On Monday, October 1, the City of Hamilton sent a notice to all Hamilton Brokers of Record regarding the City’s intention to pursue sign bylaw infractions.

Even if your office is not located in the City of Hamilton, you must abide by the City’s sign bylaws if you have a listed property in Hamilton.

Here is what the letter said:

Dear Brokers and Agents;

Please be advised that Licensing and By-law Service Officers have noticed a proliferation of Open House Signs in contravention of the Sign By-law. While it is not the City’s intention to adversely impact your business, we can no longer ignore the blatant violations of the By-law.

Moving forward we will proactively enforce the regulations of the Sign By-law with respect to real estate signs and will investigate any formal complaints.

For your convenience, here are the regulations:

Open House directional sign

It is a contravention of the Sign By-law to place a temporary, free-standing sign advertising an open house except:

(i) between 10:00 a.m. and 6 p.m. of the day of the open house;

(ii) with a maximum sign area of 0.5 m2 ;

(iii) not displayed on a traffic island or median or attached to a light standard or utility pole; and

(iv) at least 0.3 m from a sidewalk;

Signs that are in contravention of the by-law will be subject to enforcement action, including the City removing the sign with fees being imposed and charges laid to a maximum amount of $5,000.00 upon conviction. Signs removed will be stored for a period of 28 days, after which they will be disposed of. Signs can be redeemed within the 28 days period upon payment of applicable fees prescribed in the City’s User Fees and Charges By-Law.

I trust this information is helpful. If you have any questions, or concerns, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at Lynne.Shewfelt@hamilton.ca.

For additional information on the Sign By-law please visit the City of Hamilton Website: http://www.hamilton.ca/FrequentlyRequestedBylaws, and select the Sign By-Law.

Complaints can be emailed to Licensing@hamilton.ca or by calling 905-546-2782 (option #3).