Marshal's Office: Campaign Signs Prohibited in Right-of-Way

Photo credit: Patch file

The Cherokee County Marshal’s Office is reminding political candidates that their campaign signs “cannot be installed” in the public right-of-way along roads and streets.

Starting the week of Monday, Oct. 20, the agency, which serves unincorporated Cherokee County, will begin collecting political signs in the right-of-way, said Major Jamie Gianfala with the marshal’s office said in a press release.

Currently, the agency is addressing sign violations as it receives complaints, Gianfala added. However, once that date approaches, all signs posted in the rights-of-way along unincorporated roads will be removed.

Candidates will be able to collect signs removed from the right-of-way at the marshal’s office’s headquarters at 2782 Marietta Highway in Canton.

Signs not picked up “within a reasonable period of time will be discarded,” Gianfala added.

By comparison, the cities of Woodstock and Canton prohibit signs in the right-of-way. Woodstock City Manager Jeff Moon noted the city has removed political signs from the rights-of-way in the last several weeks.

While Canton’s ordinance prohibits the signs, the subject of holding off enforcing the ordinance came up for discussion during the Canton City Council Oct. 2 meeting.

Councilman Hooky Huffman proposed the idea of delaying enforcing the rules, which were recently adopted in the city’s new Unified Development Code. Huffman floated the idea after Canton Mayor Gene Hobgood reminded candidates of the city’s stipulations, according to the Cherokee Tribune.

Huffman alleges Canton City Council Ward 3 candidate James Busi was not told signs were prohibited in the right-of-way of roads, which is why he felt the city should hold off on enforcing the issue. No consensus was determined at the meeting on whether the city would start enforcing its ordinance.

For the city of Holly Springs, the city does not “currently enforce the prohibition of political signs in the right-of-way,” City Manager Rob Logan stated. However, if signs obscure the view of drivers along the rights-of-way, Logan said city staff will remove those signs.

“If the political signs are not removed after the election, staff from public works will dispose of them,” he added.