Key:branch

The key branch=* is used to either identify which branch of a brand or chain an object or community represents, or controversially the name of a branch railway.

Usage

Chain locations

Used with brand=* for a local branch of a bank, a shop, restaurant, a gas station or similar, which are part of a chain.

• name=* should hold what can be physically observed on signs at the individual branch.
• Also see operator=*

This page previously proposed: "For smaller towns with only one branch, give the name of the town. For cities with multiple branches, give the name of a neighborhood, street or intersection. Note that this is often both less complex than and different from the address."

However, OpenStreetMap follows the on-the-ground principle: we map what features are called locally, usually indicated by signs or other verifiable evidence. Do not invent a branch name which is not used locally, outside of OpenStreetMap.

Examples

Tags	Photo
name=Tesco Express shop=supermarket branch=Canary Wharf
branch=Hamburg brand=Hotel Barceló name=Hotel Barceló Hamburg tourism=hotel
branch=New York/Times Square Central brand=Hilton Garden Inn name=Hilton Garden Inn New York/Times Square Central tourism=hotel
branch=Vitoria brand=Mercedes-Benz name=Mercedes-Benz Vitoria man_made=works

Railway branch

Used for a way tagged with railway=* to specify the name of a branch. See also ref=* and name=*, which are more commonly used for this purpose, and the similar tag line=* which is also controversial.

As of 2020, this key is used on many railway=* ways to indicate branch line names. These may be cases where name=* needs to be moved to operator=*, and branch=* needs to be moved to name=*. It may also be more appropriate to create a route relation with route=railway to map the branch or line. (See OpenRailwayMap/Tagging for more information.)

Examples

Tags	Photo
name=Кругобайкальская железная дорога branch=В-СИБ name:en=Circum-Baikal railway operator=ОАО "РЖД" railway=rail usage=branch

Hutterite Colonies

Hutterite Colonies consist primarily of four branches that branched out from each other in the 1800s.

Dariusleut

Schmiedleut

Lehrerleut

Independent

This key is the used as branch=* (one of the four above branches) together with community=hutterite.