Department of Planning issues outdoor signage advisory

With a proliferation of outdoor signage around the Island of late, the Ministry of Home Affairs via the Department of Planning is issuing a timely reminder about the guidelines regarding outdoor advertising.

The Advertisements Regulation Act 1911 regulates the exhibition of outdoor signs and advertising in Bermuda. The Act controls the placement, content and certain design elements of signs. As an example:

Ø  A “For Sale” sign can be erected on land that is for sale.

Ø  A sign on a building can display the business name and indicate the general character of the business; and

Ø  A sign can advertise a municipal election.

However, the Act does prohibit certain types of advertising, such as signs that protrude above the roofline of a building or which are ‘inner illuminated’. Additionally, it restricts advertising to the land or building to which the sale or meeting or entertainment relates.

The Ministry notes that the Department of Planning has received numerous calls from the public recently regarding outdoor signage and advertising. And the Ministry is assuring the public that it, along with other relevant Government Departments such as Parks and Works and Engineering, is working to ensure that businesses and property owners are compliant with the Act.

The Act applies to the Island generally but the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George’s may issue licences that specifically allow for the exhibition of signs within the municipal boundaries. Using the framework of the Advertisements Regulation Act, the Corporation of St. George’s has already established a sign licensing procedure for Listed Buildings and Historic Protection Areas, and it is anticipated that the Corporation of Hamilton will soon follow suit with a similar procedure.

A Ministry spokesperson said today, “We have received an increase in calls from the public expressing their concern regarding excessive signage around the Island – some going so far as to call it as ‘visual pollution.’ As a result, we thought it would be helpful to remind the public and businesses of the legal Regulations regarding sign advertising.

“First, the public should be aware that any advertising signs erected on land owned by the Bermuda Government and controlled by either the Department of Parks or the Department of Works & Engineering is not permitted and will be removed. The most immediate impact will be visible along East Broadway and other entrances into Hamilton, where it is now commonplace to see announcements of upcoming events. Advertising signs displayed on these strips of land will be removed by either a Parks or Works & Engineering crew. 

“Second, the control of advertising signs incorrectly erected on private land will be addressed by the Department of Planning. This applies to free-standing signs, flutter flags, neon signs and over-sized signs attached to buildings. We encourage any business or any private land owner who is considering putting up outdoor signage and advertising, or wishes to check compliance of their existing signs, to visit the Department of Planning’s website to view the guidelines and the Act in its entirety.”

For more information regarding signage and advertising the public can visit www.planning.gov.bm.

Some general guidelines regarding signage protocols:

Ø  Both the Corporation of Hamilton and the Corporation of St. George can license land for the exhibition of advertisements. Individuals are advised to approach those bodies directly should they wish to do so.

Ø  Advertising Signs Erected on Government Land

o   Signs erected on park property will be removed by a Parks Department crew and held for 30 days before being discarded.

§  To report a sign erected on park property, contact the Parks Department at 236.5902 and advise the receptionist or Park Ranger division of the location of the sign. On weekends, please call 599-5902.

§  To retrieve a sign removed from park property, contact the Parks Department receptionist at 236.5902 to arrange collection from the Parks Department at the Botanical Gardens.

o   Signs erected on government land, which is not park land, will be removed by a Department of Works & Engineering crew and held for 30 days before being discarded.

§  To report a sign erected on government land, contact the Chief Engineer at 297.7863 and advise of the location of the sign.

§  To retrieve a sign removed from government land contact the Marsh Folly depot, Marsh Folly Road at 292-7454 to arrange a time when it would be convenient to collect the sign.

Ø  Advertising Signs Erected on Private Property

o   For signs erected on private land, the Department of Planning will notify the landowner of the breach and seek to remedy the breach.

§  To report a sign erected on private property, contact the Enforcement Officer at 297.7634.