Functional Classification

​Functional Classification groups highways and streets according to the character of service they are intended to provide, ranging from a high degree of travel mobility to lan​d access functions.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) uses Functional Classification:

• For general transportation planning
• When referencing highway and street construction standards
• To determine eligibility for the rural or urban surface transportation program

Available below are PDFs of approved Functional Classification maps for rural and urban areas, as well as other incorporated cities and villages meeting standards for small community criteria.

• ​Urban Functional Classification Maps
  
• Rural Functional Cla​​ssification Maps​
  

Routes are classified using the Functional Classification Criteria and Procedures updated by WisDOT in 2022.

Functional Classification must be updated every 10 years to coincide with the U.S. Census analysis of urban areas but can be updated at any time. WisDOT works in cooperation with appropriate local or MPO officials in development of a Functional Classification system. After WisDOT and local officials agree, FHWA approves the Functional Classification system.

Requests to amend the Functional Classification of highways and streets often occur when new routes are planned or when existing routes indicate changes in travel patterns.

Contact

John Nordbo
john.nordbo@dot.wi.gov​​
(608) 267-7751​

Rural Functional Classification Maps

Supplemental Documentation​

• Functional Classification Criteria and Procedures​
  
• Functional Classification Contact Map
• Functional Classification and Boundary Approval Authority Policy
• Timeframes for Review of Functional Classification and Boundary Changes Policy​