Pierce County officials announced today the County Council and Executive have agreed on a plan for removing illegal signs placed in the county right of way.

The agreement stems from a meeting last week where a range of 12 possible strategies for dealing with sign removal, including estimated costs of implementation for each, were presented.

Under the agreement, signs will be removed from all locations where they present a safety hazard or impediment, and from 10 to 15 of the worst intersections. The plan also includes regular sweeps of major arterial roadways. Sign owners will receive a letter informing them that their signs were removed and explaining Pierce County sign laws.

Executive Pat McCarthy said the agreement enables Public Works and Utilities to address the sign problem without sacrificing other important goals and objectives of the department, such as maintaining roads. “We were able to come up with a reasonable solution that balances a number of needs,” she said. “This plan enforces a greater level of compliance, while protecting legitimate commerce such as real estate advertising that follows the sign law.”

According to a statement released today, the selected strategy is neither the most nor the least comprehensive option presented to the Council. But with an estimated annual cost of $95,000, it comes closest to meeting the council’s direction to spend at least $50,000 but no more than $100,000 on sign code enforcement.

The main goal of the new strategy is to achieve compliance with sign laws. If this approach does not result in sufficient compliance, the removal program can be adjusted to whatever level is needed, including charging violators with a civil infraction, though that process requires more resources. The program will be monitored to track results.

Public Works and Utilities will provide the Council with regular reports of the new program’s results. Political campaign signs will continue to be protected as a form of free speech, and real estate open house signs may remain as long as they are within the provisions of the recently revised law. Illegal signs that are removed will be recycled.

A two-person crew will implement the sign removal program. Included in their efforts will be photo documentation of each sign to prove that it was placed in the county right of way and a record of its removal. This level of control, tracking and documentation is necessary to enable enforcement of the law for repeat violators.