A KreisstraÃÂe (, or 'county road') is a class of road in Germany. It carries traffic between the towns and villages within a Kreis or district or between two neighbouring districts. In importance, the KreisstraÃÂe ranks below a LandesstraÃÂe (or, in Bavaria and Saxony, a StaatstraÃÂe, i.e. a state road), but above a GemeindestraÃÂe or "local road". KreisstraÃÂen are usually the responsibility of the respective rural district (Landkreis) or urban district (Kreisfreie Stadt), with the exception of high streets through larger towns and villages. KreisstraÃÂen are usually dual-lane roads but, in a few cases, can be built as limited-access dual carriageways in densely populated areas.
Unlike local roads (GemeindestraÃÂen) the KreisstraÃÂen are invariably numbered, but their numbering is not shown on signs. The abbreviation is a prefixed capital letter K followed by a serial number. In most states the car number plate prefix for the district is placed in front of the road number instead, for example in Bavaria. The KreisstraÃÂen are numbered in the individual federal states as follows: