Georgetown, Del., Feb. 26, 2008: ‘Sign, sign, everywhere a sign’ might have been a popular song lyric once, but the phrase has come to describe a frequent sight along many Sussex County roadways. Now County leaders plan to put an end to that familiar tune.
Sussex County Council, at its Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008, meeting, voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance amendment aimed at cutting down on illegally placed signs, which have increasingly littered roadsides throughout the county the past several years.
Referred to as “bandit signs,” the placards often appear quickly on weekends in large groups along roadsides and at intersections, usually to promote new developments and other real estate ventures. County leaders want to tackle the problem because the signs have become an eyesore, and can pose a traffic hazard by obstructing drivers’ views, said County Administrator David B. Baker.
“A number of constituents are growing fed up with signs that seem to pop up like weeds,” Mr. Baker said. “The County is trying to keep the landscape a little less unkempt.”
The signs, under County code, are already illegal, but there was no clear means to levy fines or hold violators accountable, said Bud Rickard, operations coordinator for the County’s Planning & Zoning Office.
Under the revised ordinance adopted Tuesday, Sussex County Planning & Zoning inspectors and County Constable officers will be able to remove and dispose of illegal signs, and issue a $25 fine for each illegally placed sign. The citation will be issued against either the sign offender, the property owner (only if the property owner gave permission) or the business or entity promoted by the sign. The rules will take effect six months from the adoption of the ordinance.
The ordinance shall apply specifically to any signs not permitted under County code. The measure does not affect “for sale” signs, directional signs or temporary yard sale signs.
In the interim, the County will allow a 30-day grace period to notify violators, in writing, of illegally placed signs. After the initial 30-day period, for the following 150 days, the County will remove illegal signs but not dispose of them, Mr. Rickard said. A retrieval fee of $15 per sign will be charged to offenders who want to recover confiscated signs.
Sussex County Council Vice President Lynn J. Rogers, who supported the measure, said the ordinance amendment is overdue, and will put “teeth” into County law.
“These kinds of signs have been illegal under our code for more than 20 years, but the County didn’t have an effective way of handling them or dealing with the offenders,” Councilman Rogers said. “Now we have a law that lets us address the problem, and it establishes penalties for those who refuse to play by the rules.”
For more information on permitted and non-permitted signs or the new rules, contact the Planning & Zoning Office at (302) 855-7878.
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