Private roads

Traffic control devices for private roads

A permit from the city is
always required for traffic control devices placed on private roads, such as permanent traffic signs. The permit is applied for and the traffic control devices are placed by the private road keeper.

On an organized private road, the road keeper is the road management association. If no road management association has been established, the road keepers are all road shareholders together.

A permit from the city is not required for traffic signs placed on the road due to work being carried out on the road or the temporary poor condition of the road. Such traffic signs include, for example, road work signs, temporary weight limit signs, or temporary speed limit signs.

Permit application

The permit application is informal, but it must present the following matters:

1. The name of the road management association or, if no association has been established, the name and contact details of the road shareholder
2. A short description of the matter and the grounds for the application
3. The names of the roads within the area of influence of the traffic control device
4. The traffic control devices for which consent is sought (traffic sign,
   additional plate, speed bump, barrier, etc.)
5. The name and number of the traffic sign must be reported in accordance with the instructions of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
6. The location and direction of each traffic control device on a map.

Mandatory attachments to the permit application:

• The minutes of the annual meeting of the road management association, showing the association’s decision
  on placing the traffic control device. The placement of the traffic sign must also be mentioned
  in the notice of the meeting.
• If a road management association has not been established, an application signed by all road shareholders is required, or
  the applicant must present the necessary powers of attorney. Permission is also required from everyone affected by the traffic control device in question.
• If the road is used by other road management associations or those with road rights, their consent is required
  for placing the traffic control device. To speed up the processing of the permit application,
  it is advisable to attach these consents to the application.

The permit application and its attachments should be sent either by email to mypalvelupiste@hameenlinna.fi or by post
to the address:
City of Hämeenlinna
Traffic control devices, permit application
Wetterhoffinkatu 2
13101 Hämeenlinna

Processing of the permit application and other conditions

When granting a permit, the city ensures that the traffic control device has the correct content and
is appropriate for the use of the road. If necessary, the city will request a statement from the police,
the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre), or the rescue department.

If the state or the city assists the road management association or road shareholders jointly in road maintenance, the
use of the road for traffic other than for the benefit of the road shareholders may not be prohibited, nor may the road
be closed during the period to which the subsidy applies.

Information regarding private roads is integrated into open spatial data. The data is
utilized by, for example, the rescue department, navigator manufacturers, and the forest industry.

The road management association or road shareholders are responsible for the installation and
maintenance of the traffic control device. The applicant is also responsible for the correctness and up-to-dateness of the traffic control device,
even if conditions or the situation change.

The permit applicant is responsible for the notification to the Digiroad information system (in Finnish) in accordance with the Road Traffic Act.

General instructions for placing traffic signs

Traffic signs must be placed on the right side of the road in the direction of travel.

Traffic signs must be placed so that they have good visibility but do not form
a visual obstruction.

Generally, a maximum of two traffic signs
equipped with the necessary additional plates may be attached to the same post or rack. (Ministry of Transport Decision, Section 7)

The road keeper must use traffic signs in accordance with the Road Traffic Act (729/2018).

The installation of new traffic signs must follow the placement instructions (2B-6) in the Finnish Road Administration publication “General instructions
for the use of traffic signs.”

Further information

Placing a traffic control device, Road Traffic Act (729/2018) §§ 70-87 (in Finnish)
Placing a traffic control device, Private Roads Act (560/2018) § 25 (in Finnish)

Maintenance subsidies for private roads are granted to each private road based on the length of the road. If parts of the road management association’s road are maintained by the city, no subsidies are granted for these parts.
When applying for the subsidy, the road management association may apply for an additional subsidy, for example, on the grounds that the association’s road leads to a recreation area maintained by the city.

The basic improvement subsidy is discretionary and is granted within the limits of the appropriations.

The basic improvement subsidy must be applied for before starting the project, and it must be implemented within two (2) years of the subsidy decision.

Payment is made for the actual and approved basic improvement, excluding value-added tax (VAT 0%), from the following year’s private road subsidy budget.

In larger basic improvement projects where the total estimated cost including value-added tax exceeds €10,000, the road management association must first apply for a state basic improvement subsidy. The subsidy decision from the Vitality Centre is attached to the subsidy application submitted to the municipality.

When applying for a maintenance subsidy, the mandatory attachments to the application are:

1. An extract from the National Land Survey’s private road register, showing the official length of the road entered in the register (KTJ extract)
   * If the extract was submitted in the 2024 application, it does not need to be sent in this year’s application, unless there have been changes to the road sections.
2. An account audit report 2025 or an extract of the minutes 2026, in which the management committee or the trustee has been granted discharge from liability.

When applying for a basic improvement, the mandatory attachments to the application are:

1. Basic improvement plan
2. Total cost estimate for the project, including the total amount excluding and including value-added tax
3. Financing plan
4. A map showing the location of the basic improvement
5. A copy of the decision of the annual meeting of the road management association to undertake the project

When applying for a state-assisted basic improvement subsidy, the mandatory attachments to the application are:

1. The Vitality Centre’s decision on the state subsidy for the improvement of a private road
2. The Economic Development Centre’s final inspection report

Economic Development Center (in Finnish) is the former ELY Centre.

Attachments must be submitted either at the time of application or no later than August 1, 2026, by 12:00 noon by email to tonttipalvelut@hameenlinna.fi or by letter to the address:

City of Hämeenlinna
Private road subsidies
Wetterhoffinkatu 2
13100 Hämeenlinna

If necessary, the person who reported the road management association’s information will be requested to supplement the applications and attachments via the email they provided.

If the road management association has not submitted the application and the required attachments by the deadline, the subsidy decision will lapse. Subsidies cannot be applied for retroactively.

Instructions for ordering a right-of-use unit extract (KTJ)

The private road register is maintained by the National Land Survey of Finland.

Check the road management association’s information in the private road register and, if necessary, update any changed information via the link below.
Update the road management association’s contact details in the private road register (in Finnish)

The extract can be ordered from the National Land Survey’s customer service or the National Land Survey’s electronic service

The extract is subject to a fee.

You can obtain the right-of-use unit ID from the National Land Survey.

Reviewing the accounts

According to the Private Roads Act, the road management association must either review the accounts at a meeting or select two people in advance to audit the accounts. The account auditors can be laypeople or professional auditors.

If the account auditors are professional auditors, they perform an audit in accordance with the Auditing Act and provide a report on it. If the account auditors are laypeople, they review the accounts and provide an informal report to the road management association meeting.

The accounts can also be reviewed at the meeting. If the accounts have been reviewed at the meeting, a copy of the signed meeting minutes must then be sent as an attachment to the subsidy application.

The accounts are approved by the road management association meeting.

Form:

Account audit report (.pdf)