Illegal campaign signs hard to stop

September 11, 2005

MARY AMES/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Each and every candidate running for public office could be breaking the law, according to a right-of-way agent with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.

DOT's Paula Brault says department regulations prohibit the placement of signs within 660 feet of state highway rights of way. The regulation refers to all signs, but it becomes a greater issue during election season.

"We send out letters to everyone, and we try to be as fair as we can," Brault said Friday.

Measure 660 feet. That's a bit more than the length of two football fields. It would be easy to assume that if you can read a sign, it is too close to the road. Why are they there, then?

"The problem is time. We have to do a lot of homework before we can remove one," Brault said. "Rights of way can be as narrow as 30 feet and extend up to 300."

The other issue, according to Brault, is the number of staff and the number of miles one enforcement agent has to travel. The right-of-way office has a staff of six. One agent, based in Anchorage, is assigned all of the Mat-Su area. That means a minimum 30- to 50-mile one-way trip to look at a sign.

Then, Brault said, it's back to the office to do research on right-of-way plans and Mat-Su Borough property information. If the sign is found to be illegally placed, the agent sends out a certified letter giving the sign's owner and, if different, the land owner 30 days to remove the sign. Of course, there is the road trip out and back to verify the removal of the sign.

Campaign signs are considered outdoor advertising, according to David Heier, property management specialist with DOT. He's concerned with signs mostly as an issue of safety.

"A lot of times, the signs are sight-blocking, which is dangerous for drivers," Heier said. "And some in the right of way tend to divert pedestrians."

Worse, according to Heier, are the signs that use an anchor of some sort, such as a bucket of rocks, to hold the sign. When the sign tips over, the rocks roll into the road, causing vehicles to swerve and creating a hazard DOT employees have to pick up.

If DOT has to remove a sign, it will cost a minimum of $50 to get it back. If the illegal sign is on a vehicle, the vehicle can be towed at the owner's expense.

"We tow vehicles quite often," said Bill Strickler, right-of-way chief for DOT.

Complaints to the department are rare unless a sign forest-type of situation develops, according to Brault,

Within city limits of Palmer and Wasilla, political signs have time limits. In Palmer, after applying for and receiving a permit, the owner of the sign may put it up no sooner than five months before an election, and it must be removed by 15 days after the election.

"When we find signs out of compliance, we encourage the owners to get within the regulations," said David Meneses, building inspector for the city of Palmer. "And 99 percent of the time they comply. If not, our Public Works department or I will go out and remove the signs."

Political signs in Wasilla may go up no more than 90 days before an election and must be removed within 10 days after all the ballots have been cast in the city where Scott Banning is the sign enforcer.

"My enforcement is always, first, an education process," Banning said. "I try to give them a heads up. I've never had that not work."

Even if campaign signs are 660 feet from any state highway right of way, are not creating a hazard and are up within the correct time limits, they still might not be legal.

"They have to be properly identified, as in 'Paid for by …," said Christina Ellingson of the Alaska Public Offices Commission. "If not , we find out why not. Depending on the circumstances, they can correct the problem, or we could fine the campaign up to $50 a day."

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.