This page serves as the primary resource for editors of Washington. 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.
Welcome to the Washington State wiki page.
Introduction
Washington is a part of the Northwest region, which includes the states and/or territories of:
Before editing the maps in Washington, 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.
All of the state's roads are typed and set according to WSDOT functional classification. Washington follows the Functional Classification (FC) system for both state and non-state roads. This change from the previous road-typing guidance was changed in September 2014. Please cross reference using the functional classification table
WSDOT - Roadway Characteristics Special use lanes, access control, legal speed limits, number of lanes, surface type and roadway width along State Routes.
If you want to know more about the Federal Functional Classification check the Functional Classification article.
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 Washington.
New editors should consider checking into the formal mentoring program available at no charge.
Discord - Waze NWR Editors
Discord is a all in one voice text chat that's free for anyone to use. We are moving away from Google hangouts (GHO) and encourage editors to use the discord channel.
Join NWR Discord
Discord - Waze NA
This is the North America waze channel we encourage editors to join but not required.
Join Waze NA Discord
(CCP) Connected Citizens Program
Information to Help connect on what Government agencies have been contacted about the Connected Citizens Program
Connected Citizens Program
City or County Or State
Name
Contacted?
Heard Back?
Comments
State
WSDOT
Yes
No
County
Adams
No
No
County
Asotin
No
No
County
Benton
No
No
County
Chelan
No
No
County
Clallam
Yes
No
County
Clark
No
No
County
Columbia
No
No
County
Cowlitz
No
No
County
Douglas
No
No
County
Ferry
No
No
County
Frenklin
No
No
County
Garfield
No
No
County
Grant
No
No
County
Grays Harbor
No
No
County
Island
No
No
County
Jefferson
Yes
No
County
King
No
No
County
Kitsap
No
No
County
Kittitas
No
No
County
Klickitat
No
No
County
Lewis
No
No
County
Lincoln
No
No
County
Mason
No
No
County
Okanogan
No
No
County
Pacific
No
No
County
Pend Oreille
No
No
County
Pierce
No
No
County
San Juan
No
No
County
Skagit
Yes
No
County
Skamania
No
No
County
Snohomish
Yes
No
County
Spkane
No
No
County
Stevens
No
No
County
Thurston
No
No
County
Wahkiakum
No
No
County
Walla Walla
No
No
County
Whatcom
Yes
No
County
Whitman
No
No
County
Yakima
No
No
City
Seattle
Yes
No
City
Spokane
No
No
City
Tacoma
No
No
City
Vancouver
No
No
City
Federal Way
No
No
City
Bellevue
No
No
City
Everett
No
No
City
Kent
No
No
City
Yakima
No
No
City
Renton
No
No
City
Spokane Valley
No
No
City
Federal Way
No
No
City
Bellingham
No
No
City
Kennewick
No
No
City
Auburn
No
No
City
Marysville
No
No
City
Pasco
No
No
City
NA
No
No
Cities and towns
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).
The way that cities are assigned to segments in WME has impacts both to visual app behavior and address searchability. The Primary City controls how city areas and names are displayed in the mobile app. Missing necessary Alternate Cities may negatively influence address searchability. No segments with addresses should ever be left with no Primary or Alternate City. Please follow these guidelines when assigning Primary and Alternate Cities to segments.
Setting the Primary City
If a segment is on the border of or within the limits of an incorporated municipality, the segment's Primary City shall be set to that municipality.
If a segment is on the border of two incorporated municipalities, it is the editor's discretion which one to set as Primary City.
If a segment is outside of an incorporated municipality, but is on the border of or within the limits of a Census Designated Place (CDP), the segment's Primary City shall be set to that CDP.
If a segment is on the border of two CDPs, it is the editor's discretion which one to set as Primary City.
If a segment is not within or on the border of any municipality or CDP, the segment's Primary City shall be set to None (checkbox).
When to set one or more Alternate Cities
If a segment is on the border of two incorporated municipalities, add an Alternate City for the municipality not used as the segment's Primary City
If a segment is on the border of two CDPs, add an Alternate City for the CDP not used as the segment's Primary City
If a segment is within a "USPS City" (ZIP Code area) that is named differently than the segment's Primary City or any Alternate Cities, add an Alternate City matching the "USPS City".
Examples
A segment within the city limits of Shoreline and within ZIP Code 98155 (Seattle) shall have a Primary City of Shoreline and an Alternate City of Seattle.
A segment on the border between the CDPs of Brush Prairie and Five Corners, and within ZIP Code 98662 (Vancouver), shall have a Primary City of either Brush Prairie or Five Corners, with the other set as an Alternate City, and shall also have an Alternate City of Vancouver.
Residential Place Points
For best search results in the app, Residential Place Points (RPPs) should be set to the "USPS City". Use care when approving RPP requests submitted via the app, because they will be set to the Primary City of the closest segment by default.
City Editing Resources
There are several scripts available for use within WME to assist you in determining which Primary City and Alternate Cities may be appropriate for any area. Please check with local editing leadership via Discord for guidance and training in the use of these scripts.
Washington State highways should be current to our wiki standard,
if you see one that doesn't seem right contact one of the SM's.
County Road Naming
Wyoming CountyCounty roads with the name designation of "County Road ##" or "Co Rd ##" are to be named in Waze as CR-##. This shortened version takes up less space on the map screen and is announced correctly as "County Road ##" while navigating with the Waze app.
Locking Standard
In Washington 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.
Washington Minimum Locking Rank Standard
Segment Type
Statewide
Freeway
5
Ramp
5
Major Highway
3
Minor Highway
3
Primary Street
2
Street
1
• • • • Ferry • • • •
5
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Railroad |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
2
Note: Certain roads may be locked higher than the above minimums. Please do not lower locks unless approved by the RC or SM of Washington.
Road Elevations
These are the general guidelines for elevation in Washington:
Drivable and non-drivable segments are handled the same way with elevation.
Set elevation to ground in most cases.
Segment(s) passing over other segment(s), rivers, major waterways, and all bridges shall have higher elevation, relative to ground.
Only elevate/lower the actual bridge/tunnel section of the road.
Elevation of overlapping segments should be set relative to each other, with the lowest segment as Ground (unless a tunnel).
Tunneled segments shall have lower elevation, relative to ground.
Only segments that "cannot see the sky" should have negative elevation (i.e. tunnels).
Only set elevation as low/high as necessary.
If you use the Bridge tool to join segments, be aware that it raises the elevation of the joined segment. Lower the joined segment as appropriate.
Bridges should be cut at the start/end of the bridge.
Tunnels should be cut at least 15m/50ft before and after the tunnel, to allow time for the GPS to regain signal.
Do not cut segments for elevation purposes if the bridge/tunnel starts/stops within 60m/200ft of an existing junction.
Junction Style Guide
When editing roads please note that you do not need to perfectly match the street view. Simple is better.
Local guide is as follows.
Local streets do not need u turns unless a sign is posted. Waze will automatically reroute without a u-turn via dead end segment. Adding these will only make routing more complicated.
Local streets that have small courts on the side of the road do not need to be mapped unless its over 50ft. In that case a single node without a making a loop or u turn will help route correctly to those houses. Example
Here is small court were a node is not needed. Example
Washington follows USA guidance with Turn instruction override(TIO's) Turn_instruction_override Any TIO edit of a freeway/ramp/major highway must be approved by the SM's or CHAMPS.
Review the Wiki guidelines for non-drivable roads to ensure compliance with the general guidelines.
Alleys
Alleys should always be mapped if they have a name.
Alleys should always be mapped if they are the sole access to a home or business.
Alleys should always be set to "Parking Lot Road"
Some alleys mapped before these guidelines are mapped as "Private Road". It is okay to change these to "Parking Lot Road".
Alleys are normally mapped if they are acknowledged by the municipality.
If an alley does not meet the above criteria, mapping is optional. Leave the name field blank.
Always disable the straight turn restriction from one alley to another when it crosses another road to prevent alleys from being overly used in routing.
Driveways are mapped if they are 50m (164 feet or about half a football field) or longer Example
Driveways are mapped if they are close but not connected to adjacent street Example
Driveways are mapped if they are serving two or more addresses Example
Driveways that have names can be added. These still need to be set to private road.Example
Roundabouts
When mapping roundabouts in Washington state, it is important to know the difference between roundabouts and traffic circles. Traffic circles are small circles to help slow traffic at intersections.
Here are some examples of traffic circlesː [1][2][3]
In Washington, we usually only map roundabouts. We don't map traffic circles unless:
Specific directions are needed to navigate the traffic circle (i.e. more instructions than just turn right or turn left)
If the traffic circle is on a Primary Street with high traffic or higher road type(contact a SM for traffic circles on primary streets)
The traffic circle is larger than 12m.
Dead end segments
Dead ends should all have nodes on the dead end side of the segment. It was possible in older versions of WME to add a road with a dead end and no node. As of July 2014, U-turns at dead ends or cul-de-sacs, no longer need to be adjusted in a particular way. WME no longer provides a link to adjust it. Please make sure U-Turns on the end of cul-de-sac with private driveways are Not Allowed. Example
Non-drivable roads
See Non-driveable roads for guidance that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Parking lot roads
Washington State uses the following standard guidelines found in the Wiki.
Parking lot road Please follow them.
Based on the conditions and climate of Washington,
Usually the main FSR is marked Primary Street. (Example: FS-2800)
Usually the Spurs of the Main FSR is Street. (Example: FS-2875)
Usually the Spurs of the Spurs are Dirt Road / 4x4 Trail (Example: FS-2875050, FS-2875053)
See To Do Washington for Washington FSR mapping updates.
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.
Road Closures
This section contains details about long term or seasonal road closures currently in place in Waze, usually through disconnecting of segments to prevent Waze from routing along a certain stretch of road. If you perform a closure in Waze, please document it here so other area managers can ensure the roads are reconnected at the appropriate time.
Road Name
Editor
Closed Date
Est Open Date
Links and comments
SR-20
SR-123
SR-410
GENERAL NOTE: If you need a closure the segment can not be edited since the last tile update. Do not update a segment then ask for a closure.
Washington 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.
Washington has a lot unique guidelines for mapping Places. Please see Washington/Places for guidance in Washington that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Washington follows the USA guidelines for Parking lot places (PLA's). Places/Parking_lot
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 Washington.
Please see for specific guide to mapping cameras in Washington: Washington/Cameras
Here is the current list of mapped cameras in Washington
RRC Alerts in NWR
National Guidance for RRC Alerts is currently in development.
Attempting to provide a consistent user experience and decrease "nuisance" alerts, the State Managers of NWR have agreed upon the following:
♦Any crossing where the rails have been removed and/or paved over should not have an alert regardless of gates or warning devices still in place.
♦Any crossing marked out of service by mutcd standards (https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part8/part8b.htm) should not have an alert. (This includes "tracks not in service" signs and the removal/hooding/etc of gates and warning devices.)
♦Any crossing where the rails still cross the pavement and has signs/gates/warning devices in place should have an alert, even if the removal of rails/track at another location renders the crossing in question impossible for a train to reach - for a consistent user experience there should be an alert at any crossing that appears legitimate to the driver.
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.
See Washington/To do for guidance in Washington that may not be universal to all other states and territories.
Area Managers
The table below identifies the editors also designated as Area Managers or higher who are editing in Washington. If you have any questions, please consider contacting them directly as needed. If you are an Area Manager that covers Washington, or a USA Country Manager that does a lot of work in Washington, please add yourself to this list (alphabetical by username) in the correct rank section.
The editor who also serves as the Regional Coordinator for Washington 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.
Washington — 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.
