[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Clairton
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-12-1993 by Ord. No. 1560]
Unless it appears from the context that a different meaning
is intended, the following words shall have the meanings given them
in this section:
The City of Clairton, Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind.
Any sign urging the election or defeat of any candidate seeking
any political office or urging the passage or defeat of any ballot
measure, but does not mean or include any billboard owned or maintained
by a commercial firm or advertising company.
All publicly owned property, including streets, rights-of-way,
easements and everything affixed thereto and thereover.
Includes any bill, poster, placard, handbill, flyer, painting,
sign or written matter in words, symbols or pictures or in any combination
thereof.
The City Code Enforcement Officer and/or Zoning Officer.
A.
Posting on public right-of-way prohibited. It shall be unlawful for
any person to post a political campaign sign on or over any public
property in the City, except in specified areas as shall be designated
by resolution of the City Council.
B.
Posting on utility poles prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any
person to post a political campaign sign on any public utility pole
or other public utility structure or to post, paint or otherwise affix
such signs to trees, rocks or other natural features.
C.
Size of sign. It shall be unlawful for any person to erect any political
campaign sign which exceeds 36 square feet, and it shall be unlawful
to erect political campaign signs on any one lot or separate area
designated by the City Council, the total message area of which exceeds
72 square feet.
It shall be unlawful for any person to post a political campaign
sign more than 45 days prior to the election for which the sign is
posted, and it shall be unlawful to fail to remove a political campaign
sign within 10 days after the election for which the sign was posted.
Any person erecting such signs or an authorized agent of the
political party or candidate on whose behalf such signs are erected
shall first apply for and obtain a permit from the City and deposit
with the City, at the time of the application, the sum of $100 as
a guaranty that all signs will be removed promptly within 10 days
after the date of the election to which such sign relates. If such
signs are not removed at the end of the ten-day period, the City shall
have them removed and retain the full sum deposited to reimburse the
expense incurred by it.
A.
The Zoning Officer or his authorized agents are hereby authorized
to remove any political campaign sign found posted within the corporate
limits of the City when such sign is in violation of the provisions
of this article.
B.
For the purpose of removing political campaign signs posted in violation
of this article, the Zoning Officer is empowered to enter upon the
property where the signs are posted, and is further authorized to
enlist the aid or assistance of any other department of the City and
to take such legal process to the end that all such signs shall be
expeditiously removed from any property where posted.
C.
When the Zoning Officer or his agents find that a political campaign
sign has been posted in violation of this article or without the payment
of the required permit fee, the Zoning Officer shall attempt to contact
the candidate, committee or person responsible for the posting of
such sign, who shall then be given 24 hours' advance telephonic
notice to remove the sign and of the nature of the violation and the
location of the sign. If, after such notification, the illegal sign
is not removed or a permit obtained, the Zoning Officer shall remove
or cause to be removed said sign and store it in a safe location.
If, after reasonable diligence, the Zoning Officer is unable to contact
the candidate, committee or person responsible for the sign, the notice
requirement may be dispensed with and the sign removed to be stored
in a secure location.
The Zoning Officer shall keep a record of the location from
which any political campaign sign was removed, shall store the political
campaign sign in a safe location for at least 60 days and shall immediately
notify by telephone the candidate, committee or person responsible
for the posting of the sign, indicating the fact of removal and the
location where it may be retrieved. If unable to make telephone contact,
the Zoning Officer shall provide written notice if the address of
the candidate, committee or person is known or can be ascertained.
Political campaign signs shall be returned upon the payment of the
deposit fee, removal charges or other charges provided herein.
Any responsible person, as described herein, shall be charged,
and the City shall be entitled to receive, the sum of $15 for every
political sign removed by the Zoning Officer for which no permit had
been obtained, to cover the expense of removal, notice and storage.
In addition, where unusual effort is needed to remove a sign, such
as the cutting or removal of supporting structures, use of aerial
devices, towing of trailer signs or other unusual situation, the City
may collect from the person responsible a sum sufficient to cover
the costs of such removal and the hourly wages of employees so utilized.
In a campaign for political office, the candidate for such office
shall be deemed the person responsible for the posting of political
campaign signs unless the candidate first notifies the Zoning Officer
of another person who is responsible. In such case, the candidate
shall provide the name, address, telephone number and signed consent
of such other responsible person. In a campaign regarding a ballot
measure, the President of the committee supporting or opposing such
ballot measure shall be deemed responsible, unless the Zoning Officer
is first notified of some other person responsible, in the manner
described above. The candidate or, in the case of the ballot measure,
the committee President, or other responsible person if so designated,
shall be liable to pay any fees or costs for the removal and storage
of illegal signs as set out herein. Further, such candidate, committee
President or other designated person shall be subject to prosecution
for any violation of this article. Nothing in this section shall be
interpreted to make any person liable, civilly or criminally, for
any sign posted by persons unknown to him or her or by persons over
whom he or she has no control.
Political campaign signs in violation of this article are hereby
declared to be public nuisances and may be abated as such by the City.
The collection of removal fees shall not preclude the City from prosecuting
any person for violating this article.
The Zoning Officer is hereby authorized and empowered to revoke
any permit issued pursuant to this article upon failure of the holder
of such permit to comply with any provision of this article.
A.
Any person who shall erect, alter or remove or who shall do or cause
to be done any work in the erection, alteration, removal or repair
of any such sign without first having obtained the permit required
by this article; or who shall fail to comply with any of the requirements
of the permit of this article; or who shall fail to comply with any
regulation, order or direction of the Zoning Officer; or who shall
violate any of the provisions of this article in any way shall be
liable, upon conviction thereof, to a fine or penalty of not more
than $600 and costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such
fines and costs, to imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
B.
Each day's violation of any of the provisions of this article
shall constitute a separate violation.
