Gainesville › Unified Land Development Code

Article 14 — Signs, Chapter 14-9 — MAINTENANCE, ENFORCEMENT, AND REMOVAL

current as of 2025-12-16verified current · checked 2026-08-24Officialofficial source ↗3 sections · full chapter

§ 14-9-1

Sign Maintenance

All signs, together with all their supports, braces, guys, and anchors shall be kept in good repair and, unless constructed of galvanized or noncorrosive metal, shall be given a protective coating as necessary to maintain a clean appearance and safe condition.

§ 14-9-2

Situations Where Maintenance is Required

Upon discovery of a sign in need of maintenance, the Director or other administrative official responsible for administration of this ULDC shall give written notice to the owner of the sign or the owner of the property on which the sign is located if the owner of the sign itself cannot be determined. Said notice shall state the item or items requiring repair or maintenance. The owner shall have 30 days in which to repair or maintain the sign before a citation is issued. If the owner has failed to make repairs or the necessary maintenance within that time, the enforcement officer shall initiate enforcement proceedings as required to cure violation of this Article.

Situations constituting the need for maintenance include but are not limited to the following:

(a)Lettering or other elements of the sign have become detached or have fallen off the sign or become misaligned.

(b)Painted surfaces on the sign or sign structure have begun to peel, flake over a significant portion of the sign, or have faded or oxidized to an extent that the sign no longer displays the message as originally intended.

(c)A significant number of the bricks, stones, or other materials on the structural base of a sign have become detached or have fallen off, or have become misaligned.

(d)Other similar conditions of disrepair or lack of maintenance as determined by the Director.

(e)For lighted signs, one or more illumination devices are not working and have not been replaced.

§ 14-9-3

Removal of Certain Signs

(a)Signs in the right of way. As authorized in O.C.G.A. 32-6-51, any sign, signal, device, or other structure erected, placed, or maintained on the dedicated right of way of any public road in violation of this Article is declared to be a public nuisance, and the officials having jurisdiction of the public road affected may remove or direct the removal of the same.

(b)Unlawful temporary signs. Temporary signs erected in violation of this Article may constitute a safety hazard and are subject to being removed without notice.

Additionally, if such signs are erected unlawfully, or in improper areas, or beyond the permissible time frame, they are subject to removal by the Director or administrative official responsible for administration of this ULDC, without notice.

(c)Unlawful signs of a more permanent nature. Except as provided in paragraph “a” of this Section, if any sign is installed, erected, or constructed in violation of this Article, the owner or person or firm maintaining the sign shall, upon notice either written or verbal from the Director or administrative official responsible for administration of this ULDC, remove such prohibited signs immediately. Any such sign not removed within the time period allotted from the written notice, may be removed by the City, and the City of Gainesville shall have the right to place a lien on the property in accordance with Section 106.3 of the International Property Maintenance Code adopted in City Code Section 9-16-1-1.

(d)Derelict signs. Should any sign become insecure or in danger of falling or otherwise unsafe in the opinion of Director or administrative official responsible for administration of this ULDC, the owner or person or firm maintaining the sign shall, upon written notice from said enforcement officer, immediately in the case of immediate danger and in any other case within 10 days, remove such sign or secure it in a manner approved by the enforcement officer. Any such sign not removed or secured within 10 days from the written notice may be removed by the City, and the City of Gainesville shall have the right to place a lien on the property in accordance with Section 106.3 of the International Property Maintenance Code adopted in City Code Section 9-16-1-1

(e)Nonconforming signs that cannot be made to conform to this Article. A nonconforming freestanding or building sign shall be removed within 90 days after the business or establishment to which the sign initially pertained ceases to operate at the subject location. This paragraph does not apply to billboards.

(f)New signage proposed where a discontinued sign exists. No new sign shall be permitted to be erected on the same property until the discontinued sign or nonconforming sign, including its supports, has been removed or is converted to a lawfully conforming sign, except as otherwise provided by this Section. This paragraph does not apply to billboards.

(g)Change or removal of discontinued signs. When a property owner has a lawful and conforming freestanding or building sign that no longer is used by a business or establishment, and the owner desires to retain said sign, this section shall apply in order to retain said freestanding sign as a lawful sign and to avoid it being deemed a discontinued sign. If a principal use which permitted a freestanding or wall sign no longer exists on the site of said sign, and said sign contains a sign face that is in the form of a removable sign face module, the removable sign face module containing advertising shall be removed and replaced with a panel of like or similar appearance without advertising until another use is lawfully established and principal use or wall sign is lawfully erected. If the subject sign face contains a sign copy area that is not removable, then the said sign shall be removed or the copy area shall be painted over to conceal the advertising.