Each jurisdiction (state, county, township, municipality) determines its own markings. However, the safety value of standardization became apparent to traffic engineers by the 1930s, and various committees of the American Association of State Highway Officials suggested best practices for colors and shapes of regulatory signs, and for pavement markings. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices was first published in 1935, setting standards for both road signs and pavement markings. Nearly every state has adopted it, through administrative rulemaking, as the guide to be followed.

The federal Highway Safety Act of 1966 "encouraged" all states to adhere to uniform standards, lest they lose part of their federal funding for highways. The 1971 edition of the MUTCD required yellow center lines (some states had previously used white), with a deadline of 1978 for the changeover.

The "Eisenhower Interstate System" is merely an honorary name for a network of superhighways marked with a particular numbering system. They are owned and maintained by the states, and the "privilege" of displaying an Interstate number is determined by an AASHTO committee, not by the federal government.