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06/30/2009: "Baby Billboards Busted"

The County has not been successful in convincing some business owners that there is a sign code, and that it should be followed. Illegal signs have been tagged by the County since 2007, but compliance has not been effective. Now, no more Mr. Nice Guy.

San Juan County has for years outlawed “off premises outdoor advertising signs”, and years ago there was even an attempt to ban real estate for sale signs; but that turned out to have some legal consequences, and so are allowed. One exception in the code is special events signs in Eastsound, which can be displayed once a year for a maximum of 30 days.

In the old days (as in, like, a few years ago) folks just followed the law, and only posted temporary signs advertising personal or non-profit events, such as garage sales and the like.

That has changed. Now there is a problem with the so-called “sandwich board” signs that are for all intents and purposes small roadside billboards soliciting customers.

There are a bunch of them, and the numbers seem to be growing. The County has been working to educate business owners, and some have responded, and some have not, and now the County is getting tough on the violators. Well sort of. Starting July 6th, those signs will be removed, held for ten days, then if not picked up, will “disposed of.”

Complaints concerning illegally placed signs can be filed by submitting a Request for Code Enforcement which can be obtained on the County website at: http://www.sanjuanco.com/permitcenter/pdf/RequestForCodeEnforcement_final.pdf