Speed limits inside and outside built-up areas

Maximum speed inside a built-up area

How fast may you drive inside a built-up area? At most 50 km/h, even when there is no speed sign (RVV 1990 article 20).

The built-up area starts at the blue sign with the name of the town or village. It ends at the same sign with a red line through it. Often there is also a 50 sign next to the place-name sign. That sign is extra: without it, 50 km/h still applies.

If you speed inside a built-up area, the fine is higher than for the same offence outside one. What 10, 15 or 30 km/h too fast costs, you can look up in the OM fine database (Boetebase). These limits are for a car. Mopeds and microcars (brommobielen) have other limits: see moped, e-bike and motorcycle.

30 km/h zone

In a 30 zone you may drive at most 30 km/h, in every street of the zone. The zone starts at the zone 30 sign and only ends at the end of zone sign. Still inside the built-up area after that? Then you may drive 50 km/h again.

Speed bumps and brick paving ask you to drive calmly. But a speed bump does not turn a road into a 30 km/h road. The speed limit comes from the sign, the zone sign or the general rule. A safe speed can be even lower.

On an erf: 15 km/h and pedestrians everywhere

On an erf (residential zone) you drive at walking pace: at most 15 km/h. You recognise an erf by the blue sign with a house and children playing. All the rules on speed, priority and parking in an erf are under woonerf (residential zone).

• Pedestrians and children playing may use the whole road, including the carriageway.
• Cars drive only on the carriageway.
• Keep to the right as much as you can: there may be oncoming traffic.
• At 15 km/h you can stop in time if a child runs into the road.

Maximum speed outside a built-up area

How fast may you drive outside a built-up area? On an ordinary road at most 80 km/h, even when there is no speed sign (RVV 1990 article 21). You are outside the built-up area as soon as you pass the place-name sign with the red line.

On an autoweg you may drive 100 km/h and on a motorway 130 km/h. See speed on the autoweg and speed on the motorway. On an ordinary road outside a built-up area there is no minimum speed.

Why is it sometimes 60 km/h outside a built-up area?

On narrow roads outside built-up areas there is often a 60 sign. There you meet many cyclists, oncoming cars and tractors. Then 60 km/h is safer.

The 60 stops at a new speed sign or at the end of maximum speed sign. That is a round white sign with the old speed in grey numbers and black lines through it. After it you may drive 80 km/h again outside a built-up area. If the end sign is inside a built-up area, 50 km/h applies after it, unless another sign says otherwise.

Recognising the speed from the road itself

Did you miss a sign, or is there no sign? Then the road itself helps you. But a sign always comes first. Lines and colours do not set a speed of their own. If there is a 70 sign, you may drive 70, even with green between the lines.

Double white line in the middle, no sign → usually an ordinary road: 80 km/h.

Only lines at the edges, no sign → usually also 80 km/h.

Green between the white lines → often a road where you may drive 100. Think of a green 100-euro note. But green alone does not make a road an autoweg. More under green line on the road.

A central reservation between the carriageways → says nothing about the speed. Look at the sign.

How fast can you drive here? Find the speed limit in 5 steps

1. First check: inside or outside a built-up area?

Inside a built-up area	Outside a built-up area
Place-name sign without a line: you enter the built-up area. At most 50 km/h.	Place-name sign with a red line: you leave the built-up area. On an ordinary road at most 80 km/h, unless a sign says otherwise.

You decide this with the place-name sign. Not with your feeling and not with the houses.

Sometimes the question tells you: "You are driving outside a built-up area." So read the question first and look closely at the picture. Only then look at the answers.

2. Is there a speed sign? Then follow the sign

If there is a speed sign, you follow that sign. Even if the road looks different from what you expect.

3. No sign? Then the default applies

Without a speed sign, the normal speed of the place where you drive applies: 50 inside a built-up area, 80 outside it, 30 in a 30 zone and walking pace on an erf.

4. After an end sign, back to the default

After the end of 30 zone sign you may drive 50 again inside the built-up area. After the end of maximum speed sign you may drive 80 again outside it. So an end sign does not mean "no limit", but the normal speed of the road.

5. The speed limit is not a target speed

You may always drive slower than the sign. Near children, in rain, fog or a situation you cannot oversee, you must. You must be able to stop within the distance you can see. Read more under stopping and braking distance.

Differences you must be able to recognise

Look alike	The difference	What applies
Place-name sign with or without a red line	Without the line you enter the built-up area, with the line you leave it	50 km/h or 80 km/h
Zone sign 30 and erf sign	In a 30 zone it is an ordinary street; on an erf pedestrians may use the whole road	30 km/h or walking pace (at most 15 km/h)
End of 30 zone and end of maximum speed 60	An end-of-zone sign ends the whole zone; A2 ends the displayed speed restriction. Your location determines the new limit	Usually 50 inside a built-up area or 80 on an ordinary rural road, unless another restriction applies
Round 50 sign and blue square 50 sign	Round with a red border is a maximum, blue square is a recommendation (speed limit signs)	Mandatory or only advice
Ordinary road without a centre line and road with a green centre strip	The layout helps recognition; applicable signs and the road type remain decisive	Ordinary rural road default 80; autoweg outside a built-up area default 100, absent another restriction

CBR traps around speed limits on the road

❌ Wrong: thinking you must keep driving 30 after a 30 zone.
✅ Right: inside the built-up area you may drive 50 km/h again after the end of zone sign.

❌ Wrong: thinking you must drive exactly 30 at a 30 sign.
✅ Right: the number is a maximum. Slower is always allowed.

❌ Wrong: thinking you are in a built-up area because there are houses.
✅ Right: you look at the place-name sign.

❌ Wrong: driving as fast on an erf as in a 30 zone.
✅ Right: on an erf you drive at walking pace, at most 15 km/h.

❌ Wrong: thinking there is no limit after the end of maximum speed sign.
✅ Right: then the normal speed applies: outside a built-up area 80 km/h.

❌ Wrong: finding the lines more important than the sign.
✅ Right: a sign always comes first. Lines only help when there is no sign.