August 22, 2022 – The City of Decatur would like to remind residents and businesses that yard signs of any kind need to stay on private property and are not allowed to be placed in the public right of way (ROW).
City Municipal Services crews are regularly driving the streets and removing any signs from the public ROW. All signs are illegal to place in the ROW, including but not limited to: contractor services, business promotional signs/flags, and political signs.
Public ROW is generally described as the space between the edge of the sidewalk and the public street. For those streets without curb and gutter, or open ditches, the property line is typically 10- 15 feet off the pavement. That ROW grassy area needs to be free from any type of signage.
Additionally, signs/balloons should not be placed on light poles or on traffic control devices – such as stop signs – that are in the ROW.
The City recognizes these signs were likely placed with well intentions and mean something to someone, however we cannot compromise public safety. For this reason, we will attempt to keep signs for up to 30 days for retrieval. Individuals looking to retrieve their signs removed by the City from public ROW can contact the Municipal Services Center, 2600 N Jasper St, by calling 217-875- 4820.
