INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) reminds all Hoosiers that campaign signs are prohibited from federal and state highway right-of-way according to Indiana Code 9-21-4-6. INDOT personnel are required by state law to remove all unauthorized signs within the state right-of-way.
INDOT personnel will remove campaign signs and other illegal signs from right-of-way—per IC 9-21-4-6—as they are encountered in normal highway maintenance activities. Crews may also remove a specific sign if it presents an immediate safety risk, such as being too close to the roadway or creating a sight obstruction. Campaign signs placed off the right-of-way will not be removed.
The right-of-way areas which must remain “sign-free” include:
• All interstates and their interchanges; and
• All intersections where at least one local, state or federal road intersects with a state or federal highway; and
• All rights-of-way paralleling federal or state highways
• Where right-of-way is not clearly marked, it may be estimated as the back of the ditch, to the fence line or up to utility poles.
Removed signs will be taken to the nearest INDOT subdistrict office, where they will be kept until after the election. Campaign signs may be claimed by the owner between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays.
• Albany Subdistrict 12239 W. SR 28, Albany, IN 47320
• Cambridge City Subdistrict 1241 S. SR 1, Cambridge City, IN 47327
• Greenfield Subdistrict 932 W. Osage St., Greenfield, IN 46140
• Indianapolis Subdistrict 7105 E. Brookville Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46239
• Tipton Subdistrict 2152 W. SR 28, Tipton, IN 46072
The INDOT East Central District can be contacted by calling 1-855-463-6848 or emailing eastcentralin@indot.in.gov.
Just a reminder that all property owners along state highways “do own” to center of the roadway. Exception is when improvements such as turn lanes, reworking of curves, or new terrain routes that were not part original route that was once county roadways. Our highway 65 followed the “Big Cynthiana” county road back in the mid 1920’s. We still must follow the rules even though we “own” that road right of way.
Do they not really own that property but still pay taxes on that property. I really don’t think that they control the property where the utilities are along the side of the road. However as a property owner I still end up cutting the weeds along the utility’s easement area. If I didn’t do that it would still be growing wild with wild multiflora rose buses growing out of the hillside along the road.
I maintain the utilities easement areas but I better not build a permanent structure on that ground or I may get into trouble with the law.
Is there not a law in Vanderburgh County that assigns a county or city dept that’s in charge of advertising signs and business signs. I think that the area plan commission or something like that has a rule on how many square feet a sign can take up on a business. I see people on TV going before a Commission of some kind asking for variances in order to have more signs on their property. If the city/county can control how many square feet and signs a business can have then surely they must have a rule about planting temporary signs along the highways and roadways in the country. Especially if they are big signs that block the view of on coming traffic.
There is a law mower business along HWY 66 in Warrrick Country and when I try to pull out of their business and turn onto the Lloyd I can’t see the West Bound Oncoming traffic due to a large sign that they put out along the roadway which blocks my view when I look left to see what’s coming down the Lloyd. I wish that they would remove that big sign and or move it back away from the Highway so that I and other’s can see the oncoming traffic better when exiting their business. They may not have even thought of how dangerous that sign can be. But it needs to be move back away from the roadway. No they want it right next to the road where they think more people will see the sign. Signs are a distraction to drivers.
Just the other night I was driving South on Bell Rd by the Mexican Restaurant and was blinded by the electronic sign when it turned ALL RED and became very bright. Luckily the picture on the sign changed after a few seconds and the amount of light coming out of the sign was not a bright. That’s right at a very busy intersection where people are going in and out of the Newburgh Wal-Mart off of Bell Rd.
We own the right of way, but do not pay property tax on this right of way. I spray for broad leaf weeds on the right of way, this allows the fescue to grow and seed out which chocks out the weeds. We bush hog the banks down to the ditch. State does not maintain the ditches, or mow like they did 25+ years ago. It’s bad!
Those ditches need work around that county, we observe that with out hydrology runs. White line incursions are no uncommon. That’s vehicle damage and accident avoidance problems also. AND, its the season for deer incursions to propagate, as well. Man, when the ditch line is cluttered those critters enter the roadway with a leap.
Bad stuff, and another good reason well balanced property owners such as yourself can help the whole population with a some road way stand back safety ,and common sense maintenance . A progressive county would offer “approach credits” as an additional available rural deduction. Within reason of course, and with some standard evaluation of affect due.
“Signs are a distraction to drivers.” That’s the nature of their business though. always has been, however recently while in that city on business a commercially available laser pointer was directed at the vehicle I was a passenger in, now that in some locations can be a expectation of the immature portion of the population, but in this case it had one specific difference.
The “difference” was the vehicle this emitted from was municipally owned, and was not a policing vehicle, marked or unmarked. This had Indiana blue type municipal plates, a vehicle number and was specific to a certain department. We’d like to suggest such behavior is dampened down somewhat in the future. The total realization that such behavior could possibly affect ones employment and financial status leaves us with a humanistic choice given on the matter. The consensus in our vehicle was someone should be aware that dash cams and other video options are not uncommon in most locations in today world.
Your city/county has enough legally actionable crap to shovel without the additional tom foolery tacked on to its “revenue base”, which in fact, ultimately ends up the huckleberry with that mess.
It’s about time that some news organization made some thing out of the fact that a lot of these political signs are on public property illegally.
The right of way along state highways is not there for campaign signs to clutter up the view.
And I wonder about all the signs in Warrick County that are right next to the road and at all the major intersections. For example the intersection of Bell Rd and the Lloyd and the area right next to the Newburgh Wal-Mart and the Mexican Restaurant. Unless the owner of the Restaurant gave the political and candidates permission to put that on his property and if he actually owns the property right next to Bell Road.
It’s one thing to put the signs in people’s yard when permission to do so is granted by the property owner but it’s another to put those signs on public right of ways where it might be illegal to do so. That tells me a lot about the CHARACTER of the people running for office too. They are breaking the law to run for the chance to make the laws? That’s not right IMHO.
I know a guy who owns some property back in the woods. The house is back off the road so far you can’t see it from the road even when the leaves on the trees are off the trees. But he posted a “NO TRESPASSING” sign on the Public Utilities Telephone pole. Now the guy does not own that utility pole and the pole is on the utilities right of way that runs right along the side of the road. But he has the never to trespass and put up a sign on someone else’s property in order to try to warm people to stay off his property. Ironic huh? More like Hypocritical IMHO
Why have rules if no one obeys them? Instead of just ignoring the law why not try to change the bad laws and make them better? That won’t happen if everyone just ignores the rules and they stay on the books and are never challenged or changed for the better.
Oh well this article reminds me of an old song that I use to like. “Sign, Signs every where there’s signs”
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