Deprecated features

A deprecated tag or deprecated feature is tagging that is recommended by OpenStreetMap community consensus for removal and replacement with other tagging.

Anybody is allowed and encouraged to use any tag they think is useful.

As tagging becomes more fine-grained and sophisticated over time, the community of mappers invent new tagging as needed to describe features in increasing detail. Occasionally, the community finds that extending existing tagging is not sufficient to meet current mapping needs, and instead, determines that an older tagging scheme should be replaced with new tagging that better models the world. In other cases, multiple competing tagging schemes may have arisen in parallel. If one or the other scheme gains sufficient community support over time, a consensus may develop to deprecate the other scheme. Documenting a feature as deprecated allows mappers and developers to understand which of multiple tagging schemes are recommended for use by the community.

Tags are typically discussed within wider community, for example at tagging mailing list in way that allows everybody to contribute. In cases of consensus that tagging in a different way is preferable tag can be considered as deprecated. There are various ways that together result in reduced tag usage and each requires consensus or agreement from relevant people

• Tag can be described as unwanted together with reasons for that on OSM Wiki
• Validator complaints may be added to JOSM, iD, Osmose and other validators or other Quality assurance tools
  • Typically it requires opening issue on bug tracker of a given project
• Support may be dropped from presets and rendering of editors
  • Typically it requires opening issue on bug tracker of a given project
• People may check tag usage in their area and edit objects to improve tagging
• Support may be dropped among data consumers
  • Typically it requires opening issue on bug tracker of a given project
• In rare cases automatic edits can be done to improve tagging. Such edits must follow Automated Edits code of conduct

Examples

There are some clear cases like highway=unsurfaced that has

• no support among mappers
• usage minimal compared to alternatives
• conflicts with widely used tagging schemes for describing roads (because it uses the same key)
• no support by editors
• no support by data consumers
• validators complain about it when this tag is used
• Other mappers are likely to complain about using such tag and retag it if encountered

All this is a clear evidence that this tag is deprecated. As result it is described as a deprecated on this wiki.

On the other hand highway=motorway is clearly not deprecated

• Massive and ongoing use by mappers
• No viable alternatives
• No conflict with other serious tagging schemes
• Supported by editors
• Supported by data consumers
• No validator complains about its use
• Other mappers are not going to complain about using highway=motorway for marking motorways

As result it is not described as a deprecated on this wiki.

Benefits and drawbacks

• Deprecations may be used to eliminate tags that are confusing, inferior, synonymous and lead to mistakes
• Deprecations of tags are confusing for mappers who used them, especially ones who missed deprecation discussion (most mappers never participate in such discussion, they just map)
• Deprecations will break and irritate data consumers using deprecated tags
• It is common that people treat "tag x is deprecated" or "tag x should be deprecated" or "someone told me that tag x is deprecated" as reason to make undiscussed mass edits violating Automated Edits code of conduct
• Often expressed opinion is that in case of two tags with exactly the same meaning deprecating one and retagging objects is waste of time and energy and disturbs mapping for no benefit.
• Often expressed opinion is that in such case of tags with the same meaning one should be deprecated
• People often disagree which tags are synonymous, which is preferable and whatever deprecation should happen. In some cases discussion whatever deprecation actually happened is also hotly debated.
• As result often expressed opinion is that discussions about deprecating is time-consuming affair not worth energy spend on it
• At the same time many people are spending a lot of time on planning, proposing, supporting deprecations and making edits at least partially motivated by that

Wiki guidelines

Please also keep the description box in sync:

• Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
• Category:Key descriptions with status "deprecated"

You may also use Template:Deprecated on the feature page.

In general, tags should be described as deprecated because there is no serious support for them among mappers. Opposite - documenting tags as deprecated on OSM Wiki and demanding mappers to change opinion is unwanted.

Everything is more complicated than expected

• Opinion among mappers may differ by region - there is a clear consensus that associatedStreet relations are unwanted in Germany but at the same time mappers in France like it and continue to use this tagging scheme.
  • Lithuanian mappers have banned most occurrences of natural=water + water=* in Lithuania:
• In some cases opinions of mappers are not nicely segregated in regions and mappers in the same area has different preferences. This case is most likely to result in conflicts.
• Some tags may be supported or preferred in one editor, while other software may encourage to use a competing tagging schemes
• In some cases validator complaints are unwanted and should be changed See for example this case where describing some tag combinations as deprecated was reverted. In general for any validator it is sometimes necessary to improve validator, not map data
• Some tags with very high usage count are considered as deprecated - for example is_in=* tag family is considered as deprecated by JOSM, and waterway=riverbank is considered as deprecated by iD.
• Usage count can be influenced by single person or a small group by bot edits or mass editing. Such actions can be widely supported by remaining community or be considered as undesirable, so just tag usage count is not foolproof way of measuring support for tag among mappers
• Sometimes opinion among mappers or group of mappers conflicts with opinion among developers of validator or QA tool. Sometimes different groups of mappers request opposing changes to what kind of mapping should be considered as undesirable.
• Just describing something as deprecated on the Wiki does not make a tag deprecated
• Data consumers may lag behind what is preferred among mappers or present in database, sometimes very significantly. Note also that some projects consider providing useful feedback to mappers as an important goal (for example OSM Carto) while other map projects may have different priorities.
• Data consumers may use and promote tags which are unwanted and/or duplicate existing tags
• Paid mappers may systematically use novel/weird/incorrect mapping without consulting OSM community, in violation of OEG. This can further distort tag usage statistics.
• There are cases of tags deprecated via proposal process that are still in significant use and not considered as deprecated
• Judging consensus among mappers is extremely hard, as only tiny minority participates in discussions and sometimes it is hard to distinguish between "single person supports this and likes to argue" from "this person represents many mappers sharing their opinion"
• There are cases where tag is considered as deprecated by some software with strong recommendations to retag it, while supported by other software and mappers
  • In some cases deprecating and removal of such tag is a good idea, in some cases not
• Opinions change over time, tags widely used or disliked or deprecated or approved years ago may currently be considered differently.
• Some tags may have substantial presence (or be marked as deprecated) due to bugs in software, especially in presets, it is one more reason to not trust editors blindly
• Sometimes new tag is deprecated, not old one. It happens when someone introduces new tag that duplicates already existing one, typically such tags are not gaining enough use to be even documented as deprecated.
• Some mappers dispute validity of proposal process, reject deprecating tags at all, consider OSM Wiki as useless, treat specific editors are utterly broken or consider some (or all) documentation as illegitimate. This people often have more or less valid reasons for doing this.
• Documentation on OSM Wiki, documentation elsewhere, editor presets and advice from other mappers may be outdated, incomplete, wrong, mistaken or otherwise problematic. Neither should be assumed to be foolproof.

Deprecated features

The following are features for which alternative tagging is recommended by those engaged in tagging discussions. Note that some of these features are still on Map Features and should remain there as long as they are still widely used!

Date	Deprecated key/value	Current usage	Suggestion of replacement	N	Reason
2013-12-31	emergency=aed	overpass-turbo / tag-history	emergency=defibrillator	58	Proposed features/automated external defibrillator (archive)
2014-06-13	amenity=emergency_phone	overpass-turbo / tag-history	emergency=phone	47	WikiProject Emergency Cleanup
2015-09-11	amenity=fire_hydrant	overpass-turbo / tag-history	emergency=fire_hydrant	64	On 01/01/2015, there was about 12,000 uses of amenity=fire_hydrant and 300,000 uses of emergency=fire_hydrant. 9,000 of the 12,000 had both tags. Both were allowed. Early July 2015, there was around 0 uses of amenity=fire_hydrant. On 09/11/2015, amenity=fire_hydrant has been deprecated.
2015-01-08	aerialway=canopy	overpass-turbo / tag-history	aerialway=zip_line	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-21	amenity=abandoned	overpass-turbo / tag-history	abandoned:	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2016-04-06	amenity=advertising	overpass-turbo / tag-history	advertising=*	11	An ad is not an amenity... Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated".
2015-12-18	amenity=artwork	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=artwork	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-08	amenity=car_repair	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=car_repair	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	amenity=citymap_post	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=information	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-18	amenity=community_center	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=community_centre	39	British English is preferred in tags.
2015-12-21	amenity=creche	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=childcare or amenity=kindergarten	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	amenity=disused	overpass-turbo / tag-history	disused:amenity=*, or such	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2015-02	amenity=dog_bin	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=waste_basket+ waste=dog_excrement or amenity=vending_machine+ vending=excrement_bags	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-02	amenity=dog_waste_bin	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=waste_basket+ waste=dog_excrement or amenity=vending_machine+ vending=excrement_bags	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-08	amenity=education	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=college or amenity=school or amenity=college or amenity=university or office=tutoring	12	This tag has never been approved, nor had wide usage. Take one of the replacements to correctly tag the education place.
2015-05-13	amenity=ev_charging	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=charging_station	26	The latter tag is more expressive than the former.
2009-10	amenity=garages	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=parking+ parking=* or landuse=garages	50	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". There is currently no consensus on the preferred tagging suggestions, as both got consensus on Oct. 2009 (Proposed features/Additional parking types for amenity=parking; Proposed features/tag:landuse=garages).
2007	amenity=hotel	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=hotel	7	better fits into toplevel tags
2015-12-22	amenity=kiosk	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=kiosk	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-21	amenity=nursery	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=childcare or amenity=kindergarten	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-21	amenity=park	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leisure=park	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-12-18	amenity=preschool	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=kindergarten	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	amenity=proposed	overpass-turbo / tag-history	proposed:amenity=*, or such	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2015-06-07	amenity=real_estate	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=estate_agent	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-04	amenity=sauna	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leisure=sauna	32	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with_status "deprecated". Tagging as "leisure" has been proposed, while "amenity" has been marked as deprecated in the same time.
2007-07-16	amenity=shop	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=*	1	Introduction of "shop"
2014-10-20	amenity=winery	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=winery or craft=winery	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-11-07	amenity=youth_centre	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=community_centre + community_centre:for=juvenile or community_centre:for=child;juvenile	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2013-10-06	bridge=arch	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=arch	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=beam	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=beam	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=humpback	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=humpback	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=lift	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=movable+ bridge:movable=lift	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=pontoon	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=floating	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=suspension	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=suspension	25	Proposed features/Bridge types
2013-10-06	bridge=swing	overpass-turbo / tag-history	bridge=movable+ bridge:movable=swing or bridge=yes+ bridge:structure=simple-suspension	24	Proposed features/Bridge types - was formerly used to map two very different bridge types (hanging/swinging rope bridges and movable swing bridges)
2012	building:type=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=*	29	Proposed features/Building attributes has been abandoned.
2018	building=condominium	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=apartments	56	The difference between a condominium and an apartment is purely legal, difficult to verify, and unimportant to OSM.
2011-10-27	building=entrance	overpass-turbo / tag-history	entrance=*	14	Cleaning the semantics of the "building" tag; entrance=* approved. building=entrance is still considered coexisting.
2020-01-31	car=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	motorcar=*	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2006	class=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	highway=*	2	Introduction of Key:highway
2012-11-28	color=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	colour=*	18	Usage of American form color probably mainly due to a bug in JOSM presets.
2013-10-22	date_off=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2013-10-22	date_on=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2013-10-22	day_off=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2013-10-22	day_on=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2018-06-28	camp_site=pitch	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=camp_pitch	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2018-06-28	camp_site=camp_pitch	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=camp_pitch	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2018-12-01	amenity=embassy	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=diplomatic and diplomatic=embassy	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2019-06-12	diaper=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	changing_table=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2014-05-01	drinkable=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	drinking_water=*	21	There is no need for redundant tags. One key is sufficient.
2012-09-14	escalator=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	highway=steps+ conveying=*	38	Proposed features/Escalators and Moving Walkways
2008-10-19	fenced=yes	overpass-turbo / tag-history	barrier=fence	48	Introduction of barrier=*
2015-12-21	highway=abandoned	overpass-turbo / tag-history	abandoned:highway=*, or such	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2009-08	highway=byway	overpass-turbo / tag-history	highway=track/path + designation=byway_open_to_all_traffic or designation=restricted_byway access=*	13	More accurate tagging for public rights of way in England and Wales.
2012	highway=ford	overpass-turbo / tag-history	ford=*	17	"highway=ford" on a way doesn't allow tagging the highway itself (as e.g. "unclassified"). This doesn't apply to nodes; though, and renderers haven't quite caught up (ref openstreetmap-carto issue 267 and elsewhere) - don't automatically (or semi-automatically) change "ford" node tagging.
2008-06-12	highway=incline_steep	overpass-turbo / tag-history	incline=*	3	Any type of highway=* (primary, secondary, ...) may have inclined sections tagged separately, this does not create a new type of highway
2008-06-12	highway=incline	overpass-turbo / tag-history	incline=*	3	Any type of highway=* (primary, secondary, ...) may have inclined sections tagged separately, this does not create a new type of highway
2007	highway=minor	overpass-turbo / tag-history	highway=tertiary or highway=unclassified or highway=service or such	9	Abandoned feature.
2014-09-21	highway=no	overpass-turbo / tag-history	No tags	33	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". See DE:Tag:highway=no.
2008-10-19	highway=stile	overpass-turbo / tag-history	barrier=stile	4	Their "concept" better fits in this new key and highway gets a bit uncluttered.
2008-03-19	highway=unsurfaced	overpass-turbo / tag-history	highway=* + surface=unpaved highway=track	5	Any highway classification can be unsurfaced.
2014-10-19	historic_name=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	old_name=* or name=*	37	Taken from Category:Key descriptions with status_"deprecated".
2015-12-21	historic=abandoned	overpass-turbo / tag-history	abandoned:historic=*, or such	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2008-01-10	historic=icon	overpass-turbo / tag-history	No	6	No description, usage completely unknown
2008-01-20	historic=museum	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=museum	16	Tag historic=* should be used for historic items (and therefore not a museum).
2013-10-22	hour_off=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2013-10-22	hour_on=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Conditional restrictions or opening_hours=*	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2010	landuse=farm	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=farmland or landuse=farmyard	36	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Originally designed to mark agricultural zones, this tag has confused many contributors, who tagged also buildings with it.
2010	landuse=field	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=farmland	46	Proposed features/agricultural Field#Conclusion?
2011-05-09	landuse=pond	overpass-turbo / tag-history	natural=water+ water=pond	30	Even though this tag is widely used, it has been deprecated by Proposed features/Water details. Both tagging schemes should persist for some time.
2007-07-16	landuse=wood	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=forest or natural=wood	8	Was intended to depend on whether the woodland/forest was "managed" or "primaeval", but also see Forest for more discussion about the problems here.
2017-04-13	leisure=beach	overpass-turbo / tag-history	natural=beach	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2014-08-02	leisure=club	overpass-turbo / tag-history	club=*	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	leisure=gambling	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=gambling or such	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2014-01-27	leisure=video_arcade	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leisure=adult_gaming_centre for venues with gambling machines; or leisure=amusement_arcade for venues with pay-to-play games.	44	Proposed features/Gambling
2017-04-06	man_made=cooling_tower	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=tower+ tower:type=cooling	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	man_made=cut_line	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=cutline	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2017-06-17	man_made=hot_water_tank	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=storage_tank+ content=hot_water	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2013-05-23	man_made=jetty	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=pier	42	Tag whose definition remains unclear. man_made=pier is way more widely used.
2016-01-02	man_made=village_pump	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=water_well	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-07-09	man_made=water_tank	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=storage_tank+ content=water	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	man_made=well	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=water_well	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-03-19	name:botanical=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	species=*	37	Taken from Category:Key descriptions with status_"deprecated".
2011-08-31	natural=land	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Relation type=multipolygon or natural=coastline	15	For tagging islands in lakes and rivers use Relations/Multipolygon, for islands in the sea use natural=coastline and place=island.
2008-11-18	natural=marsh	overpass-turbo / tag-history	natural=wetland + wetland=marsh	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2017-03-08	natural=moor	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Look the natural=moor page for lots of suggestions.	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2009-08-08	noexit=no	overpass-turbo / tag-history	fixme=Continue	40	If there is an exit... it should be mapped!
2016-03-02	office=administrative	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=government	55	Proposed features/Government offices
2015-06-07	office=real_estate_agent	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=estate_agent	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-06-07	office=real_estate	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=estate_agent	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2012-12-08	place_name=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	name=*	23	Although it made sense in the past, nowadays it completely overlaps with name=*. More info here.
2016-06-30	pole=transition	overpass-turbo / tag-history	location:transition=yes	54	Implementation of location=* key by Proposed features/PipelineExtension which also supports underwater.
2010-09	power_rating=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	generator:output=*	28	Proposed features/generator rationalisation
2010-09	power_source=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	generator:source=*	28	Proposed features/generator rationalisation
2013-01-24	power=station	overpass-turbo / tag-history	power=substation or power=plant or power=generator	19	The value "station" is ambiguous and has been used both for substations and power plants / generators ("power station"). Please take the opportunity to review the object and add useful information, not just "correct" it.
2014-11-25	power=sub_station	overpass-turbo / tag-history	power=substation	19	The value "station" is ambiguous and has been used both for substations and power plants / generators ("power station"). Please take the opportunity to review the object and add useful information, not just "correct" it.
2013-02-01	power=underground_cable	overpass-turbo / tag-history	power=cable + location=underground	54	Implementation of location=* key by Proposed features/PipelineExtension which also supports underwater.
2014-10-24	railway=preserved	overpass-turbo / tag-history	historic=railway+ railway=rail (or whatever type) + railway:preserved=yes	41	See OpenRailwayMap/Aktiventreffen 2014 2#Tracks. Clashes with railway=narrow_gauge when such railways are preserved.
2008-05-30	route=ncn	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Cycle_routes	27	Cycle routes
2007-07-16	shop=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=yes or shop=* (the actual shop type)	51	A star '*' should not be considered as a correct value tag.
2015-12-08	shop=antique	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=antiques	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2012-03-08	shop=auto_parts	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=car_parts	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2014-01-27	shop=betting	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=bookmaker or shop=lottery See also Tag:shop=betting.	44	Proposed features/Gambling
2016-01-02	shop=disused	overpass-turbo / tag-history	disused:shop=*, or such	49	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". Besides, the deprecated tagging does not indicate which kind of amenity (or whatever) it used to/will be... See also Lifecycle prefix.
2017-04-06	shop=dive	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=scuba_diving	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2010-06-06	shop=fish	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=seafood (see also Tag:shop=fish).	45	Proposed features/seafood shop
2010-06-06	shop=fishmonger	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=seafood	45	Proposed features/seafood shop
2015-12-20	shop=furnace	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=fireplace	52	This tag is confusing. A furnace is a big oven used for melting metals; some people also applied this tag for shops selling cooking stoves.
2016-01-02	shop=gallery	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=art	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2014-01-27	shop=gambling	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=gambling (see also Tag:shop=gambling).	44	Proposed features/Gambling
2017-04-06	shop=glass	overpass-turbo / tag-history	craft=glaziery	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2017-04-07	shop=moneylender	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=money_lender	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2012-02-11	shop=organic	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=*+ organic=*	34	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated". See also Talk:Tag:shop=organic.
2015-12-08	shop=perfume	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=perfumery	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2015-06-07	shop=real_estate	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=estate_agent	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2020-04-23	shop=vehicles	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Specific values of shop=* such as shop=car, shop=bicycle, shop=boat etc. instead	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2020-06-10	natural=riverbed	overpass-turbo / tag-history	natural=water+water=river+intermittent=yes (if often water) or natural=shingle/sand... (if almost never water) instead	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	shop=window	overpass-turbo / tag-history	craft=window_construction	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-01-02	shop=windows	overpass-turbo / tag-history	craft=window_construction	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2013-12-23	sport=diving	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=scuba_diving or sport=cliff_diving	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2010-08-25	sport=gaelic_football	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=gaelic_games+ specific tag of gaelic game	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2016-09-13	sport=paragliding	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=free_flying	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2014-05-28	tourism=bed_and_breakfast	overpass-turbo / tag-history	tourism=guest_house+ guest_house=bed_and_breakfast	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2008-03-19	waterway=mooring	overpass-turbo / tag-history	mooring=*	10	More flexibility; allows us to keep original value of waterway=
2016-01-02	waterway=wadi	overpass-turbo / tag-history	waterway=stream or waterway=river +intermittent=yes or/and natural=valley	53	In Arabic wadi means valley, but this conflicts with explanations in Wikipedia and probably with interpretations in various parts of the world. For initial discussion that ended with wadi deprecation see https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/tagging/2015-January/thread.html#20946. Beware that this kind of edit requires local knowledge: it is impossible to do it correctly with mass replace without local knowledge.
2014-06-06	wood=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leaf_type=*	22	The values wood=coniferous and wood=deciduous are ambiguous. It was approved to use leaf_type=* instead.
2018-10-27	man_made=MDF	overpass-turbo / tag-history	telecom=exchange	35	Proposed features/Telecom local loop (archive)
2018-10-27	man_made=telephone_exchange	overpass-turbo / tag-history	telecom=exchange	35	Proposed features/Telecom local loop (archive)
2018-10-27	telecom=central_office	overpass-turbo / tag-history	telecom=exchange	35	Proposed features/Telecom local loop (archive)
2018-10-27	telecom=outdoor_dslam	overpass-turbo / tag-history	telecom=service_device	35	Proposed features/Telecom local loop (archive)
2018-10-27	telecom=street_cabinet	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=street_cabinet + street_cabinet=telecom	35	Proposed features/Telecom local loop (archive)
2019-03-26	shop=underwear	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=clothes + clothes=underwear	57	Deprecated by the Proposed features/Utility markers proposal.
2019-07-31	access=public	overpass-turbo / tag-history	access=yes	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2019-10-27	power=marker	overpass-turbo / tag-history	marker=* + utility=power	57	Deprecated by the Proposed features/Utility markers proposal.
2019-10-27	power=cable_distribution_cabinet	overpass-turbo / tag-history	man_made=street_cabinet + utility=power	60
2019-10-27	pipeline=marker	overpass-turbo / tag-history	marker=* + utility=gas or marker=* + utility=oil	57	Deprecated by the Proposed features/Utility markers proposal.
2020-7-14	role=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	Use relations. for eg type=multipolygon for role=outer/inner, type=restriction for roles=from/to, type=waterway for role=main_stream	62
2020-11-12	wetland=saltern	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=salt_pond	84	Redundant tag.
2020-12-5	protect_class=23	overpass-turbo / tag-history	boundary=special_economic_zone	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=air_traffic	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=low_flying_aircraft	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=bend	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=curve	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=bicycle	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=cyclists	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=bicycles	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=cyclists	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=cattle	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=cow	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=deer	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=moose	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=reindeer	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=reindeer	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=wild_animal	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=wild_animal	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=wild_animals	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=wild_animal	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=farm_animals	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=animal_crossing + hazard:animal=livestock	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=crosswinds	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=side_winds	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=dangerous_turn	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=turn	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=pedestrian	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=pedestrians	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=playing_children	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=children	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=rockfall	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=falling_rocks	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=rock_slide	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=landslide	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	hazard=slippery_road	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=slippery	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2020-12-27	protect_class=16	overpass-turbo / tag-history	hazard=*	63	Proposed_features/hazard
2017-04-12	highway=razed	overpass-turbo / tag-history	razed:=* prefix, or more specifically razed:highway=* (or other lifecycle prefix)	85
2018 (maybe 2013)	building=building	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=yes	86
2021-01-17	protect_class=25	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=military+military=*	87
2021-02	amenity=swimming_pool	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leisure=swimming_pool	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	shop=lingerie	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=clothes+clothes=underwear	20	This is more expressive and more flexible.
2021-02	amenity=gym	overpass-turbo / tag-history	leisure=sports_centre or leisure=fitness_centre	7	better fits into toplevel tags
2021-02	amenity=office	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=*	88
2021-02	amenity=hospice	overpass-turbo / tag-history	healthcare=hospice or amenity=social_facility	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	clothes=lingerie	overpass-turbo / tag-history	clothes=underwear	89
2021-02	clothes=bridal	overpass-turbo / tag-history	clothes=wedding	89
2021-02	amenity=public_building	overpass-turbo / tag-history	various	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	tomb=cenotaph	overpass-turbo / tag-history	historic=memorial	90
2021-02	shop=photography	overpass-turbo / tag-history	shop=photo	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	amenity=life_ring	overpass-turbo / tag-history	emergency=life_ring	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	amenity=administration	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=government or such	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	access=restricted	overpass-turbo / tag-history	access=private or (depending on situation and other present tags) - access=forestry, access=agricultural	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	office=healthcare	overpass-turbo / tag-history	various	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-03	amenity=private_toilet	overpass-turbo / tag-history	None	91	Mapping such toilets is the bad practice. See Good practice
2021-03	amenity=house	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=house	7	better fits into toplevel tags
2021-03	amenity=healthcare	overpass-turbo / tag-history	See Healthcare	94
2021-03	amenity=health_centre	overpass-turbo / tag-history	See Healthcare	94
2021-02	office=tax	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=government + government=tax or office=tax_advisor	55	Proposed features/Government offices
2021-02	amenity=register_office	overpass-turbo / tag-history	office=government + government=register_office	55	Proposed features/Government offices
2021-02	sport=hockey	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=ice_hockey or sport=field_hockey	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	sport=football	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=* (various values)	93
2021-02	sport=shooting_range	overpass-turbo / tag-history	sport=shooting + "physical" tag	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-02	amenity=club	overpass-turbo / tag-history	club=*	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-05-19	post_office:type=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	post_office=*	95	Proposed features/shop as post-partner
2021-05-21	landuse=school	overpass-turbo / tag-history	landuse=education	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2021-09	residential=condominium	overpass-turbo / tag-history	residential=apartments	56	The difference between a condominium and an apartment is purely legal, difficult to verify, and unimportant to OSM.
2022-01-03	vending=parcel_mail_in	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=parcel_locker with parcel_mail_in=yes	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2022-01-03	vending=parcel_pickup	overpass-turbo / tag-history	amenity=parcel_locker	31	Taken from Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated"
2022-01-04	no_overtaking=*	overpass-turbo / tag-history	overtaking=*	96
2022-01-02	embassy=embassy	overpass-turbo / tag-history	embassy=yes	97	The embassy=embassy tag has been deprecated by a voteː /Proposed_features/deprecate_embassy=embassy.
2022-02-27	boundary=forestry_compartment	overpass-turbo / tag-history	boundary=forest_compartment	98	The boundary=forestry_compartment tag has been deprecated by a voteː Proposed_features/boundary=forest(_compartment)_relations_(v3).
2020-01-24	building=collapsed	overpass-turbo / tag-history	demolished:building=* or building=ruins or delete the object	99	This is a misleading use of building=* & it conflates different types of (collapsed) buildings.
2020-01-15	building=abandoned	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=* + abandoned=yes
2020-01-15	building=disused	overpass-turbo / tag-history	building=* + disused=yes

This template can be viewed and edited at Template:Deprecated_features

Significant successful deprecations

"significant" means that deprecated tag was used widely, preferably at least 10 000 times.

"successful" means that new tag is now supported and accepted, while old is at least mostly removed

• old style multipolygons - interesting case as it was not about a tag, but about method for defining which tags apply to multipolygon
• place_name=* - on 2012-11-08 it was used more than 35k times ( http://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/place_name/ )
• landuse=farm http://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/landuse/farm
• amenity=embassy - https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/amenity=embassy#chronology
• access=public - https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/access=public#chronology
• amenity=emergency_phone - http://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/amenity/emergency_phone&***/emergency/phone
• wood=* to leaf_type=* / leaf_cycle=* https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/keys/wood#chronology
• highway=ford to ford=yes https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/highway/ford
• old style wikipedia tags were eliminated or stopped growing - https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/wikipedia:de/&***/wikipedia:pl/&***/wikipedia:ru/&***/wikipedia:en/
  • while wikipedia tag continued to grow https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/wikipedia:de/&***/wikipedia:pl/&***/wikipedia:ru/&***/wikipedia:en/&***/wikipedia/
• camp_pitch
• waterway=wadi - https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/waterway=wadi#chronology (it is not certain is it qualifying as successful)
• power=sub_station to power=substation http://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/power/sub_station&***/power/substation
• amenity=sauna to leisure=sauna https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/amenity/sauna
• amenity=register_office to office=government + government=register_office https://taghistory.raifer.tech/#***/amenity/register_office&***/government/register_office

See also

• JOSM-Editor list of deprecated keys & values / validation source
• iD-Editor list of deprecated keys & values / validation source
• Discardable tags
• Any tags you like
• Category:Key descriptions with status "deprecated" and Category:Tag descriptions with status "deprecated" - many are not listed in table above
• Pages that link to "Template:Deprecated"
• Pages that link to "Template:PossibleSynonym"

External links

• Insightful comment from Frederik Ramm on tag deprecation for popular features "It is much more than just writing a proposal, getting 20 votes on it"
• Roland Olbricht with another view on deprecating tags