City continues removal of illegally placed signs

City crews will be out in force April 9-10 disposing of illegally placed signs located along City right of ways, medians and utility poles. The citywide Sign Sweep is part of Oklahoma City Beautiful’s Centennial LitterBlitz campaign, which kicked off in March.

“We desperately need to change the culture in Oklahoma City. While campaign signs pose an eyesore, our biggest challenge is with the businesses that litter the City’s right of way year-round with inexpensively produced corrugated plastic signs,” said City Manager Jim Couch.

The location of City right of ways vary depending on the width of the street. Along highly traveled arterial roadways, where most of the signs can be found, the right of way can be as much as 26 feet from the curb. On most residential streets, the right of way is generally12 feet from the curb.

Signs are also illegal when placed in medians, parks, on utility poles, hydrants or street signs. In almost all cases, temporary signs are illegal, regardless of whether they are placed in the median or not.

City Council has been strengthening the Municipal Code on sign violations over the past nine months. A breakdown of their actions is as follows:

  • On August 15, 2006 Council members voted to allow employees, rather than just police officers and code enforcement officers, to remove illegally placed signs. As a result, hundreds of crews in several departments including Parks, Public Works, Airports and Planning were trained to identify and remove the illegal signage.

  • On October 3, 2007 the Oklahoma Municipal Code Ordinance No. 23143 was amended, requiring City crews to throw away signs once they are picked up. In the past, City hauled the signs to a central location where they were stored. Owners were given an opportunity to buy back their signs for 25 cents per sign. Revenue from the signs rarely, if ever, exceeded $100 annually.

  • On November 7, 2007 City Council voted to increase the fine for repeat offenders from $200 to $500.

  • An amendment to the ordinance was introduced on March 27, 2007 giving the Mayor and City Council authority to pick up illegally placed signs. The final hearing is set on April 24.

The last Citywide Sign Sweep was conducted in November 2006. More than 7000 illegally placed signs were removed over a five-day period.

For details about the sign ordinance, log on to www.okc.gov.