Real Estate Yard Signs?

The city of Boulder Colorado has been cracking down on the use of Boulder Real Estate signs over the past year, is it the same in your area? We all know that a real estate sign located in the public right of way is illegal, and in Boulder Colorado, could warrant you a $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail.

The Boulder Colorado sign code states:

“With respect to real estate signs, the council finds that a small “for sale” or “for rent” sign is an important means of advertising real estate and does not create a traffic hazard…”

The code goes on to state:

“…One temporary, non-illuminated real estate sign per property or per dwelling unit street frontage, set back at least eighteen inches from the nearest public sidewalk, that does not exceed 6 square feet per face in area and a total of 12 square feet in area and four feet in height in the RR, RR1, ER, LR, MR, MX, HZ, MXR, HR, HZ, and MH zones or 16 square feet per face and a total of 32 square feet in area and seven feet in height in any other zone, but only if the sign remains in place no more than seven days after sale or rental of the subject property. The area of such a sign shall not be deducted from the allowable sign area or number of freestanding signs for the building or business unit. If the property owner or tenant is not using this real estate sign allowance, such person in possession of the property may place a non-commercial sign conforming with these limitations in lieu of such a real estate sign.”

The code is quite a mouthful to handle (and covers all the bases, including 'non-illuminated' signs). LetÂ’s give the Realtors a break out there for those Sunday open house signs, temporarily providing a means to promote and drive traffic to their listing, for the benefit of the Seller. I completely respect the intent of the sign code in Boulder Colorado (and there are some choice spots, specifically on Broadway, where small conglomerates of condos are riddled with signs), but much like anything in our lives, letÂ’s use some common sense on where to place signs, and for how long they should be placed.