Public and Private Streets

Is my street public or private?

Public streets are maintained by the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) or the city or town where it is located. State-maintained roads are marked with an SR number. Check the NCDOT map.

Streets without an SR that are outside city or town limits are maintained by agreements that have been made between the owners. This may be a Home Owners Association, a road maintenance agreement or an informal understanding. Wake County does not maintain streets.

Private streets may have a yellow “Private Street” label on the sign.

The recorded plat for the property usually indicates whether the street is public or private. There may be a link to the recorded plat in iMAPS. Locate the parcel and click on the Deeds button for a link.

If a street is recorded as public but not turned over to the state, it's called an orphan street.