Acts of Parliament relating to Highway matters

Where possible, links are provided to the text (or a summary) of each Act.  These may either be to our "library copies" (usually of older legislation) or official sources, typically HMSO, represented by the icon.

Some of this legislation only applies to England & Wales , some only to Scotland , etc.

Lagging behind GLASS by some years, the Government's Department for Constitutional Affairs has now made all CURRENT primary legislation available to the public online.  This source is updated with Amendments periodically, but does not include older supersceded legislation that may interest archive researchers. See The UK Statute Law Database

Learn more about the legislative process at

Key Acts are highlighted.  You may also wish to refer to the Regulations & Statutory Instruments library section if considering the implementation and effects of legislation.

This list is provided for the use of GLASS members.
Crown Copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.
There's a useful note about Crown Copyright on the web at HMSO

Year	Name & notes	external link	library copy	comments or extracts
2006 c.16	The Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act extinguishes MPV rights, limits BOATs		(498.96 KB)	notes
2005 c.16	Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 includes Gating Orders
2004 c.29	The Highways (Obstruction by Body Corporate) Act
2003 asp.2	Land Reform (Scotland) Act Access Land and Rights of Way
2002 c.30	Police Reform Act includes power to seize vehicles, etc.			notes
2000 c.37	Countryside & Rights of Way Act introduced Restricted Byways and Public Access Land, 'caps' DMS.			govt. explanatory notes
1995 c.25	Environment Act admin powers/duties for National Park Authorities
1995 c.49	Town and Country Planning (Costs of Inquiries etc.) Act (about expenses etc.)
1995 c.50	Disability Discrimination Act			notes
1994 c.11	Road Traffic (Special Events) Act
1992 c.42	Transport and Works Act powers to close rail crossings on safety grounds
1992 c.30	Traffic Calming Act powers for humps etc.
1991 c.40	Road Traffic Act
1991 c.39	Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act
1991 c.26	Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991 amends s.14 & 15 of RTRA84
1991 c.22	New Roads and Street Works Act enabling toll roads. defines "street" at s.48 and s.107			notes
1990 c.24	Rights of Way Act Amendments re. overcropping and ploughing of RoW
1990 c.8	Town and Country Planning Act procedures for stopping up / Diversion of paths to enable development
1990	Environmental Protection Act s.82 covers obstructions (any further comment please?)
1988 c.52	Road Traffic Act continues / updates 1930 Act		extracts
1986	Highways (Amendment) Act
1985 c.59	Wildlife and Countryside (Service of Notices) Act
1985 c.31	Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act
1984 c.54	Roads (Scotland) Act current legislation regarding maint, obstructions etc in Scotland ??		extracts
1984 c.38	Cycle Tracks Act provides for Footpath -> cycle track
1984 c.27	Road Traffic Regulation Act current procedures for TRO, signs, etc.		extracts
1982	Civil Aviation Act
1981 c.69	Wildlife and Countryside Act current DMS modification procedures		(incomplete)
1980 c.66	Highways Act the current legislation regarding maint duties, obstructions, path creation etc.		(incomplete)
1979 c.46	Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act the creation and protection of Scheduled Ancient Monuments etc.			contents only
1975	Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act stick to official waterway crossings, and fix those oil or fuel leaks!			extracts
1968 c.41	Countryside Act updates to 1949 Act, introducing BOATs, Reclassification, and cycles on bridleways.
1967	Countryside (Scotland) Act
1967	Road Traffic Regulation Act
1961	Highways (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act
1960 8 & 9 Eliz 2 c.63	Road Traffic and Roads Improvement Act Repealed by SLRA89
1959	Highways Act another entry in the long-running series!
1958 c.30	Land Powers (Defence) Act aviation and defence diversions & stopping up
1956 4 & 5 Eliz 2 c.67	Road Traffic Act Repealed by SLRA89
1950 14 Geo 6 c.24	Highways (Provision of Cattle Grids) Act Repealed by SLRA89
1949 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6 c.97	National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act introduced Definitive Map system for recording minor highways.		(incomplete)
1949 12, 13 & 14 Geo 6 c.32	Special Roads Act Repealed by SLRA89
1946 9 & 10 Geo 6 c.30	Trunk Roads Act Repealed by SLRA89
1945 8 & 9 Geo 6 c.43	Requisitioned Land and War Works Act provided for suspension of Highway rights by W.D.
1936 1 Edw 8 & 1 Geo 6 c.5	Trunk Roads Act Repealed by SLRA89
1935	Ribbon Development Act Town planning - safeguards for minor highways
1934 24 & 25 Geo 5 c.50	Road Traffic Act Repealed by SLRA89
1932	Rights of Way Act formalised some common RoW law, introduced '20 year' implied dedication rule.
1930	Road Traffic Act introduced offence of driving a motor on Footpath/Bridleway
1929 19 & 20 Geo 5 c.17	Local Government Act transferred Highway maint from District Council to County
1925	Law of Property Act introduced offence of driving a vehicle on common land			extract
1920 c.72	Roads Act perhaps Scotland only?
1916 c.?	Defence of the Realm (Acquisition of Land) Act highways section			extracts
1910 Edw8 c.8	Finance (1909-1910) Act not Highway legislation as such, but often referred to evidentially due to the comprehensive land ownership assessment that followed.
1904 Edw c.36	Motor Car Act apparently spells out that non-motor roads need to be signed			comments
1892 c.43	Military Lands Act powers of military to stop up & divert			extracts
1892	Telegraph Act definitions for roads			extracts
1888	Local Government Act s.85 defines Bicycle as a 'Carriage' Is this the enabler for District Highway Boards??
1878	Roads and Bridges Act the end for Turnpikes
1878	Roads and Bridges (Scotland) Act the end for Turnpikes
1878	Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act
1875 38 & 39 Vict c.55	Public Health Act enabler for District Sanitary Authorties, with some Highway duties?
1868 c.112	Regulation of Railways Act trespass etc.
1864	Highway Act
1861 24&25 Vict c.70	Locomotives Act?? need more info,maybe useful			notes
1860 c.112	Defence Act powers of military to stop up & divert
1847 c.89	Town Police Clauses Act defines 'street'
1845 8&9 Vict c.118	Inclosure Act tidied up some issues from 1801 act		(55.70 KB) (incomplete)
1845 c.20	Railway Clauses Consolidation Act standardised railway Act terms, including Highway crossings			extracts
1842 c.94	Defence Act powers of military to stop up & divert
1839 c.45	Highway (Railway Crossings) Act
1835 5 & 6 Will 4 c.50	Highway Act sets out the powers and duties of Parish surveyors, defining public maint. n.b. prior to this act, "Highway" meant all-purpose route??
1832	Prescription Act Aquisition of rights by deemed dedication
1819	Poor Relief Act s.17 vests soil of inclosure roads in the parish ?
1815 55 Geo3 c.68	Highway Diversion process - and ??
1814 54 Geo3 c.104	Military Roads, etc. (Scotland) Act "an Act .. for maintaining and keeping in repair certain roads and bridges in Scotland .."
1803 43 Geo3 c.?	Highway (Scotland) Act ".. twenty thousand pounds, to be issued and applied towards making roads and building bridges in the Highlands .. "
1801 41 Geo3 c.109	Inclosure Consolidation Act standardised terms & powers for subsequent local Parliamentary land Inclosures, including Highway setting-out (the '30-foot rule' etc.).		(incomplete)
1777	Turnpike Act Authorised the rash of toll roads ?
1773 13 Geo3 c.78	General Highway Act Section 55 barred the heavy public carriages from the 'private' parish highways.
1756 29 Geo2 c.36	Authorised enclosure of common by mutual agreement, for timber
1718 5 Geo1 c.12	?? differentiated between carts and waggons "travelling for hire" and "the covered carriages of noblemen and gentlemen for their own private use"...
1691	?? some Highways Act ?
1555 Mary1	Statute for Mending of Highways parishes made responsible for upkeep, surveyors appointed, compulsory labour		(11.25 KB)
1235	Statute of Merton allowed the Lord of the Manor to enclose waste land

An explanatory note about the date column;
It is a legal convention to regard, and refer to, Acts as "chapters" being written in the on-going book of Laws.
For older Acts, these chapters were referenced to the year of the reigning Monarch.   For example, the 78th Act passed in the 13th year of George III reign = 13 Geo3 c.78
Since the 1950s they are referenced to the year date, as in 1990 c.24
Most modern Acts are also referred to by abbreviation and year, as in CRoW2000 and HA80
For a list of English Monarchs with dates see here >