Austin’s Home Buyers Plagued By Illegal Bandit Signs

September 18, 2007

band-signs.jpgAustin, Cedar Park & many other cities around Central Texas have passed laws in regards to bandit signs, and a very small handful of brokers have engaged in knowingly violating those very laws.  The problem was before September 1, 2007, the authorities had to witness the placement of illegal bandit signs to actually fine you.  They simply removed & destroyed the signs at an unauthorized cost to tax payers.

As of September 1, 2007, that law has been updated.  Now all levels of Government can fine & prosecute abusive bandit sign owners. The county & state entities can prosecute you regardless if you were seen placing the sign or not, and it’s our understanding the fines are not a slap on the wrist by any means and can even be criminally prosecuted. 

I’ve watched several brokerages around the city do their best to bend the laws, placing 10 or even 15 signs on a single street corner to simply test the waters.  The city or county would simply remove the signs that were within their jurisdiction, leaving the ones that weren’t.  Another tactic that is being used is the infamous put the sign out on Friday (as permitted) and forget to pick them up on Sunday. 

Home buyers are left to wonder if the broker violating the law on one hand but promises to treat you ethically on the other is really sincere.  Buyer beware.

On the bright side of all of this, there are really only three brokerages that have abused this law in Northwest, Northeast, & far Northeast Austin.  There are literally 100s of law abiding brokerages that complied with the new city laws in 2005. It is unfortunate that a state law had to be passed in order to enforce rural and federal roads in order to close the loop holes on federal and rural.  It is our belief that the new 2007 law will superceed the 2005 bandit sign law to cover any sign erected without proper permitting in a public right of way or on private property. 

So, say no to bandit signs- these bandit signs cost the city 1000s of dollars to remove and destroy, they’re tacky, a hazard, and they’re trashy. 

One homeowner in a new subdivision in Cedar Park is collecting them and plans to deliver them to the authorities- wow!

Other signs that will get you in trouble are garage sale, birthday party signs, FSBO directionals, and more.  So don’t get yourself in trouble on this one!

I cannot point out the offending brokerages (you know who they are anyway), but you can.  Feel free to call them and tell them to remove the signs.  That would be a step in the right direction!

Posted by Benn, Single Pointe CEO | Filed Under About Austin, Austin News, Blog 

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