The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has reclassified public roads into four groups

The Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure has issued a new Decision on the Classification of Public Roads, published in the Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No. 124/2026 of October 30, 2026, under ordinal number 1482. The Decision classifies public roads into four groups – motorways, state roads, county roads, and local roads – and was signed by Minister Oleg Butković in Zagreb on October 21, 2026, under classification 011-02/26-02/42.

CONTEXT

The Decision was made based on Article 7, paragraph 2 of the Roads Act (“Official Gazette” No. 84/11, 22/13, 54/13, 148/13, 92/14, 110/19, 144/21, 114/22, 114/22, 04/23, 133/23, and 156/25) and the Decree on Criteria for the Classification of Public Roads (“Official Gazette” No. 34/12). The document is divided into seven points: the first defines the four groups, points II to V provide individual lists of roads, while VI and VII regulate the entry into force and the cessation of validity of the previous act.

This Decision enters into force on the eighth day from the date of publication, i.e., November 7, 2026, and upon its entry into force, the Decision on the Classification of Public Roads (“Official Gazette” No. 109/25 and 118/25) ceases to be valid. The lists are published in full, with the road designation, description of the route between interchanges, border crossings, and settlements, as well as the length in kilometers; thus, the Decision occupies almost the entire first part of the volume, from page 1 to 49.

Four Groups and Total Mileage

The Decision establishes the total lengths by group, which serves as the basis for all further maintenance and management calculations:

• motorways: 1,492.368 km
• state roads: 7,452.434 km
• county roads: 9,365.418 km
• local roads: 8,421.825 km

The sum of the published sections amounts to 26,732.045 kilometers of public roads.

Motorways and State Roads: from A1 to Karasovići

Eleven corridors, from A1 to A11, are classified as motorways. The longest is A1, from the Lučko interchange via Karlovac, Bosiljevo, Žuta Lokva, Split, and Ploče to Dubrovnik and the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 558.114 km.

• A2 Gornji Macelj – Krapina – Zagreb: 61.535 km
• A3 Bregana – Zagreb – Slavonski Brod – Lipovac: 306.468 km
• A4 Goričan – Varaždin – Zagreb: 97.611 km
• A5 Branjin Vrh – Osijek – Đakovo – Svilaj: 88.672 km
• A6 Bosiljevo – Delnice – Rijeka: 81.486 km
• A7 Rupa – Učka – Orehovica – Žuta Lokva: 105.486 km
• A8 Kanfanar – Pazin – Matulji: 65.975 km
• A9 Plovanija – Rovinj – Pula: 77.233 km
• A10 Nova Sela – Metković – Mali Prolog: 8.803 km
• A11 Zagreb – Velika Gorica – Sisak: 40.985 km

The longest state road is DC 8, from Pasjak and Matulji via Rijeka, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik to the Karasovići border crossing, with a length of 657.719 km. These are followed by DC 1 (417.969 km), DC 2 (347.237 km), and DC 3 (221.669 km).

County and Local Roads and the Impact on Local Self-Government

Lists of county roads bear designations from ŽC 1006 and ŽC 2002 onwards, and local roads from LC 10013 and LC 20001. The descriptions explicitly state sections through cities, for example »A. G. City of Zagreb«, »A. G. City of Čakovec«, »A. G. City of Varaždin« and »A. G. City of Velika Gorica«, as well as sections that begin or end on an unclassified road – such as, among others, LC 10013 (Blaškovec – ŽC3010), LC 20008 (Bogdanovec – ŽC2011) and LC 20045 (Kotoriba – ŽC2040).

Since the Decision classifies each individual section into one of four groups, it serves as the basis for determining the management and maintenance of roads, so changes to the lists directly affect the counties, cities, and municipalities in whose area the roads are located.

Significance for readers

The new Decision replaces two previous decisions and, for the first time in a single act, gathers a comprehensive list of all public roads with precisely determined lengths, which is important for maintenance planning, for local budgets, and for anyone who depends on the classified traffic network.

Source: Narodne novine no. 124/2026 of October 30, 2026, item 1482, Decision on the Classification of Public Roads, class 011-02/26-02/42, reg. no. 530-08-1-1-26-1, Zagreb, October 21, 2026, signed by Minister Oleg Butković.