SPRINGFIELD, Mo.- Today, the City of Springfield is sweeping roadways for signs that violate the city code.

The city says it will be removing signs placed in the public right-of-way. On private property, political signs cannot be illuminated and must be removed 48 hours after the election.

Eric Claussen -- assistant director of operations for the City of Springfield -- says this enforcement isn’t to cause problems but to solve them. 

“We're definitely not trying to go out there and anger people with this process, but we do have a due diligence just to keep the community clean,” Claussen said. 

Signage and advertising in Springfield may soon begin to thin out as the city is strongly enforcing city codes 98-7 and 36-454, which outline the placement of advertising in the right-of-way and signs placed on private property. 

“We're sending a number of crews out to do a sweep of the entire community, focusing primarily on the major arterials and the collector roads, those higher volume, higher speed routes, where we have more of that safety concern,” Claussen said. “We're not going down every residential street and picking up signs.” 

He says that the signs can be dangerous for drivers if they are placed incorrectly. 

“A lot of times, you will see signs alongside the road hanging on poles and different things. It can obstruct a driver's view or if there's signs in the yard it can do the same,” Claussen said. 

If you’re unsure if your signage is properly placed, Claussen says there is a way to find out. 

“We have directed folks to the county assessor page. It has a lot of information on there,” Claussen said. “They're not exactly perfect, but it gives people an idea of what the right-of-way lines and property lines look like.” 

Any signage that has been picked up by the city can be retrieved at the Phil Broyles Complex Monday through Friday from 8-5 p.m. If they are not claimed by Nov. 1, they will be thrown away. 

News Source : https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/city-of-springfield-cracking-down-on-signage/