Abstract: Road dust is one of the main sources of urban atmospheric particles. Effective measures should be taken to control road dust for improving the quality of urban ambient air and reducing the concentration of atmospheric particles. It is a key step to determine the detection methods of road dust. And it is of great significance to improve and develop the current detection technologies of road dust emission for effectively reducing and accurately controlling urban road dust. Through empirical analysis, the main detection methods of road dust emission at home and abroad were analyzed, including dust fall method, AP-42 and TRAKER method, as well as the main monitoring methods of road environment, such as road dust micro station monitoring method and atmospheric environment mobile vehicle monitoring method. Then the principles, characteristics and applications of different road dust detection methods were summarized and compared. As a whole, the current road dust detection methods had their own advantages and limitations. It was suggested that the local governments and researchers should select appropriate detection methods in combination with the research purpose and technical cost, the standardized sampling methods should be further developed, and the corresponding environmental protection standards should be improved, so as to realize the accurate control of urban road dust.