What is an operational design domain (ODD)?

How it works

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines the ODD in voluntary guidance from September 2017 as where and when an automated driving system is designed to operate. It names road types and speeds, plus conditions such as time of day and weather. It encourages developers to document at least the roadway types, geographic area, speed range and environmental conditions. Outside its ODD, the guidance says, a vehicle should move to a minimal risk condition. That may mean slowing down or stopping safely, it says.

The international standard ISO 34503:2023, published in August 2023, sets requirements for a taxonomy used to specify an ODD. Its abstract says it mainly applies to Level 3 and Level 4 systems. It also says a Level 5 system's ODD is unlimited.

Why it matters

Regulators write the ODD into permits. California's testing regulations require a company seeking a driverless testing permit to tell the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) its intended ODDs. That includes the weather, traffic and road conditions in which the vehicle cannot operate reliably. Running driverless vehicles outside the ODD named in the application is a ground for suspending, revoking or restricting the permit. The DMV announced the regulations' adoption on April 28, 2026.

The DMV's permit holder list, viewed in October 2026, shows what this looks like. Its driverless testing table, marked as updated April 3, 2026, has Zoox approved for Foster City and San Francisco at all hours, at a listed 45 mph. The conditions include moderate rain and light fog. Its deployment table, dated November 21, 2025, has Mercedes-Benz approved for certain California freeways and highways in daytime, at a listed 40 mph, excluding heavy fog, heavy smoke and snowstorms.

Where things stand in 2026

Companies also change where their vehicles drive. TechCrunch reported that Waymo stopped using freeways in May 2026 because of how its robotaxis behaved near construction zones. It reported that Waymo then said on July 29 it would gradually restore those routes after what it described as software updates.

Regulators can narrow an ODD too. The DMV said in April 2026 that its new rules let it impose limits on fleet size, location, speed and weather when needed for public safety. NHTSA's consumer guidance, viewed in October 2026, says systems that can drive on all roadways under all conditions are not available on vehicles consumers can buy.