Stay Informed, Stay Safe: Sign Up for BOTH AlertMarin and Nixle

Ensuring you receive timely and accurate emergency notifications is essential for the safety of Mill Valley residents. To stay fully informed, it is important to register for two key alert systems: AlertMarin and Nixle—each serves a distinct purpose.

I tried to clarify that MVPD will continue to use Nixle, while the County now uses only AlertMarin for emergency alerts. I also included a quick breakdown of the four different types of Nixle messages.

AlertMarin: Take-Action Emergency Alerts

Managed by the Marin County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), AlertMarin delivers critical, time-sensitive alerts directly to your phone via call, text, or email. These messages are sent when immediate action is required—such as evacuation orders, wildfire or flood warnings, or shelter-in-place instructions.

The Marin County OEM and the Marin County Sheriff no longer uses Nixle for these types of alerts. All life-safety and action-required notifications now come through AlertMarin’s updated system, which features a streamlined sign-up process and allows you to choose your preferred language for alerts.

If you haven’t registered yet, take five minutes to sign up.

Nixle: Community Information and Advisories

In Mill Valley, Nixle remains an important tool for staying informed about local events and public safety updates that may not require immediate action. The Mill Valley Police Department continues to use Nixle to share real-time information on road closures, police activity, community notices, and event-related advisories.

Nixle offers four types of messages:

Alerts (emergency-level notifications)
Advisories (less urgent, need-to-know updates)
Community Information (day-to-day neighborhood and city news)
Traffic (localized alerts for roads and travel)

To sign up, text the Mill Valley zip code 94941 to 888777 or visit Nixle.com. (You also may sign up for alerts for additional zip codes.)

On the website, you can customize your account to receive only the types of messages you want. Informational messages (Advisory and Community) are delivered only to the email address on file (if provided). If you have registered your cell number but haven’t added an email, you still will receive emergency Alerts via text. You can add an email address anytime by texting it to 888777—this ensures you are getting the full range of messages on the right platform.