How Are Rural Speed Limits Set?
Vol. III, No. 118 - It's not just up to Township Trustees and County Commissioners
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Ohio’s rural roads might stretch for miles through farmland and foothills, but how fast are drivers supposed to go? That’s a question answered less by tradition and more by a patchwork of Ohio statutes, local leadership, and state-level traffic engineering. It’s a unique system that leaves room for local action, but only within a system built around data and state oversight.
And we are watching that system literally play out in real time. Later today, the Board of County Commissioners will adopt a resolution requesting the Ohio Department of Transportation to review the speed limit on Swailes Road, a county maintained road, in Concord Township.
The Default: 55, Unless Otherwise Posted
Out on roads maintained by counties or townships—not highways and not inside municipal boundaries—the default speed limit is clear enough: 55 mph, set under Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.21. This isn’t just a random number; it’s designed to provide consistency throughout the state. In practice, it means a country lane running from one small town to the next almost always returns to 55 mph as soon as one leaves town.
But Ohio doesn’t treat the statutory limit as sacred. Change is possible—though it isn’t quick, and it isn’t arbitrary.
Local Roads, Local Concerns, Statewide System
Roads don’t exist in isolation. New housing developments, increased cycling, or a string of crashes can demonstrate how local conditions shift, sometimes fast. In the case of Swailes Road, a new school is being built which will undoubtedly have an impact on traffic conditions once it is built.
County engineers, county commissioners and township trustees are closest to these changes. When something about the standard limit doesn’t fit real world needs, local authorities can initiate a process for change.
However, the law draws a sharp distinction: local officials don’t have unilateral power to set new limits. They must first commission an engineering and traffic study. This is not a mere formality. It’s a broad, data-driven look at the road’s environment—crash histories, road width, sightlines, the presence of driveways, even the speed at which most traffic travels (that’s the 85th percentile speed, a keystone of highway engineering lore).
Getting ODOT’s Green Light
The county prepares the case, but the verdict belongs to the State. The completed study lands on the desk of the Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), who decides if—and how—the limit should change. ODOT reviews the evidence, weighs public safety, and looks for patterns. In recent years, Ohio has nudged its practice away from strict reliance on the 85th percentile rule, especially as attention to pedestrian safety and rural bikes lanes has increased.
Only after ODOT signs off does a new sign finally appear. The time from idea to implementation can stretch for months, even a year or more—especially if local and state authorities see the data differently.
Some Local Levers: Subdivisions, School Zones, and Exceptions
A modest exception: township trustees do wield limited authority in platted subdivisions. Here, residential character and close-set homes often justify limits as low as 25 mph; the state accepts this logic and allows it, with less red tape. School zones create similar exceptions—often dictated by proximity, time-of-day rules, and local advocacy.
Why This Matters
There are always debates. Farmers want efficient access to get to a field. Parents worry about walkers and buses at dawn. Cyclists call for lower speeds where rural traffic surges in summer. These voices feed into the formal process, sometimes sparking studies, sometimes stalling them.
Still, while state law sets the table, it’s community actors—residents, township trustees, county commissioners and county engineers—who prepare the meal. Advocating for a speed limit change means building a case, compiling credible evidence, and arguing that a safer, or more reasonable, standard is both possible and necessary.
Speed limits on rural Ohio roads reflect a mix of tradition, statute, and evolving local needs. The state writes the rules and holds the veto, but local action, rooted in evidence, drives every real change. For residents living outside of a community, understanding this process isn’t just about compliance—it’s a cornerstone of civic capacity. It’s how local knowledge and public participation shape the very roads that connect our residents.
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