A Philippine legal and regulatory article on what “ROW width” means, where requirements come from, and how widths are determined and enforced.

1) What “road right-of-way” legally means

Road right-of-way (ROW) is the strip of land reserved or acquired for a road and its appurtenant works. It is broader than the paved portion you drive on. In Philippine practice, a road ROW typically includes some or all of the following:

Carriageway (travel lanes)
Shoulders / parking bays / lay-bys (where applicable)
Sidewalks and PWD-accessible ramps (often tied to B.P. Blg. 344, the Accessibility Law)
Bicycle lanes (where required by local ordinance or project design)
Median (for divided roads)
Drainage (canals, culverts), slope protection, retaining structures
Utility corridors (power/telecom/water lines; ducts; poles), with clearances
Road safety elements (guardrails, barriers, clear zones, signage supports)

Key distinction:

ROW width requirement is about the land corridor needed for the road and its functions.
Roadway width (or carriageway width) is only the portion used for vehicle movement (plus sometimes shoulders).

A frequent source of conflict is when people assume “two lanes” automatically equals a fixed ROW. In reality, ROW is determined by the whole cross-section and constraints (urban/rural context, sidewalks, drainage, utilities, slopes, intersections, future widening).

2) There is no single universal ROW width in one statute

In the Philippines, no single law sets one nationwide, one-size-fits-all ROW width for every road. Instead, ROW widths come from a layered system:

Project design standards and classifications (especially for national roads)
Local planning/zoning and subdivision approvals (especially for local roads and private developments)
Housing/subdivision regulations (minimum internal road ROWs)
Right-of-way acquisition law (procedure and compensation rules, not a universal width)

So when someone asks “What is the required ROW width in the Philippines?” the legally correct response is: “Required by whom, for what kind of road, in what context, and under what approval?”

3) The principal Philippine legal framework you must know

A. Local Government Code (R.A. 7160): who owns and manages which roads

The Local Government Code allocates responsibility among:

National roads (generally under DPWH for planning/design and, often, ROW acquisition for national projects)
Provincial, city, municipal, barangay roads (generally under the relevant LGU)

Why this matters: the “ROW requirement” you must comply with often depends on whether the road is national or local, and on which office approved the road plan.

B. Right-of-Way Act (R.A. 10752): how land is acquired for public infrastructure

R.A. 10752 governs the acquisition process for ROW for National Government Infrastructure Projects (including roads), covering:

Negotiated sale, expropriation, donation, and other modes
Standards for valuation and payment (including improvements and damages in appropriate cases)
Rules on possession, relocation/clearing in coordination with applicable laws and due process

Important: R.A. 10752 is mainly procedural and compensatory. It does not prescribe a single ROW width; it supports acquiring the ROW that the approved project design requires.

C. National Building Code (P.D. 1096): building permits must respect road lines and setbacks

The Building Code system ties construction permitting to:

Street/road lines, easements, setbacks, and zoning ordinances
Restrictions against building on areas reserved for public use (including planned road widening lines reflected in approved plans)

In practice, a property may be buildable under title boundaries but still restricted if the LGU/DPWH has an approved ROW line/widening line affecting the frontage.

D. Subdivision and housing development laws: fixed minimum internal road ROWs (the most “rule-like” part)

For subdivisions and housing projects, minimum road ROWs are typically governed by:

P.D. 957 (Subdivision and Condominium Buyers’ Protective Decree) and implementing standards; and
B.P. Blg. 220 (standards for economic and socialized housing)

These are the contexts where you most often see express minimum ROW widths in approvals because internal roads are part of subdivision design standards and are reviewed at permitting.

4) Who actually sets the ROW width on the ground

4.1 DPWH (national roads and DPWH-funded projects)

For national roads and many major road projects, ROW width is typically set by the DPWH-approved design using DPWH design manuals/criteria and the road’s functional classification. The ROW width is not chosen arbitrarily; it is determined by required components such as:

number of lanes now and in the design horizon
sidewalks (especially in built-up areas), drainage, utilities
intersection geometry (turning lanes, channelization)
slope stability/retaining works in hilly terrain
safety clear zones and barriers
possible provision for future widening

The practical takeaway: the controlling “requirement” is the approved plan/cross-section, not a one-line national statute.

4.2 LGUs (provincial/city/municipal/barangay roads)

For local roads, the LGU typically sets ROW through:

Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), local road network plans
Zoning ordinances and subdivision ordinances
Engineering office standards adopted by ordinance or policy
Conditions in development permits

LGUs often align local standards with DPWH-type classifications, but an LGU may specify its own minima depending on density, fire access, drainage, and planned connectivity.

4.3 DHSUD (formerly HLURB for many regulatory functions): subdivisions/housing

For subdivision/housing approvals, regulators enforce minimum internal road ROWs and related design requirements as conditions for licensing, development permits, and acceptance/turnover.

5) Practical “requirement” vs “standard”: how ROW widths are commonly expressed

In Philippine practice you will see ROW widths expressed in three ways:

Fixed minimums (most common in subdivision/housing standards and some LGU ordinances)
Standard ranges by road class (common in planning documents)
Project-specific ROW shown in plans (dominant for national road projects)

A technically correct legal view is:

A fixed minimum is enforceable because it is a standard incorporated into permitting rules.
A range becomes enforceable once adopted in an ordinance or used in an approved plan.
A project-specific ROW line is enforceable as part of an approved infrastructure plan and its ROW acquisition process.

6) Commonly adopted baseline ROW widths in Philippine planning practice (general guidance)

Because different agencies and LGUs may adopt different standards, the safest way to describe Philippine “ROW width requirements” for public roads is through typical baselines used in road hierarchy planning, subject to the approved plan:

Expressways / controlled-access highways: often require very wide ROW to accommodate carriageways, medians, ramps, interchanges, drainage, and buffers (frequently 60 m and above, sometimes significantly more where interchanges and future widening are planned).
Primary arterials / major national highways in urbanizing areas: commonly planned in the 30–50 m range depending on lanes, sidewalks, drainage, and intersection needs.
Secondary arterials / key collectors: commonly planned around 20–30 m depending on context.
Local roads (city/municipal/barangay streets): commonly planned around 10–15 m for two-way access streets, with narrower cases sometimes existing historically but often targeted for upgrading where feasible.
Alleys/service access/pedestrian ways: often narrower and usually governed by subdivision/housing standards or LGU ordinances.

Why these are only baselines: a “20 m road” can become a “30 m ROW” once you add sidewalks both sides, drainage, utility corridors, turning bays at intersections, and slope works—especially in constrained or flood-prone sites.

7) Subdivision and housing projects: where minimum ROWs are most standardized

For private developments (subdivisions, housing projects) that will generate internal roads, the “ROW width requirement” is most often encountered as minimum road lot widths by road hierarchy.

While the exact numbers depend on project category and the currently applicable DHSUD rules and the LGU’s local requirements, historically the commonly used internal hierarchy resembles:

Major/primary internal roads: often around 10.0 m ROW
Collector/secondary internal roads: often around 8.0 m ROW
Minor/local internal roads: often around 6.5 m ROW
Alleys/pedestrian lanes: narrower, depending on housing category and layout

For economic/socialized housing regulated under B.P. Blg. 220, narrower configurations may be allowed than higher-end/open market subdivisions, provided minimum access, drainage, and emergency passage standards are met.

Legal effect in practice: these minimums become binding through:

the approved subdivision development plan, and
the licensing/permit conditions and compliance inspections.

Turnover consequence: subdivision road lots are typically intended for dedication/turnover for public use (subject to regulatory and LGU acceptance processes), so the ROW is treated as a planned public corridor, not merely a private driveway.

8) How ROW width interacts with property titles and boundaries

8.1 ROW is not “whatever is paved”

A paved road may occupy only part of the ROW. If the title boundary of a private lot runs to the edge of pavement, that does not automatically mean the pavement edge is the ROW line—unless supported by surveys, plans, or a lawful dedication/acquisition.

8.2 The controlling technical document is often the survey/plan

To determine whether a strip is within ROW, the decisive references are commonly:

the approved road ROW plan/cross-section,
geodetic surveys, monuments, and technical descriptions,
subdivision plans and road lot designations, and
for national projects, the DPWH ROW plans and parcellary mapping used in acquisition.

8.3 “Road widening lines” can restrict building even before actual widening

When an LGU or DPWH has an approved widening line reflected in road plans, building officials may restrict construction that would encroach into the reserved corridor, because it frustrates planned public use and can trigger future demolition/compensation conflicts.

9) Acquisition and compensation when land must be taken for ROW

9.1 Constitutional foundation: taking requires just compensation

Philippine constitutional principles require just compensation when private property is taken for public use.

9.2 R.A. 10752 mechanics (for national government infrastructure)

R.A. 10752 operationalizes acquisition by:

allowing negotiated sale based on appraised value and lawful standards;
authorizing expropriation when negotiation fails;
addressing payment for improvements and other compensable interests in proper cases;
coordinating with other laws for relocations and clearing, with due process.

9.3 Partial taking and “damages” issues

Many road projects involve only frontage strips. Common disputes involve:

whether the taking causes severance damage to the remainder (e.g., access, usability);
how to value improvements (structures, trees, business impacts depending on governing rules);
whether remaining land becomes nonconforming or functionally impaired.

Because ROW width may expand due to design refinements (e.g., intersection turn lanes), land impact can change between concept and final plans—another reason the enforceable “width requirement” is tied to the approved final design.

10) Encroachments, informal use, and enforcement

10.1 What counts as encroachment

Common ROW encroachments include:

fences, extensions, steps/ramps, signage foundations
vending structures, parking obstructions
buildings constructed into the reserved corridor
utility poles/boxes placed without proper siting approval

10.2 Enforcement reality

Enforcement can come from:

DPWH (for national roads and DPWH-controlled corridors)
LGUs (for local streets and public order concerns)
Coordinated clearing operations, especially for safety and drainage

Where structures are within a lawfully acquired or dedicated ROW, governments generally treat them as removable obstructions subject to due process and applicable relocation rules, especially where affected occupants fall within the coverage of social legislation (e.g., under UDHA principles when applicable).

11) Special contexts that change ROW width needs

11.1 Flooding and drainage

In low-lying or urban areas, the drainage component can drive wider ROW requirements: canals, culverts, outfalls, maintenance access, and utility relocation space.

11.2 Slopes and mountainous terrain

Cut-and-fill slopes, retaining walls, and protection works can require ROW beyond the apparent roadway width. A “narrow” pavement in the mountains can still require a wide ROW to keep slopes stable and maintainable.

11.3 Intersections, junctions, bridges, and approaches

ROW typically widens at intersections:

turn lanes and tapers
corner radii for trucks/buses
sight distance triangles and channelization
bridge approaches, river training works, and maintenance access

11.4 Utilities and the “shared corridor” problem

Even if utilities are allowed within ROW, poor coordination can consume corridor width (poles in sidewalks, repeated excavations). Modern practice trends toward better allocation (ducting, designated utility strips), which can increase required ROW in new designs.

12) Avoiding common mistakes: what professionals check first

When determining the applicable ROW width requirement in a specific Philippine location, the decisive questions are:

Road classification: national vs local; functional class; planned capacity
Controlling authority: DPWH district/regional office vs LGU engineering/planning vs DHSUD approval (for subdivisions)
Approved plans: existence of a DPWH/LGU road widening plan, parcellary plan, or subdivision road lot plan
Local ordinance overlays: zoning setbacks, road network plan standards, subdivision ordinance
Site constraints: drainage, slopes, intersections, bridge approaches, utilities
Future-proofing: reserved width for planned widening and multimodal facilities

13) Bottom line

In the Philippines, “road ROW width requirement” is not a single nationwide fixed number. It is a legal-and-technical outcome produced by (a) the road’s classification and design standards, (b) the approving authority’s adopted rules, and (c) the final approved plans—supported by acquisition procedures under R.A. 10752 for national projects and by permitting standards under P.D. 957 / B.P. 220 and LGU ordinances for developments and local streets.