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County Steps-Up Enforcement of Sign Removal in Rights-of-Way via Volunteer Group
Recently the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors authorized the establishment of a volunteer sign collection program to remove illegally placed signs within the Commonwealth of Virginia's right-of-ways located in the county. The Code of Virginia (33.1-373; 33.1-375) prohibits advertising within the limit of any highway, which includes the roadway, shoulders and median strips. Penalties for placing illegal signs can include removal of advertisement, fines and paying for the cost of removal.
In an effort to educate and inform REALTORS® about the rules governing the placement of real estate-related signs and the volunteer group authorized to collect signs, Loudoun County zoning officials made a presentation and answered questions during a well-attended meeting this week.
Keith Fairfax, Enforcement Program Manager, explained that the Board of Supervisors voted earlier the year to enter into an agreement, modeled after Chesterfield County, with the Commonwealth Transportation Commissioner that allows the County to collect illegal signs within the VDOT right-of-way per the Code of Virginia (33.1-375). Owners of the signs are subject to civil penalties of $100 for each sign collected per the Code of Virginia (33.1-373). Members of the County's volunteer group, who are authorized to collect signs until June 30th when the BOS will assess the effectiveness of the program, were instructed to only collect signs within the VDOT right-of-way which is typically five feet from the edge of the roadway.
Marsha Keim, Zoning Permit Manager, explained the options real estate professionals have for the placement of open house, directional signs and temporary signs within the County per the sign ordinance. She reiterated that to place signs on property in the County, brokers need to apply for a $50 sign
permit by March 31st of each year which covers their agents. Once the permit is obtained, agents can place signs on private property only by permission and are subject to the provisions of the
Loudoun County sign ordinance.
I wasn't able to make the meeting and I'll find out tomorrow if anyone from our office did. I've tried to read the presentation, but it didn't answer all my questions. Where can I get the sign-ordinance-for-dummies?
For example, I know I cannot put my sign on the state's right of way, but on rural roads, how do I know where that right-of-way ends -- sometimes it's 12' from the centerline, sometimes it's more, maybe it's even less on the narrow roads. Furthermore, as summer progresses, it's even hard to tell where the road's edge is, so measuring 5 feet gets tricky. Does anyone else have this problem?
My correct email address is kim.hurst@longandfoster.com. I submitted the wrong address in the previous entry.
I understand why the county would try to keep signs from being permanent fixtures, but is there any 'over-ride' for open house signs? Since these are usually in place for 4 hours and (almost) always removed, it seems like they should be treated differently from directional signs intended to remain in place.
I guess it is too late to get a permit this year?
Kim & Holly - Provisions governing the placement of signs can be found by visiting http://www.dullesarea.net/governmentalaffairs/signordinance.html. You raise a great question about the right-of-way on rural roads. I will submit this question to Keith Fairfax (keith.fairfax@loudoun.gov) referenced above with the County and post the answer on this site. Regarding an over-ride for open house signs, unfortunately the county treats these the same as others. Thank you for raising these issues. DAAR will include them in remarks before the Board of Supervisors when the volunteer sign program is up for review next month.
In response to Kim's question, Keith Fairfax states in a separate email to us that the volunteers have been advised to only collect signs within 5 feet of the pavements edge and or 5 feet from the shoulder. As you know, a significant portion of roads in the west end of the county do not have shoulders or turn lanes.