If you are a Shreveport resident or business owner the City of Shreveport wants to remind you that if you post signs on city right-of-ways, you can be cited directly to court. In the past, the City has only warned businesses and others, but the visual clutter in some neighborhoods and along some business corridors is now worse than ever.

City right-of-way maintenance crews and others in Public Works have been told during the course of their work day to gather and document the signs they find in rights-of-way, including business signs, garage sale signs, realty signs, campaign and event signs, and send the information to the City Attorney’s office. The sign owner will then be cited to court and will face a potential fine of $500 and/or up to 60 days in jail per offense.

A City right-of-way is typically the area between the sidewalk and the street in residential areas. In business corridors, it is between the business property line and the street and includes all medians. It is also illegal to post signs on telephone poles. The portion of the ordinance that follows further explains illegal posting locations.

Sec. 50-188. Posting on city property

1. (a) No person shall post or cause to be posted, pasted, nailed, tacked or otherwise attached or placed any poster, placard, sign, cartoon, portrait or any other form of advertising matter on any viaduct, bridge, guardrail, underpass, overpass, cemetery wall or fence, retaining wall or any other structure or property belonging to the city.

The strict enforcement of illegal right-of-way signs will begin this week. It is strongly encouraged that if you have signs that are illegally placed in City right-of-ways, take them down immediately to avoid fines.