§ 3.511. Inspection; removal; safety.

(a)

Inspection. Signs and billboards for which a permit is required shall be inspected annually by the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits for compliance with this subtitle and the other laws of Howard County.

(b)

Tagging. All signs and billboards requiring permits shall display, in a place conspicuous to inspectors, evidence of the sign permit supplied by the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits and containing such data as may be designated by the Department.

(c)

Maintenance. All signs and billboards and components thereof shall be kept in good repair and in safe, neat, clean and attractive condition.

(d)

Removal of Signs. The Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits shall order the removal of any sign or billboard erected or maintained in violation of this subtitle. Ten days' notice in writing shall be given to the owner of such sign, billboard or building, structure or premises on which such sign or billboard is located, to remove the sign or billboard or to bring it into compliance with this subtitle.

Upon failure to remove the sign or billboard or to comply with this notice, the Department shall remove the sign or billboard immediately and without notice, if it reasonably appears that the condition of the sign or billboard is such as to present an immediate threat to the safety of the public. Any cost of removal incurred by the Department shall be assessed to the owner of the property on which such sign or billboard is located and may be collected in the manner of ordinary debt or in the manner of taxes and such charge shall be a lien on the property.

If a sign or billboard is placed illegally in the County right-of-way or if it is in the County right-of-way at times other than those permitted by this subtitle, the Department may remove the sign or billboard without notice to the owner.

(e)

Abandoned Signs. A sign shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises upon which the sign is located when the business which it advertises is no longer conducted on the premises. If the owner or lessee fails to remove the sign, the Department shall order it, removed in accordance with subsection (d) above. These removal provisions shall not apply where a succeeding owner or lessee conducts the same type of business and agrees to maintain the signs as provided in this subtitle or changes copy on the signs to advertise the type of business being conducted on the premises, provided the signs comply with the other provisions of this section.

(C.B. 1, 1972; C.B. 77, 1981; C.B. 62, 1988; C.B. 90, 1989)

Editor's note

Section 101 of C.B. 62, 1988 declared the bill effective July 1, 1989.