Eventually all pavement markings degrade to the point where they reach the end of their useful service life. The end-of-service life of a pavement marking may be defined as the point when the marking has deteriorated so that it no longer provides suitable visibility to drivers. This end-of-service life, which may be anywhere from a few weeks to many years after placement of the marking, determines when the markings need to be restriped.

Because pavement marking visibility is critical at night, end-of-service life is often determined by nighttime visibility characteristics of the markings. The nighttime performance is then compared to the minimum amount of brightness that drivers need to safely navigate. Daytime performance evaluation measures also exist, but are not as critical.