Built-up areaSweden
Traffic rules
Sweden
4. Built-up area
A built-up area is an area containing concentrated buildings, streets and regular local activity. Drivers should expect more pedestrians, cyclists, intersections, parked vehicles, public transport and vehicles entering or leaving properties.
Many countries apply special traffic rules and lower default speed limits within built-up areas. The area may be identified by entrance and exit signs, street lighting or other legal criteria, so drivers must follow local signs and regulations.
Wikimedia.org • CC0
How do people refer to a built-up area in Sweden?
The official Swedish term is tättbebyggt område. The municipality designates the area through local traffic regulations; its legal boundary is not simply where the houses appear to end.
How can you recognise a built-up area in Sweden?
Look for applicable speed signs and any built-up-area signs. A municipality is not required to put a built-up-area sign at every boundary, so absence of such a sign does not prove that the road is outside the designated area.
🔗 riksdagen.se • Sweden: Road Signs Ordinance 2007:90
Start of a built-up area.
English • Traffic sign E5 • Built-up area. The place name may be included.
Svenska • Vägmärke E5 • Tättbebyggt område. Ortnamnet kan vara infogat i märket.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Transportstyrelsen.se • Transportstyrelsen • E5 (SV)
SVG source: Transportstyrelsen • Public domain • Original revision 2014-05-01. Wikimedia original unmodified.
End of the built-up area.
English • Traffic sign E6 • End of built-up area. The place name may be included.
Svenska • Vägmärke E6 • Tättbebyggt område upphör. Ortnamnet kan vara infogat i märket.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Transportstyrelsen.se • Transportstyrelsen • E6 (SV)
SVG source: Transportstyrelsen • Public domain • Original revision 2014-05-01. Wikimedia original unmodified.
What speed limit applies to cars in a built-up area in Sweden?
The statutory base maximum is 50 km/h. Local regulations may establish 30, 40 or another applicable limit, so follow the rule for the actual road. A built-up-area designation does not mean that every street permits 50 km/h, and conditions may require a lower speed.
Does Sweden lack built-up-area rules where there is no entrance sign?
No. The category is established by local traffic regulations. Those regulations and applicable speed signs matter even where no separate built-up-area entrance sign is installed.
