Are Sign Ordinances Killing the Open House?

You've seen them, there all over town, typically on Saturday and Sunday afternoons signs are on every street corner. Some have balloons, some have flags. Some even have a picture. There "Open House" signs and they are a viable component in helping to sell a house.

Many prospective home buyers drive through the neighborhoods they want to live in, expecting to see the signs that will guide them through twists and turns, eventually to the house that is for sale. A quick survey of "open House" attendees indicates that many more people see the sign as opposed to the newspaper ad announcing the event.

First a big "Thank You", to our elected officials here in Pasadena. We do not have a sign ordinance. I guess our City Housing Inspection Report makes up for it, but nonetheless, no sign ordinance.

The cities of Sierra Madre, Arcadia and Monrovia, now that's another story. You are limited to only one sign on the property and it can't be on the sidewalk. The police in Sierra Madre once picked up three of my signs. I had to go the police station and file a "missing sign". They were very polite and returned my signs. However their back room was filled with real estate signs. A Monrovia City employee drove by an open house on Sunday and saw that I had two signs on the sidewalk in front of the house. Again, very polite in asking me to remove them. He didn't make the law, he just enforces it and to him I say a job well done.

This leaves the City of Arcadia. I have never been ask to remove my signs. I know they have a sign ordinance and quite frankly, I don't feel like testing it. But a sign ordinance in the City of Arcadia? Isn't this the city where you drive down the street and see a couple of nice old houses built in the 1940's each with about 1200 square feet and then immediately next door you see some brand new 5000 sq. ft. gated mansion? This city has a sign ordinance, for what? It reminds me of Houston, Texas. They have no zoning there either.

Bottom line is that to me the law is the law, and I will respect it no matter how ridiculous it may see, . But don't our police have better things to do than go around picking up signs? Although a sign ordinance may be well intended, a law addressing temporary signs for 3 to 4 hours on the weekend is not needed. Its time to admit its a bad law and to SIGN out.