City Brand Guide

Use numerals for an address number and abbreviate directional and street names:

• City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.

• 809 N. Broadway

• Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway

Capitalize the word “City” when it is used in place of the “City of Milwaukee” to describe actions, intentions, or beliefs of the local government. For example:

• The City places a high level of importance on traffic calming measures.

Do not capitalize the word “city” when it is used to describe an area or region. For example:

• We are installing traffic calming measures throughout the city.

The proper way to refer to City of Milwaukee departments is:

Assessor's Office

Budget and Management Division

City Attorney’s Office

Community Development Grants Administration

Community Development Block Grant

Common Council/City Clerk

City Service Commission

Department of City Development

Direct Connect MKE (jobs platform)

Department of Community Wellness and Safety (no ampersand “&”)

Department of Compliance and Engagement 

Department of Emergency Communications

Department of Employee Relations 

Department of Administration 

Department of Neighborhood Services

Department of Public Works

Election Commission

Employes’ Retirement System of the City of Milwaukee

Environmental Collaboration Office

Equal Rights Commission

Milwaukee Ethics Board

Fire and Police Commission

Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee 

Intergovernmental Relations Division

Innovation Office

Information and Technology Management Division

License Division

Legislative Reference Bureau

Milwaukee Arts Board

Milwaukee Fire Department

Milwaukee Health Department

Milwaukee Police Department

Milwaukee Public Library

Milwaukee Water Works

Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation

Office of African American Affairs

Office of Early Childhood Initiatives 

Office of Emergency Management

Public Information Division 

Port Milwaukee

Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee

Vision Zero

Unified Call Center

Always capitalize “Common Council” when referring to the Milwaukee Common Council. This is true whether or not you use “Milwaukee” before “City Council.” For example:

• The Milwaukee Common Council will decide on the ordinance today.
• The Common Council will decide on the ordinance today.

If you are talking about “common councils” in general, you do not need to capitalize the words. For example:

• In many major cities, common councils help enact laws.

When listing the date for a meeting: 

• In primary instances, use a date format that follows this specific order: the day of the week, month, day, and year. 
  (Friday, January 23, 2026) 

• Do not abbreviate the month or add a suffix to the date. (Jan. 23rd)

When listing the time for a meeting: 

• Do not include “:00” for times starting or ending on the hour. (4 - 6 p.m.)

• Always write “a.m.” and “p.m.” in lowercase and with periods. Always put a space between the numerical time and the a.m./p.m. designation. (11 a.m. - 12 p.m.)

• When writing time ranges, use a dash and place a space on either side of the dash. (4:30 - 6 p.m.)

• Never use “noon.” Always use “12 p.m.” 

• When writing street names, abbreviate the directional with a capitalized initial followed by a period and spell out the suffix in page titles or in copy. 
  N. Oakland Avenue

NOTE: Suffixes may be abbreviated (ex: “Street” to “St” or “Avenue” to “Ave”) when needed to save space. E.g., project maps, labels on maps. 

When writing out the name of a project that includes the project street and the project limits:

• Always list the name of the street being worked on first, with the directional abbreviated and the suffix 
• spelled out. 
• If project limits apply, follow the project street with a dash with a space on both sides.
• After the dash, write out the project limits with the directional and suffix abbreviated. 
• “From” and “to” project limits should be listed from south to north, and east to west.
  (N. Sherman Boulevard - W. North Ave. to W. Capitol Dr.)

Always capitalize “Mayor” when referring to the Mayor of Milwaukee. This is true whether or not you use the Mayor’s name. For example:

• Mayor Cavalier Johnson is coming to the meeting today.
• Cavalier Johnson, the Mayor of Milwaukee, is coming to the meeting today.
• The Mayor is coming to the meeting today.

If you are talking about “mayors” in general, you do not need to capitalize the word. For example:

• Mayor Cavalier Johnson will be among the mayors who will visit the White House this week.
• Housing is a big concern for mayors in many major cities.

• Spell out numbers one through nine in writing, and use numerals for 10 and above.
• Always spell out numbers at the beginning of a sentence.

Exceptions:

• Ages: Use numerals. 
  A 5-year-old girl was in the car
• Dimensions: Use numerals. 
  A 6-by-8 foot rug
• Percentages: Use numerals and always “%”, do not write out “percent”.
  The cost has been reduced by 5%
• Time: Use numerals. 
  The event begins at 7 p.m.
• Dates: Use numerals for the day.
  January 1, 2017 
• Large numbers: Use numerals for millions and billions. 
  A $1.2 billion deficit

Please adhere to AP Style in public-facing materials.

• However, for clarity in lists, please use the Oxford comma. 
• Example: Milwaukee's sports teams are the Bucks, Brewers, and Admirals. 

• Always use the click-to-call friendly format for phone numbers. Remember to use dashes so that the numbers are recognized on mobile devices. 
• Please use 414-286-2200, instead of (414) 286-2200, or 313.286.2200.
• In 2021, the Federal government had implemented ten digit dialing in the 414 area code.
• What this means is, even if you are calling another 414 telephone number, you will need to add the 414 to the number.
• If you previously used to dial 708-5555, you will now need to dial 414-708-5555.
• Check stationery or advertising materials and reprogram devices to ensure area code is included.

Hemingway App - review reading level on your content

Plain Language Guide Series 

• Jargon and government legalese
• Run-on sentences and muliple commas in a sentence
• Words like "may" or "shall" 
• Acronyms (always spell them out at first mention)
• Symbols (don't use "&" and "@" symbols. Spell it out.