Adopt a Road Guidelines

The Adopt-A-Road Program allows volunteers to help keep Salisbury beautiful by adopting sections of roadway within City limits. By collecting litter and recyclables, participants promote community pride, environmental responsibility, improved safety, and cleaner roadways while helping protect local waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay.

Volunteers help:

• Collect litter and recyclables
• Protect local waterways by reducing debris
• Promote a cleaner, safer community
• Raise awareness about environmental stewardship

To recognize each adopter, the City installs a roadside sign displaying the name of the participating group along its adopted roadway. It’s a visible way to demonstrate your organization’s commitment to keeping Salisbury clean and beautiful.

Safety First! Volunteer safety is our top priority. The City provides safety vests, disposable gloves, and trash bags for litter collection. Groups are encouraged to post warning signs during clean-up activities, and all volunteers must follow traffic laws and safety guidelines.

City of Salisbury Adopt-A-Road Program Parameters and Requirements

Purpose: The City of Salisbury Adopt-A-Road Program registers volunteer groups to collect litter along City rights-of-way and recognizes their efforts to improve community appearance and reduce debris entering the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

The program is not intended as a platform for name promotion or political messaging. The City reserves the right to limit the number of adoptions per group and restrict signage language for adopted road sections.

Who May Participate?
Eligible adopters include civic and non-profit organizations, school groups, commercial and private enterprises, and families.

• Participants under 18 require written parental or guardian permission.
• Participants under 16 must be supervised by adults (at least 1 adult per 5 minors under 16).
• Local chapters of national organizations must provide written authorization from their national office allowing use of the organization’s name on signage and identifying authorized representatives.

Requirements include:

• Have an approved application on file and sign an Adopt-A-Road Program agreement with the City.
• Pick up litter and recyclables at least four times per year
• Commit to a one-year adoption term, renewable upon mutual agreement
• Follow all traffic laws and safety regulations
• Keep clean-up activities to roadside areas only (no trespassing on private property)
• Replace any City-provided items (e.g., vests, signs) that are lost or damaged
• No alcoholic beverages are permitted at any time
• Designate one member to be the Adopt-A-Road Coordinator. This person will be the point of contact between their group and the City, and is responsible for ensuring that the adopter and its participants adhere to all provisions contained in the agreement, this policy statement, and the safety requirements outlined either in writing or orally by City representatives.

The Adopt-A-Road Coordinator must:

• Ensure all participants sign the required volunteer waiver before participating in any Adopt-A-Road clean-up. The waiver releases the City of Salisbury, its officials, employees, contractors, and agents from liability related to participation in the program. For participants under 18, a parent or guardian must also sign the waiver. Participation in the program constitutes acceptance of these terms.
• Be present at all roadside clean-up activities whenever practicable. If the Coordinator is unavailable, an adult group member must assume all Coordinator responsibilities.
• Complete and submit the required clean-up report to the City’s Adopt-A-Road Program Manager following each clean-up event.
• Report any incident or injury related to the Adopt-A-Road Program to the Department of Field Operations at 410-548-3177. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 first.

The City of Salisbury will provide:

• Following the completion of the adopting group’s initial event, the City will install a sign with the adopter’s name, designating the adopted section(s) of roadway.
• Safety information and safety vests.
• Trash bags.
• Replacement signs as necessary due to normal wear and tear and accidental damage. The City will replace, at its cost, up to two signs per adopter IF signs are stolen, defaced, or damaged by causes other than normal wear and tear. The removal of defaced or damaged signs will be at the sole discretion of the Director of Field Operations or whoever is designated in their absence.

Sign Specifications:

• Adopt-A-Road signs are intended to recognize volunteers and promote the program—not to serve as advertising or political messaging.

  • The City has sole discretion over the size, design, wording, and placement of all signs.
  • Signs may display only the adopter’s official name. Business logos, slogans, phone numbers, addresses, political titles, or other statements are not permitted.
  • Memorial signs may include the wording: “(Adopter Name) in memory of (Name of Deceased).”
  • The City may reject or remove any sign containing offensive, discriminatory, obscene, profane, or otherwise inappropriate language.
  • If an adopter fails to meet program requirements or no clean-up activity occurs within six months of sign installation, the City may terminate the agreement and remove the signs.
  • All decisions regarding the administration and enforcement of the Adopt-A-Road Program are final

Please note: The signed Volunteer Waiver and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be printed and brought with you on the day of each scheduled road clean-up. Participants will not be permitted to take part without the required signed documents.