Adopt-A-Highway Program Terms and Conditions

  1. The Group and its members are to be considered as volunteers and not as officers, employees, or agents to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Any injuries, claims, liabilities, suits or costs arising from Group or Group members’ activities relating to this permit shall be the sole responsibility of the Group or its individual members.
  2. The Group agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Wisconsin Department of Transportation from any injury, cost, suit, liability or award arising from the issuance or exercise of this permit, or because of any adverse effect upon any person or property attributed to the works of the Group.
  3. Participants in the Group agree to obey and abide by all laws and regulations relating to safety and such terms and conditions as may be required by the Department for special conditions that may exist on a particular adopted section.
  4. The Group shall pick up litter a minimum of three times a year between April 1 and November 1.
  5. The Group shall not work beyond its section limits.
  6. The Group shall not pick up litter on medians, bridges, in tunnels, on overpasses or around other structures that would pose a danger.
  7. The Group shall supply one adult supervisor for every 5 to 6 workers.
  8. Each participant shall have reviewed the Adopt-A-Highway Safety Training Video before participation. The Group leader shall review the safety rules with all participants before proceeding to the highway segment.
  9. All participants shall be at least 11 years of age or in the 6th grade on two lane highways and 16 years of age on four lane highways. No other persons shall be present at the work site.
  10. The Group shall work only during daylight hours and in good weather.
  11. Both traffic safety signs shall be displayed properly during litter pickup. Groups shall work on only one side of the road at a time.
  12. When the Group encounters closed containers or items suspected to be hazardous, these items shall not be touched. Items of serious concern should be noted on the group’s cleanup report.
  13. All participants shall wear safety vests.
  14. The Group shall place filled trash bags at the designated pickup site and shall recycle trash as required by the Department. Please report filled trash and recyclable bag locations to the appropriate County highway department for pickup.
  15. The Group shall order required supplies and materials from the Department.
  16. Within 24 hours of a collection, the Group shall submit the online clean-up form.
  17. Unused materials and supplies furnished by the Department may be retained by the Group during the agreement period, but at the end of the period must be returned as instructed by the Department. If the Group drops from the program, all materials must be returned to the Department.
  18. The Group shall not collect litter during the following holiday periods, Memorial Day extended weekend, July 3–5 and Labor Day extended weekend.
  19. The Group shall make arrangements for off-road parking or shuttle bus type of travel to the worksite. All vehicles at the pickup site shall be parked at the nearest cross street, if possible, or at least 3 feet from the pavement when parking on the highway.
  20. The Group may keep any recyclable materials.
  21. Acknowledgment sponsor signs must abide by Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Section 2H.08 Acknowledgment Signs. This includes no contact information, directions, slogans, emails, telephone numbers, text numbers, or internet addresses. As well, sponsoring organizations chosen sign name must comply with State laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, and other applicable laws. WisDOT reserves the right to work with the sponsors in revising group names or acronyms that may be offensive to the public. Sign names are not allowed to be phrases for gaining political influence.
  22. The Group shall notify the Department of abandonment of their segment. This permit is valid until such time the Group notifies the Department of abandonment.
The Department agrees to as follows:
  1. Provide safety vests, trash bags, traffic safety signs and a safety training video.
  2. Remove the filled trash bags as soon as possible after the pickup.
  3. The Department reserves the right to refuse or work with the sponsors in revising group names or acronyms of group names when preparing signs.