Tag:building=terrace

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Public-images-osm logo.svg building = terrace
Terrace (5526211578).jpg
Description
The outline of a linear row of residential dwellings, each of which normally has its own entrance, which form a terrace ("row-house" or "townhouse" in North American English). Show/edit corresponding data item.
Rendering in OSM Carto
Area building=yes.png
Group: buildings
Used on these elements
may be used on nodesshould not be used on waysmay be used on areas (and multipolygon relations)should not be used on relations (except multipolygon relations)
See also
Status: de facto

This tag is most commonly used as a less-detailed option to define the outline of a linear row of residential dwellings which form a [W] terrace. Each of the dwellings normally has its own entrance. These are known as "rowhouse" or "townhouse" in North American English.

How to map

Draw a single area area along the outline of the whole terrace. Optionally add entrance=* for each entrance.

This tag is not meant to be used for a platform that extends outwards from a building.

Alternative methods

As often in OSM there are multiple correct ways to map a given situation.

A preferred approach is to map each dwelling separately using building=house, but keeping at least two nodes in common for adjoining houses. This is more appropriate for cases where it is clearly several independent buildings that happen to share walls, but may have been built at different times, by different builders, with different styles, etc, and where each building is maintained separately from the others. When using this method house=terraced can be put on the individual units.

Building house terraced example.svg


Deprecated methods

A third (not recommended) approach is to tag the outline of the entire physical structure with building=terrace, and inside the outline, draw the borders of each individual dwelling and tag it with building:part=house. This is no longer recommended, as building:part=* should not be used to represent a separately addressable building (addr:unit=* is an exception to this) .

Possible tagging mistakes

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!