Status or Types of Public Roads

A public road is a road that everyone has a right to use and which is a matter of legal record.  State highways and city streets are types of public roads.  Klamath County has three distinct types of public roads within its jurisdiction.  The degree of county responsibility depends on the status of the road and applicable  state and county law.

County Road

A county road must have been accepted into the county road system by the Klamath County Board of Commissioners. The county's jurisdiction covers the entire right-of-way. Because the road has been accepted into the system, Klamath County Public Works is responsible for maintaining it, setting standards and specifications for road work, processing permits for driveways or other road approaches, utility installations, and any other work within the right-of-way.  The County has approximately 850 miles of paved or gravel County roads.

Local Access Road

A local access road is a user maintained public road that has not been accepted into the county road system or any other road system. A local access road has been dedicated to the public, but it has not been accepted as part of the publicly-maintained road system. The county still has jurisdiction within the rights-of-way of local access roads, but local landowners and road users have the responsibility for maintenance.  The County has approximately 900 miles of user maintained roads. 

Dedicated Way

Other types of roads serving property in Klamath County include federal forest roads and private roads. Contact the appropriate agency (BLM or Forest Service) or the private landowner(s) for information about these roads which may or may not be open for travel or use by the general public. Finally, other jurisdictions manage public roadways in our area including local cities as well as the Oregon Department of Transportation.  Please contact the appropriate jurisdiction for questions about roadways they manage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Roads FAQ's    ( 1. What is the status of the road I live on?   2. I live on a county road within a city. Why isn't my street a city street?       3. Vacation of a Public Right-of-Way.  4. I live on a "Local Access Road" that the county does not maintain although it is a pubic road.  Can my road become a county road?  5. Why are there not any street lights on the county road?  6. What are the differences between county maintained paved and county maintained gravel roads?  7. What difference does road status make?  8. I'm still confused.  Who can answer my questions?)

Speed Control, Speed Bumps and Radar Signs