Safety Center

For emergencies, call 911 or local emergency services — AroundMadison is not a 911 substitute and is not an emergency dispatch service.

Urgent alerts and weather

NWS forecasts and alerts, and other weather information, are provided for convenience and may be delayed or incomplete. Cross-check official sources when safety depends on it. Urgent/emergency information is never sponsored.

Community NOW reports

Traffic, weather-adjacent, and other community NOW reports are neighbor observations — not automatically verified or official. Official/verified labels mean only what the product indicates.

Marketplace

Never send money or a deposit to someone you haven't verified. Meet in a safe public location when practical. AroundMadison does not hold payments or guarantee transactions. AroundMadison does not verify Marketplace users or guarantee their identity unless a particular verification indicator expressly says otherwise.

Messaging and meeting people

Be cautious with strangers online and offline. Do not share sensitive personal or financial information in chat. Mute reduces notifications; Block is a stronger personal boundary.

Location privacy

Think before posting exact addresses or live locations. Exact residential location is not public by default; Marketplace exact addresses require your consent where that feature is used.

Children and sensitive scenes

Account holders must be 18+. When posting about schools, youth activities, family events, or public-safety situations involving minors, avoid unnecessary identifying details. Do not post exploitative images of accident, crime, or medical scenes.

Lost / found and scams

Use common sense for lost/found posts. Watch for payment and shipping scams. Report suspicious activity.

Reporting and blocking

Use Report on posts, listings, and profiles for scams, harassment, or other abuse. Reports go to Trust & Safety — the reported person does not see your identity as reporter. Blocking hides someone's content from you and stops interaction. Manage blocks in My AroundMadison → Blocked Members.

More detail: Marketplace Rules, Messaging Rules, Guidelines.