Sponsor a Highway in California

AHMC offers sponsorship opportunities throughout California, including major markets such as Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Bay Area, Sacramento, Riverside and surrounding communities. We handle the Caltrans permitting process, sponsor panel design and coordination, and ongoing litter removal, so your business receives prominent roadside recognition without having to organize roadside cleanup, recruit volunteers or manage the process yourself.

Adopt-A-Highway sponsorship for California businesses

California businesses can sponsor a highway without organizing volunteers or sending staff to work beside traffic. With AHMC, you choose a stretch of state highway, our professional crews remove the litter, and your company is recognized on a sponsor recognition sign along that segment.

AHMC offers California sponsorships in two regions: Southern California and Northern California. This page explains how sponsorship works, where signs are available and how to get started.

How Adopt-A-Highway sponsorship works in California

Caltrans runs California’s Adopt-A-Highway program. It lets businesses sponsor a stretch of state highway and be recognized on a sign along it. As a sponsor, you don’t pick up any litter yourself. AHMC’s trained crews keep your section clean on a regular schedule. According to Caltrans, adoptions usually span a two-mile stretch of roadside, and permits are issued for five-year periods that groups in good standing can renew.

In a testimonial from Caltrans’ Division of Maintenance, AHMC is recognized as the first contractor to participate in the program. We handle everything for you: finding an available segment, the Caltrans permitting process, sponsor panel design and coordination, and ongoing litter removal. You get a sponsor recognition sign on a busy California highway, seen by thousands of drivers every day.

Where you can sponsor a highway in California

AHMC covers hundreds of communities across Southern and Northern California, including the Central Valley, Central Coast and Inland Empire. Major markets include:

• Southern California: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County, San Diego, Riverside and the Inland Empire.
• Northern California: the Bay Area, including San Francisco, and Sacramento.

These are examples, not a complete list. Traffic varies by roadway and location. Sponsor recognition builds through repeated presence on routes people travel regularly. Ask us about any location in California and we will check availability. Available sponsorship locations can be taken, so a location that is open today may not remain available.

Sponsorship step by step

1. Tell us where you want to be seen. Share your target cities, routes or customer areas through our Get a Quote form.
2. Choose your highway segment. We show you the open segments near your locations. California segments usually span a two-mile stretch of roadside.
3. Approve your agreement. AHMC handles the logistics and permitting with Caltrans, so you do not have to manage the application yourself.
4. Design your sign panel. Our art department works with you to design a full-color sponsor recognition panel.
5. Sign placement and installation. We coordinate the approved sponsor recognition panel and sign process with Caltrans. Caltrans determines the final sign location along the adopted segment.
6. Ongoing cleanup by our crews. AHMC’s professional crews remove litter from your segment on a regular schedule for the length of your sponsorship.

California sign options

California sponsorship signs are placed along the adopted highway segment in accordance with Caltrans requirements. Caltrans determines the exact sign placement, while the sponsor recognition panel identifies the participating business or organization.

• Mainline sign: teal with white reflective letters. The overall sign measures 54″ × 42″, with a 45″ × 21″ sponsor recognition panel.
• Ramp sign: used on the on-ramps and off-ramps of major highways. The overall sign measures 36″ × 30″, with a 30″ × 15″ sponsor recognition panel.

Benefits for California businesses

• Visibility on the routes your customers drive. Your name appears beside the state highways that residents use every day for commuting, errands and travel.
• Become part of the route they already know. From the morning run on the 405 to the drive home on the 5, repeated visibility helps turn a company name into a familiar one.
• A community-impact story you can actually show. The physical sign gives your commitment something real and visible to point to, while photos, social content and impact assets can help that story travel beyond the highway.
• No volunteer labor or roadside risk. Trained crews do the cleanup, so your team does not need to schedule pickups or work next to traffic.
• Room to grow. Start with one segment near your business, add more across California, and expand into any of the 25 states where AHMC offers sponsorships.

How much does it cost to sponsor a highway in California?

There is no single statewide price. Sponsorship fees depend on the location, the traffic on that highway, the number of segments and the sign type. The quickest way to see pricing for the areas you care about is to request a quote. For a deeper look at what drives the price, read our guide to how much it costs to sponsor a highway.

California Adopt-A-Highway FAQ

Related reading

• Adopt-A-Highway in California
• How much does it cost to sponsor a highway?
• How local restaurants use highway sponsorship to drive traffic