The Adopt-A-Highway Program

The Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway Program provides an avenue for individuals, organizations, or businesses to help maintain sections of roadside within California's State Highway System. Groups have the option to participate as volunteers or to hire a maintenance service provider to perform the work on their behalf.

The Adopt-A-Highway program, which began in 1989, has been one of the truly successful government-public partnerships of our time. More than 120,000 Californians have cleaned and enhanced over 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside.

Participation can include one or more of the following activities:

• Removing litter (work frequency varies with location).
• Planting and establishing trees or wildflowers.
• Removing graffiti.
• Controlling vegetation.

Adoptions usually span a two-mile stretch of roadside and permits are issued for five-year periods. Groups in good standing may renew their permits indefinitely.

-NOTICE-

The moratorium on issuing new Adopt-A-Highway Permits has been lifted. Due to the large backlog of Program Applications received during the past 18 months, new Adopt-A-Highway Permits will be processed in the following order:

1. Expired permits
2. Permit riders and active permits that are about to expire
3. Permits placed on “hold” because of the freeze
4. Urban litter removal sites with waiting list
5. Urban litter removal sites with applications received after the suspension is lifted
6. All other litter removal sites with waiting list
7. All other litter removal sites with applications received after the suspension is lifted
8. All non-litter removal sites

The Adopt-A-Highway Program is not a forum for advertising or public discourse. Please contact your local public works agency if you wish to adopt a county road or a city street that is not maintained by Caltrans.

Contact Adopt-A-Highway

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