State Route 556 runs from its western terminus at State Route 145 in Beallsville to its eastern terminus at a T-intersection with State Route 7 in Clarington, just a short distance from the western banks of the Ohio River.

State Route 556 runs entirely within the northern part of Monroe County.

This highway is not incorporated as a part of the National Highway System, a system of routes identified as being most important for the economy, mobility and defense of the country.

[4] The State Route 556 designation was assigned in 1937.

It has utilized the same alignment between Beallsville and Clarington through northern Monroe County since its designation.