Pavement Markings Regulations / Standards

On August 5, 2022, FHWA published a final rule in the federal register adding new provisions to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) relating to maintaining minimum levels of pavement marking retroreflectivity. The new provisions in this final rule will be incorporated into Revision 3 of the 2009 edition of the MUTCD.

• Final Rule Federal Register Notice
  Published on August 5, 2022 and effective September 6, 2022, this final rule provides background information explaining the new provisions in the MUTCD regarding Maintaining Minimum Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity.

• Revised MUTCD — Maintaining Minimum Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity
  This link takes you to the 2009 MUTCD with Revisions 1, 2, and 3 incorporated. The majority of the changes are in Section 3A.03. There is also a new compliance date in the Introduction, and a new publication added to Section 1A.11.

• Methods for Maintaining Pavement Marking Retroreflectivity, FHWA-SA-22-028
  This 2022 report provides technical guidance on methods for maintaining pavement marking retroreflectivity in accordance with the MUTCD. [Publication No. FHWA-SA-22-028]

Visit the MUTCD website for additional information on this and other changes to the MUTCD.

For hard copies of documents with publication numbers, please send a request to report.center@dot.gov and include the publication number and title, along with the number of copies and your mailing address and phone number. Requests will be filled based on availability.

For information about traffic control devices and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), other than visibility or retroreflectivity, please see FHWA's MUTCD website