This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Iowa. Review all the sections to better understand how the guidelines for this state might deviate from the overall USA or worldwide guidelines. If you have any comments or questions about this page or state refer to the community links below.
No general message at this time.
Introduction
Iowa is a part of the Plains region, which includes the states and/or territories of:
Before editing the maps in Iowa, be sure to fully review and understand the editing manual.
The Waze user community follows the Waze etiquette guidelines discussed in the Wiki. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these guiding principals while editing the maps and this Wiki, as well as when communicating with other Waze users.
Functional classification
The functional classification for Iowa is dictated by the Iowa Department Of Transportation (Iowa DOT). Iowa DOT has released functional classification maps for all counties and cities across Iowa.
For mapping and GIS system resources, go to Iowa/Resources.
Community
The Waze forum is a great place to find answers to previously asked questions and also a place to ask new ones. Below are links to the forums specific to Iowa.
New editors should consider checking into the formal mentoring program available at no charge.
Hangout Group
Iowa also has a Hangout Group for the state. Originally, this was only opened for Iowa Area Managers; however, after serious consideration, it is now opened to any person doing editing in the state of Iowa. This will give quick editing guidance and will allow to easily collaborate information between other users in the state. If you wish to be included in this Hangout, please read this Forum Post and follow the included link.
Hangouts is a free app available on Android and iOS devices. You also can use an extension in the Chrome Web Browser to access this chat. Go to: google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts for more information.
Editor Lookup
We can lookup the activity of any editor by going to the following page for that editor:
https://www.waze.com/user/editor/* , where * is the editor's username in Waze.
One of the most common errors when editing the maps is when an editor creates a road and does not confirm the road by setting the city and road name (or stating it has none).
Some states and territories manage a separate page on cities and towns to identify the specific city names that should be entered, and no others. For states that do not have a separate page to track the names, see this Wikipedia link and find the state or territory in question.
You will hear the phrase Functional Class or FC a lot when it comes to the standard for road types. According to the US Federal Highway Administration, The concept of functional classification defines the role that a particular roadway segment plays in serving the flow of traffic through the network. Waze has its own interpretation of this system, but it utilizes the state's functional class map to help determine the road type to use.
Check out our Mapping Resources for knowledge on how to use the state's map system to find Functional Classifications Standards in Iowa. From that knowledge, use this chart to determine how the road should be classified using the Waze Standard. Iowa follows this chart completely aside from dirt or gravel roads in rural areas. This exception will be changed as soon as an unpaved road option exists in Waze.
If you have any questions about Functional Class, please use our Community Resources to reach out to gain further information.
Below is a list of the six major road types. If you click on the button of the road type, for instance Freeway , you will be directed to a Wiki section that discusses the road type further.
Freeway
A Freeway is the highest functional class of road. It is designed for higher speeds and limited to entrance and exits ramps being the only way to enter or exit this type of road.
Any road with the Functional Class (FC) as Principal Arterial Interstate, colored blue on the FC map, will be considered a Freeway. All Interstate Roads Will be freeways aside from Business Loops and Spurs (Which instead will be a Major Highway). Also, watch for some roads that are Principal Arterial - Other or Other Freeways (colored red or orange) as they could fit the profile of a Freeway. All roads that have to be entered or exited using a ramp, where 3 or more consecutive exits occur, needs to be set as a freeway. A Freeway will end at first direct connection of a road to the highway.
Naming
Freeways will usually only be named the Highway number of the most prominent highway of the section. For instance, If a highway is a State Highway connected with a US highway, then it will be named the US highway.
If two of the same type connect such as a US highway and another US highway, then the road that stayed on course will be the named highway.
All highway numbering will be as follows: Interstate: I-XXX, US Highway: US-XXX, Iowa State Highway: IA-XXX, County Highway: CR-XXX. Notice that there are no spaces between the dashes. The only exception to using the Highway Number would be if there is clear signage that the freeway is known by another name.
Ramps
A Ramp will connect two roads together; however, it will not be used for a simple At-grade connector or in other words a road that doesn't have a different elevation level. There are some exceptions to this rule to understand.
Naming
Even veteran editors need to pay attention here! Naming of an entrance and exit ramp correctly is crucial to the users of this app when being navigated around. If the name of the entrance ramp is incorrect it will confuse the experience and may confuse the driver to take the exit absurdly or miss it all together. Please follow these rules:
Only time to ever type in the word "Exit" in the ramp is when the exit is a numbered exit. The only roads that have numbered exits are exits off an Interstate with the exception of US-52.
For all Numbered exits, it will start with "Exit XX:" For example, if the Exit is number 114A then you will start the exit name as "Exit 114A:" and there will always be a colon after the exit number
For non-numbered exits, just start the exit as such, "to" For example, if the exit was to US Highway 169 Northbound, then the exit would be "to US-169 N"
All numbered highways need to be typed as such: Interstate: I-XXX, US Highway: US-XXX, Iowa State Highway: IA-XXX, County Road: CR-XXX all with no spaces between the Highway type and the number.
Include as much information in the sign as possible. For example, If the actual sign shows it will take you to County Highway 1 Eastbound and it also takes you to Riverview Rd and Old Shakopee Rd, then the ramp needs to be labeled: "to CH-1 E / Riverview Rd / Old Shakopee Rd" using the slash "/" to separate the different roads to take. Try to match the sign as close as possible.
If a road splits showing arrow marking under lanes to of which to stay on to continue your course, use ramps for each side. For example: in Burnsville, a person taking I-35 N will have the decision to take I-35W N or I-35E N. The I-35W side is a numbered exit, the other side is just a guided direction to head towards I-35E N. The one side is labeled: "Exit 88A: I-35W / Minneapolis" and the other side is just labeled: "to I-35E / St. Paul". Using ramps here will guide the driver to the right side of the highway.
For road splits that have 3 or more splits, usually paying attention to the one that splits first will guide you to how to set it up correctly, but it is often best to reach out for support to find the best solution based on the more complexity of an issue.
Major Highway
A Major Highway is a primary route for traveling throughout the country, from one city to another, over long distances.
Any road with the Functional Class (FC) as Principal Arterial - Other (Freeways), colored red or orange on the FC map, will be a Major Highway (MH) if these roads do not fit the standard definition of a Freeway. All US Highways (Such as US-169) will be labeled as a Major Highway regardless of what the FC map shows unless it can be labeled as a freeway.
Naming
Naming of a major highway typically will be in the road number standard: US Highway: US-XXX, Iowa State Highway: IA-XXX, County Road: CR-XXX; however, pay close attention to the way the signage really is in these areas.
In town, these highways need to be named as the street names used for house numbering.
Out of town, should be labeled the same as the street name for house numbering if looking at a 2 lane highway
and the Highway number for split direction Major highways unless signage clearly indicates it is known by another name
Minor Highway
A Minor Highway is a secondary route for traveling between cities over moderately long distances.
Any road with the Functional Class (FC) as Minor Arterial, colored as green on the FC map. will be a Minor Highway (mH). Also, all State Highways (such as MN-13) will be set at a minimum of a minor highway regardless of the current FC classification from the State of Iowa unless it is a higher classification or could be considered a freeway.
Naming
Naming of a minor highway typically will be in the road number standard: Iowa State Highway: IA-XXX, County Road: CR-XXX; however, pay close attention to the way the signage really is in these areas.
In a town or city, the naming will typically be the street name unless the name of the street is Co Rd XXX where we would change it to CR-XXX
Pay close attention to the name assigned for house numbering. If house numbering suggests using the wording, "State Highway XXX", we need to set the name of the road as such.
Primary Street
A Primary Street is a road used with medium-low traffic densities which are used to bring traffic from local streets to arterials and vice versa
Any road with the Functional Class (FC) a Major or Minor Collector, colored as purple or yellow on FC map, will be a Primary Street (PS). Also, pay attention to any paved county road as these will have a minimum of a Primary Street. Most frontage roads will have this category as well even if the FC map shows a lower level (but reach out for clarification for the ones that are not a county road). If you see any of these roads set as a service road, please correct this to a standard type road as Service Roads are phased out.
Naming
Primary streets should only be named the actual name of the street (same name as house numbering indicates). The only exceptions to this rule would be County Roads in rural areas.
County Roads In Iowa
Frameless
Iowa adopted its present county road numbering system in the late 1960's, featuring alphanumeric route numbers on the blue pentagon signs that are also used in many other states. Before that, county roads were given single-letter or double-letter designations, much like Wisconsin's county trunk roads and Missouri's state supplementary roads.
East-west county roads start with "A" in the northern part of the state and ascend alphabetically until reaching "J" in the south. Example: Johnson County Road F46.
North-south county roads start with "K" in the western part of the state and run all the way through "Z" in the east. Example: Scott County Road Y40.
Diagonal county roads use letter-number-letter route designations instead of the usual letter-and-two number route; the letters used correspond to the letters of other county roads in that area. Examples: Linn County Road W6E, Clayton County Road C9Y. A few four digit county roads exist, though, including Lyon/Sioux County Road A54B, Delaware County Road C60X, Jackson County Road E23Y, and Louisa County Road G44X.
Four letters — I, O, Q, and U — are not used in route numbering. ("I" may be too similar to the number "1," plus Interstate highways are also referred to as "I-xx" routes. "O" and "Q" are too similar to "0" (zero), and "U" is too close to "V.")
Letters tend to change about every 20 to 25 linear miles; they usually do not change with county lines (except for the horizontal roads in western Iowa).
Numbers generally run from 10 through 80, ascending from west to east and north to south.
Numbers can be duplicated in multiple counties on multiple discontinuous routes.
Cardinal direction markers are seldom used, since the first letter should tell you whether it is an east-west or north-south route.
County roads are usually not signed in the city limits of larger cities, as the city usually takes over jurisdiction of the road at that point. Example: County Road W66 runs along Dubuque Street north of Iowa City and Gilbert Street south of there, but it is not signed in the city limits.
Street
A Street will be for any road in a town or city that doesn't fit in the categories above. In rural areas, this will be lightly used for paved roads that cannot be considered a County Road (a rarity in the rural areas). This will be named the same name used for house numbering.
Quick reference chart
Refer to this chart to determine the road type of a given paved public road based on the functional class.
To use this chart, first determine the functional class of a road, and whether it is a signed, numbered highway in a particular highway system.
Where the column for the road's highway system and the row for the road's functional class meet, you will find the proper road type for that particular road.
A number of examples are given below the chart.
Always consult an Area or State Manager if you are unsure of what class to give a road.
^a When a state highway "SPUR" route is used to connect a state highway with another state highway, a US highway, or an Interstate (i.e., when it is used as a connector/CONN route), use the first state highway column.
An Interstate Business Loop classified as a Minor Arterial is a Major Highway .
A US Highway classified as a Minor Arterial is a Major Highway .
A US Highway Spur route classified as a Minor Arterial is a Minor Highway .
A State Highway classified as an Other Freeway is a Freeway .
A State Highway classified as a Collector is a Minor Highway .
A County Route classified as a Minor Arterial is a Minor Highway .
A County Route classified as a Collector is a Primary Street
A locally-maintained road classified as an Other Principal Arterial is a Major Highway .
A locally-maintained road classified as a Collector is a Primary Street .
Legend
Fw
Freeway
Major
Major Highway
Minor
Minor Highway
PS
Primary Street
Street
Street
Locking standard
In Iowa we have a set minimum standard for locking roads based on segment type. Any road of a certain segment type must be locked at least to the rank (level) in the chart below. Roads may be locked higher for protection and special situations (areas with construction, tricky design, frequent mistakes, imaging inaccuracies, and the like), but should not be locked lower.
A great time to implement these locks is while bringing the road types of an area into compliance with the current US road type standards (FC and highway systems). Lock the roads based on type after they've been set to current US road type standards.
Iowa Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type
Statewide
Freeway
4
Ramp
Highest rank of connected segments
Major Highway
3
Minor Highway
3
Primary Street
2
Street
1
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
Special roads
Drivable roads
Iowa follows the standard USA guidelines for all of the following special road types.
Review the Wiki guidelines for non-drivable roads to ensure compliance with the general guidelines.
Other drivable roads
Dirt Road / 4X4 Trail
Iowa has different interpretations of Dirt Roads than other locations. Even veteran editors need to pay attention to this section!
In the state of Iowa, only "Level B" roads are considered dirt roads. Knowing this will help you create the correct road levels. Undrivable roads should not be mapped, should be restricted, or should be listed as a trail instead and not be connected to any functional roads. Even though 4x4 is in the title, we will only use dirt roads that most vehicles can drive on. Keep in mind that because of the way Waze handles dirt roads, we will not use the dirt road class in the city limits of any town. All in-town gravel roads will be streets.
Because most likely people in Iowa feel a gravel road isn't a dirt road, we will use Dirt Road for only "Level B". Please be aware of any of these dirt roads that are minimum maintenance roads as these roads should have restrictions in place for winter months.
The reason the dirt roads classification is important is because a user can decide to not be sent on dirt roads or to only be sent on dirt roads for short distances in the settings of the Waze App.
Keep in mind that if the person does allow for dirt roads, Waze will treat the road as a Primary Street so do not try to make an exception to well maintained dirt roads as a street or you will cause the driver to be directed on undesirable roads. Yes, that's right, a dirt road can be seen as a higher priority than a street! This is very important in rural areas where the Street Category should only be used on very short road segments that are paved. In towns, the Dirt Road Category should be rarely used and an unpaved road should be considered a street or a private road.
Parking Lot Road
Parking lots roads are essential to navigating users to the proper destinations. It also helps to properly exit a parking lot. Follow these examples to creating parking lots correctly. Click the image to the right to see a well-designed parking lot section.
Simple is best. Do not map every lane
Map the main entrances from the roads outside the parking lot
Map lanes that run along storefronts
Map lanes that run along main roads outside the parking area
Map primary lanes that serve to get people from one area of the lot to another
For for information about mapping parking lots, follow this article
Private Road
Pi gated-community1.jpg
Private Roads should follow the Wiki Example on Private Roads. Please be very limited on using this for driveways as, for the most part, these should not be mapped at all.
Keep in mind that on the Waze App, a private road will look like a street. Nothing looks more off than a bunch of streets connected to a dirt road.
If you are adding a private road for a private housing section, make sure house numbering is correct or there is a place point or area within a private road section. This area will still be able to be navigated to the correct destination as long as it has a proper address to navigate to. Pay attention to this article for more information.
In the case of very long driveways, it may helpful to a driver to see the driveway mapped on the client app or even necessary for Waze to determine how to reach the destination. In those cases it may be prudent to add a road. See the article on Driveways for more information.
Alleyways
Avoid drawing alleyways unless it is considered a street by the general public. Most alleyways should not be used to direct traffic and will cause unneeded nodes in the road that can cause roads connected to the alleyways to be less desirable. Most alleyways that would be mapped will use the Parking Lot class.
Roundabouts
Iowa has been adding roundabouts in many locations throughout the state. It is important to note that most roundabouts should only have three to four connections or it will sound confusing to a driver. Following this Example will give proper turn information and roundabout icons on the screen. If you would use multiple-point access, it instead will say the exit number such as, "At the Roundabout, take the 3rd exit".
This is an indication of what a user of Waze should see on an upcoming Roundabout. It is clear at showing the direction of the turn. It also will verbally say what is referenced on the signage such as "At the Roundabout, Continue Straight" or "turn left". This is the Iowa Standard for creating and editing Roundabouts.
This is how it looks when more than four exit points occur. It does not give clear guidance to the driver on what way to go aside from the highlighted road ahead. This should be avoided, Only add multiple connections per side if the signs clearly mark Exit numbers (Commonly seen on signs showing 5 or more exit points).
Roundabouts will use the same functional class of the main route traveling through the roundabout. Follow This Article for more information.
If at all possible, drive through a roundabout after it has been created or updated. Verify that it seems to give correct information.
Emergency Vehicle and DOT Service Roads
Emergency.jpg "Emergency and Authorized Vehicles Only" and DOT Service Roads are to be treated as Non-drivable roads. These are found primarily through the median of divided highways to connect opposite direction lanes. In most cases, these should not be mapped at all. If mapped, they should not be connected to any drivable road, with properties set to road type Private Road, and lock the segment at as high a rank as possible, up to rank 5.
Non-drivable roads
Railroad
RoadPicN11.jpg
Railroads are not yet added to the map, but these can be added to prepare the maps for when it is. Mapping the tracks allows Waze to recognize spurious speed data from people Wazing on the train and prevent it from corrupting speed data for the adjacent road.
Please notice that railroads have changed from previous interpretations of railroad mapping. Even veteran editors need to pay attention to this section!
Elevation will be set to the same elevation standards as a drivable road. When tracks junction a road on the ground, the Elevation should be set to Ground.
If the railroad crosses a segment of road, it should be connected to the road to so the historical data for the rail crossing will be more accurate.
Always select "None" for the city name. This avoids city smudging.
Set railroad to 2-way directionality and Restrict turns to and from the railroad segments.
Follow the Federal DOT Railroad GIS to verify the owner of the rail line to help on naming of the segment. Use the acronyms under RROWNER1 to help on naming.
Do not map every piece of parallel track, such as in sidings or yards, or industrial spurs that don't cross any roads. Your work may otherwise be seen as clutter, much like mapping every parking lot row.
Lock all railroads to a Level 2
Keep segment lengths under 10,000 meters (32,808 Ft) – the longer the segment length, the more sluggish the editor is to respond to changes.
Read this section for more information about railroads.
Runway/Taxiway
We will map all airports runways such:
These roads will not connect to any drivable sections
The runways will not be connected to each other
Always select "None" for the city name. This avoids city smudging.
Using this article we will find the airport code. We will use the IATA code unless the airport does not have one, then we will revert to the ICAO code.
After finding the code, we will use this to find the runway numbers for the airport.
Most of the time, you will see the number of the runway at the beginning and end of each runway from the aerial views.
Name each runway as such: [Airport Code] Runway [x-x] ... for example, in the image to the right, you will see the runways for Albert Lea Municipal Airport. The IATA code for this airport is AEL and it has two runways including Runway 5/23 & Runway 17/35 so one will be named "AEL Runway 5-23" and the other AEL Runway 17-35".
Please follow this Wiki article on Runways for information about how to set runways correctly. These roads should be locked to the same standard as Airport Area itself.
Ferry
The Ferry Road type is not to be used at this time. Do not use the Ferry Road type for any purpose. See ferries page for more information on how to map ferries.
Walking Trails
RoadPicN9.jpg
Even though Waze does not allow for navigating pedestrians or bikers, we will still prepare the map for when it is a function of the application. We will map out trails not only for this reason, but also to avoid speed data from being compiled if a person would leave Waze running on their phone while taking these trails. It also can be useful for a person who may use the map of Waze to recognize his or her location while taking these trails
Do not map trails that run parallel to a road unless it is more than 100 Ft from the road
Do not connect this road type to any drivable section of road
If the trail has a name, name it [Trail Name] Trail
Always select "None" for the city name. This avoids city smudging.
Keep segment lengths under 10,000 meters (32,808 Ft) – the longer the segment length, the more sluggish the editor is to respond to changes.
Use elevation standards as a standard road.
Pedestrian Boardwalks
RoadPicN10.jpg
Pedestrian Boardwalks are not common, but they are going to be used in sections where a trail would not be appropriate.
Do not use these for a standard sidewalk. Sidewalks will not be mapped at all.
The common use for this will be for large sections that vehicles are not allowed such as an outdoor shopping area or concrete walkway away from roads
Do not connect this to any drivable road
Always select "None" for the city name. This avoids city smudging.
Stairway
RoadPicN11.jpg
Stairways are very uncommon, but they will be used for any walking section that would require a person to climb a set of stairs to get to the next trail or pedestrian boardwalk. Never connect these to any drivable roads and do not add city names to this section of road. Use the same elevation standards as a road ... if no road or trail is directly underneath, it will be set for ground.
See Iowa/Special roads for guidance in Iowa that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Closures
When managing a section of roadway under construction or being closed for a major event, follow the Wiki guidelines on construction zones and Real time closures.
The Federal Highway Administration keeps a website indexing all states that can provide highway and construction project information. Go to the page, find your state, and check the links for the desired information.
Places
Iowa follows the USA standard for Places. Do not deviate from the guidelines without first obtaining consensus to do so via the state forum linked on this page.
Gas Stations
In the Plains region, stations are named as Station Name (Brand). If the station brand is unknown, then Station Name. If the station name and brand are the same, then Brand. For example:
MinitMart (Shell)
[Store Name (Brand)]
Joe's Gas & Tackle
[Store Name with no Brand]
QuikTrip
[Store Name & Brand are the same]
Place Name Harmonization
These name spellings are standardized so that Wazers will receive consistent results when searching in the client. Please use them when you edit one of these chain or franchise businesses.
If you don't find the business you're looking for, please use this form to submit the missing information.
Many rural driveways are mapped in the Plains region.
Rural driveways in Nebraska and Iowa should frequently be mapped (as Parking Lot Roads), even if shorter than the general Driveways recommendation of 50 meters. Drivers will often be travelling at a high speed, and an upcoming turn provides advanced warning of their destination. Driveways also serve as useful navigation landmarks on otherwise featureless rural roads, especially during night time navigation. If they are not mapped, a Wazer driving on one may be mistakenly snapped to a nearby road and interfere with the speed data or provide confusing directions.
If the addresses for properties on the driveway are known, delete the relevant House Numbers and add Residential Place Points (RPPs).
The RPP must be complete including the address number, street name, city name, and entry/exit point as noted in the Things to remember section of the HN page under the If the correct stop point for a house/business is on a different road than its address road bullet point.
Ensure the entry/exit point is placed clearly to one side of the road segment, not on top of the road segment.
Urban driveways do not qualify for mapping in most circumstances unless they meet certain route-aiding criteria as defined in the national standards for Driveways.
Cameras
Not every camera-looking device at an intersection is a speed or red light camera. Generally speaking:
a speed camera takes a photograph of a vehicle when it passes by the camera at too high a speed.
a red light camera takes a photograph of a vehicle that enters an intersection after the light is red. In some areas, it takes the photograph when a vehicle is not clear of the intersection some period after the light turns red.
When adding a camera, be sure to review the camera placement recommendations.
Laws regarding speed and red light cameras vary between the states and territories, so be sure to understand the details of camera legality in Iowa.
As of September 2015 red light and speed cameras are legal in Iowa. There is currently an ongoing lawsuit between several cities and the Iowa DOT over who has authority to govern and use of cameras.
To do list
Many states and territories keep an active list of pending or closed actions that need to be done in the state by the editors. All editors are welcome to contribute to the list of activities.
This state does not currently have an active "to do" list at this time. Check in the Iowa section of the Waze forums to discuss creating one.
Area Managers
The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Iowa. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Iowa, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Iowa, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.
The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Iowa is automatically listed at the top of the table. That editor may not be highly active in this state and therefore may not be listed separately in the table.
Iowa — Area, State, Country Managers, and Regional Coordinators
The following editors are also editing in the state and may be working towards an Area Manager position. Feel free to contact them for assistance in their respective areas.
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