CARY, NC – There’s a new "sign of the times" in Cary as Town staff begins a new and innovative effort to educate citizens on the appropriate use of portable signs.

Until today, when Zoning Compliance Officers discovered illegally placed portable signs along street corners, medians, and roadside right-of-ways, they simply removed the signs and took a warning notice or violation to the address indicated on the sign, and if a subsequent violation occurred, a citation and fine might be imposed. Now instead of simply combing the Town’s streets and removing illegally placed signs, zoning code enforcement staff will place a large orange violation sticker on the sign and wait a day or so before collecting it from the public area. Folks who pass the sign will no longer be able to read the sign, instead seeing the violation sticker that includes an explanation of why the sign is inappropriately placed.

"A primary focus of zoning compliance is education," said Walter Harris, Town of Cary Zoning Compliance Officer, "but until now, we’ve only been educating one person at a time—the one who placed the illegal sign. "By placing the sticker on the sign and leaving it there for a short time, the tens of thousands of passersby will see that the sign violates the law and will learn from that." Harris equates Cary’s sticker idea to that of a parking ticket or a notice on an abandoned vehicle.

On average, Cary collects 300 illegally placed signs per month.

As in most cities, Cary has in place local laws regulating where certain signs can be placed, including real estate signs (For Sale, Open House, For Rent, For Sale by Owner) yard/garage sale signs, political signs, and product advertisement signs (Mattress Sale). In general, keep all private signs off of public property and out of public rights of way. Signs are strictly prohibited on light poles, trees, traffic signals, medians, street corners, intersections, and in ditches.

To get the most out of your sign, learn the rules before you produce or place it by downloading the Town’s sign code brochure at www.townofcary.org or call the Town’s Planning Department at
(919) 469-4082.

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