But come April, it will be illegal.
Hamilton city officials recently passed new legislation cracking down on temporary signs used by local retailers like the one outside of Jay’s Furniture Direct. The new rules require businesses to register temporary signs with the city, and they limit the length of time such signs can be displayed, restrict their size and location and set standards for their condition and upkeep.
The new regulations are an effort to cut down on distractions to drivers, safety hazards and to improve aesthetics, which are hindered by gaudy and poorly maintain signs. The Community Development Department staff held three community meetings specifically related to temporary signage regulation on Aug. 14, and the resident feedback was used to form the basis of the new rules.
“There are some places that have temporary signs up that have become permanent, and they just need to be enforced more,” said John Creech, the city’s senior planner.
The new legislation requires the following:
- Any temporary sign between eight and 32 square feet displayed in business or commercial zoned areas must be registered through the city Community Development Department.
- Temporary signs that fall within that size range may be posted for a total of 90 days per lot per calendar year.
- The temporary sign shall not be illuminated and must be maintained in good repair, set back a minimum of 25 feet from any other temporary sign on the same property, and outside the required five-foot setback to any property line.
The new legislation also prohibits "any signs or sign structures that are supported, held, or affixed, permanently or temporarily, to a mannequin or any other similar attention getting device designed to attract the attention to a product, service, business or event produced, provided, conducted, sold, offered, or performed on the premises." A complete list of the new legislation can be found at hamilton-city.org.
While Creech estimates that about one-third of Hamilton’s total businesses, mostly retail, use temporary signs at one point or another, one longtime Hamilton business will be particularly affected by the new legislation.
Jay Becker, founder of Jay’s Furniture Direct, said that he respected the city’s decision, and the mannequin sign will be removed by the April 1 deadline.
“The mannequin has been instrumental in getting customers into our stores,” Becker said. “You draw people into your store when you have something unusual to mark it. It separates you; you look a little bit different.”
Becker added that members of the community have dressed up as the mannequin for Halloween in recent years. Becker’s wife, Lynn Becker, owns Jay’s Furniture Direct as well as Jay’s Mattress and Furniture in Fairfield; Becker retired several years ago. He said that they have several more legal temporary and permanent signs advertising their businesses, but only the mannequin sign will be affected by this new legislation. He is not sure if they will replace the mannequin with a new sign that conforms to the new legislation in the same location.
Creech said while there may be some other businesses in town that use a mannequin to help advertise, the one on High Street was brought up at the public input meetings.
“It always came up, that it was distracting and a safety issue,” he said.
There is no cost for the temporary sign registration for businesses with the city, Creech said. After April 1, any businesses with non-compliant signs will be issued a violation notice. Violations can be reported by calling 513-785-7080, or visiting the Online 311 Citizen Request Center at hamilton-city.org.
The city planning commission held a public hearing and reviewed the proposed temporary sign legislation on Sept. 15. After consideration, the planning commission approved the proposed temporary sign legislation and recommended approval by City Council. City Council held a public hearing at the Oct. 22 meeting, and had two readings of the proposed ordinance and approved the legislation at the Nov. 12 meeting.
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