The following guidelines will apply to any organization’s or individual’s participation in the Adopt-A-Highway Program:

1. (1)

   1. (A) The section of a state highway to be adopted will generally be from one (1) to three (3) miles in length, but can be of any length subject to Arkansas Department of Transportation approval.
   2. (B) Eligible sections will be selected by the adopting group in cooperation with the district management;

2. (2)

   1. (A) Litter pick up will be done at least four (4) times a year.
   2. (B) The recommended adoption period will be for one (1) year, renewable at the request of the organization;

3. (3) The department reserves the right to deny adoption or renewal requests by any group, individual, or business based on any one of the following criteria:

   1. (A) Safety of the participants, passing motorists, or department employees;
   2. (B) Effectiveness of the litter control by the participants; or
   3. (C) Harm to the public image of the program or the department;

4. (4)

   1. (A) The program is not intended as a means of providing a public forum for groups, individuals, or businesses to use in promoting name recognition or political causes.
   2. (B) Therefore, the department management reserves the right to deny adoption of more than one (1) section of highway to any group, individual, or business;

5. (5)

   1. (A) Consideration will be given to traffic volumes, types, and speed and to the geometrics of the highway in selecting appropriate program sites.
   2. (B) Those sections determined unsafe or inappropriate by the district management will not be eligible for adoption;
6. (6) The department’s district management will coordinate the litter cleanup activities with the adopting organization and monitor the organization’s activities relative to safety;

7. (7) The department will furnish the adopting organization with:

   1. (A) Safety vests;
   2. (B) Advance warning signs; and
   3. (C) Litterbags;
8. (8) The department will dispose of the bagged litter;

9. (9)

   1. (A) The department will erect an appropriately sized sign along the adopted highway section to provide public recognition to the adopting organization for their participation in the program.

   2. (B)

      1. (i) The sign will have a maximum of thirty-four (34) spaces available for the name of the adopting organization, limited to two (2) lines with seventeen (17) characters per line.
      2. (ii) Spaces and dashes are considered characters.

   3. (C)

      1. (i) Political or business slogans and logos are prohibited, as well as names of candidates for political office.
      2. (ii) Phone numbers and addresses of adopting groups or businesses are also prohibited;

10. (10)

    1. (A) After each pickup, participants must file reports detailing the number of:

       1. (i) People involved;
       2. (ii) Bags collected; and
       3. (iii) Hours spent.
    2. (B) Pickup report forms will be furnished by the department.
    3. (C) This recordkeeping function is crucial to track the program’s success and provide statistics to interested groups and the media;

11. (11)

    1. (A) Participants will be encouraged to schedule at least one (1) of their required four (4) pickups to coincide with the:

       1. (i) Great American Trash-Off in the spring; or
       2. (ii) Great Arkansas Clean-Up the first weekend after Labor Day.
    2. (B) Participants will be notified in advance of these events;
12. (12) News media coverage will be encouraged to promote the program and to recognize participating organizations;
13. (13) Upon successful completion of participation in the program, the adopting organization will be presented a certificate of recognition on their anniversary date by the department;

14. (14)

    1. (A) For an applicant to qualify for admission into the program, the said applicant must adhere to the restrictions of all state or federal nondiscrimination laws.

    2. (B) Specifically, the said applicant must not discriminate on the basis of:

       1. (i) Race;
       2. (ii) Religion;
       3. (iii) Color; or
       4. (iv) National origin.
    3. (C) Such discrimination disqualifies the said applicant from admission into the program; and

15. (15) An application for admission into the program shall contain the following:

    1. (A) The complete name and complete mailing address of the applying group;
    2. (B) The current charter or current articles of incorporation of the applying group or organization;
    3. (C) The name and complete mailing address of the president, chairperson, or authorized representative of the applying group or organization; and
    4. (D) The name and complete mailing address of all members of the applying group or organization who will actually participate in the collecting of trash in the program.