Service Zones
Define geographic service areas using polygons, ZIP codes, or radius boundaries and link them to route templates.
Service Zones
A service zone is a geographic boundary that groups properties into route areas. Zones are the bridge between your service area and your route templates — each master route is linked to a zone.
Zone Types
NextRoute supports three boundary types:
Polygon
Draw a custom boundary on the map by clicking points to form a polygon. Best for:
- Irregular neighborhood shapes
- Following natural boundaries (rivers, highways)
- Precise coverage areas
The polygon is stored as GeoJSON in boundary_geojson.
ZIP Codes
Specify a list of ZIP codes that make up the zone. Best for:
- Simple, administrative-based coverage
- Rural areas with large ZIP code regions
- Quick initial setup
ZIP codes are stored in boundary_zip_codes_json as a JSON array.
Radius
Define a center point and a radius in miles. Best for:
- Circular service areas around a depot
- Simple distance-based coverage
- Temporary or pop-up service areas
Stored as boundary_center_lat, boundary_center_lng, and boundary_radius_mi.
Zone Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
name | Display name (e.g., "North Charleston", "Downtown") |
color | Color code for map display and UI badges |
day_of_week | Default service day (mon–sat) |
boundary_type | polygon, zip_codes, or radius |
default_driver_id | Driver auto-assigned to routes in this zone |
default_vehicle_id | Vehicle auto-assigned to routes in this zone |
is_active | Whether the zone is currently in use |
sort_order | Display ordering in lists |
Zone-to-Template Relationship
Each zone has one or more master route templates. When a zone is created, a default template is auto-created for it. The relationship works as follows:
Service Zone (e.g., "North Charleston" — Tuesday)
└── Master Route Template (e.g., "North Charleston - Tue")
├── Template Stop: 123 Main St (weekly)
├── Template Stop: 456 Oak Ave (biweekly, Week A)
└── Template Stop: 789 Elm Dr (monthly, 1st week)When properties are assigned to a zone, they are added as stops on that zone's template. The template's day of week is inherited from the zone's day_of_week.
Creating a Zone
- Navigate to Zones in the sidebar
- Click Add Zone
- Enter the zone name and select a color
- Choose a boundary type and define the boundary:
- Polygon: Click points on the map to draw the boundary
- ZIP codes: Enter a comma-separated list of ZIP codes
- Radius: Click the center point and set the distance
- Set the default day of week
- Optionally assign a default driver and vehicle
- Click Save
Managing Zones
Reassigning Properties
If you restructure your zones, you can move properties between zones. When a property's service_zone_id changes:
- The property's template stop is removed from the old zone's template
- A new template stop is added to the new zone's template
Deactivating a Zone
Setting is_active to false hides the zone from new assignments but preserves existing data. Active route templates in the zone will stop generating new daily routes.
Multiple Templates per Zone
For zones with many stops, you can create multiple templates (e.g., "North Charleston - Tue A" and "North Charleston - Tue B") to split the workload across drivers. Configure max_stops on each template to control capacity.
Related
- Master Routes — template structure and stop management
- Customers & Properties — how properties link to zones
- Route Generation — how zones drive daily route creation