary questions are charged at £19 per question.
Example standard questions and fees charged
Please indicate on the plan or on a plan of your own the extent and boundary of the public highway, including any verges, adjacent to the property or at its nearest point to the property.
The fee for a single plan showing the extent of the highway will be £78 including VAT (to a maximum size of A3) or multiples thereof depending upon the size of the area of interest
Please confirm that the property immediately abuts onto a publicly maintainable highway and that there is no intervening land between the property and the public highway. If there is intervening land, please confirm whether it is within your ownership.
The fee for this question would be £19. We are not in a position to express an opinion as to whether any highway abuts the boundary of a private property and this office holds no records of private ownership.
Please confirm that there are no public footpaths or other rights of way (whether pedestrian or vehicular) affecting the property. If there are, indicate the position of these rights of way on the duplicate plan, and if appropriate, supply a copy of the definitive map and supporting statement.
No charge. The Highway Records Team do not administer the Definitive Map for Oxfordshire so we are unable to provide specific information about Rights of Way from this office but there is no charge to view Oxfordshire County Council’s Definitive Map and Statement. If you would like further information about public rights of way contact Countryside Records.
We should also be obliged for your confirmation that, if this is highways land, it is subject to a Dedication Agreement or a Section 38 Agreement.
If the area of land is public highway this will be shown as such on the plan you receive. We ask that you contact our Road Agreements Team for information regarding Section 38 Agreements that have not yet reached completion.
Please indicate if there are any highway improvement schemes likely to affect this property.
On its own, the fee for this question is £78 but as an additional item following question 1 above, the fee would be £19.