Papers taped to business windows - enforcement

[stroskey]

We have a large population of non-English speakers in my area that for whatever reason tapes advertising papers/posters to the exterior of store windows downtown - not the interior. These are either at their stores or stores of friends - not just random windows. The usually advertise a concert, MMA fight, or other event.

The boss' boss wants these removed because he said they are a nuisance. I said I would check with the nuisance department and sure enough they are not identified as a nuisance under our code. He then said they are illegal signs and need to be removed that way. I checked our sign ordinance and we do not regulate any "signs applied directly to a window" but we also do not allow "signs displaying advertising expect that pertaining to the use carried out within such building".

My question is 1) would you consider these papers/posters as signs and 2) would they be unregulated because they are window signs or regulated because they are advertising business at another site. All signs must be approved by our "Sign Board" so if we consider them signs every time a poster goes up it technically would need approval from this board and we'd have to deal with it that way. Also, they wouldn't be approved because they are advertising off-site events.

I don't think they are "signs". What would you do?

[HomerJ]

My fair city does not consider such as signs. I am not sure the rationale, but I think it is to avoid the headache of trying to put all of these through an approval process. I always felt like these things are kind of a give and take anyway. Allow the window signs, but you have a stricter regulation on the percentage of elevation the business sign can occupy. This is why I always felt that allowing electronic readerboard signs is ok, as long as you are able to reduce the signage elsewhere...

[JusticeZero]

I'm not completely clear what the problem with these are either unless they're not being removed and turning the storefront into a mess of soaked poster paper from 2006. Maybe if you need to hit someone doing something that isn't against code but is in violation of good sense and decency. I don't think these are signs, that would make excessive red tape. They are flyers. leaflets.

[stroskey]

I have been told these are indeed signs and will be regulated. I could not get a clear answer from the attorney as to whether or not ones on the inside of the windows are signs under our code. On an ethical level I have a problem telling business owners what signs/posters they can display inside their own stores.

How would you deal with this issue if you were told to enforce interior signs.

[craines]

I too have a ethical deal with codes that would restrict signs on the inside....signs on the exterior and in the public right of way what difference does it make as most muncipalities do not have the resources to enfroce their ordinances at that level.

[fringe]

The city/county adjacent to ours is a college town that decided to build circular kiosks for posting of such "handbills", and made posting on light poles, storefronts, etc. punishable.