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Dear Sir or Madam:

Does the Gwinnett Ordinance apply to Snellville? or Does Snellville have its own?

In short can we do the pulling up in Snellville as well?

What you are doing is great and thanks so much!!
- B.T.

RESPONSE: Snellville does have its own sign ordinance and phone number (770-985-3509). Notices are posted on utility poles. We don't know how strictly they enforce the ordinance beyond removal.

Thanks for your support!

you guys are out of control! a website dedicated to this is also out of control!

how much does a sign cost a business or organization to put out. how many lives do you people affect or, infect, as the case may be. costs vary depending on signage, anywhere from $3 to as much as $20. WHAT GOES INTO A SIGN? metal poles or wood, staples, vinyl lettering, chloroplast material or gatorboard, nails, ink, not to mention all the machines used to manufacture all these materials. it adds up to alot of lives being affected. not to say your property values are not important, mine are also important, i want the best for my family as well. however, the signage is all directional, prompting you to buy something at some point. the same signs that you yank or "pull" might in fact inject more money into gwinnett's economy by a new home buyer. he shops at the grocery store, buys gas, clothes, pays taxes! the same person might not buy into that new development having never seen the sign thus defeating your entire concept, property values.

by doing this, you affect other people's lives who may just depend on those signs as their only means of making money. businesses pay taxes, thus leveling the property taxes you pay as a homeowner. if those signs are gone their business may be gone and no more taxes are paid by those businesses to the state and local goverments. before ya' know it, the county is cutting jobs. it does and will have a cascading effect on you, as a consumer and a tax paying citizen ultimately.
- Anonymous

RESPONSE: First, we understand that business is highly competitive and we do have sympathy for the "little guy". We know that that cheap plastic signs are an inexpensive and effective advertising method. We could all think of things that would get us ahead in life but many of them would not be ethical or legal.

We do not agree with the economic argument. If one business uses signs, all that does is shift customers away from the competition. So, the net economic effect is zero. Eventually, the competition will feel the sting and start using signs also, thus neutralizing any advantage. Meanwhile the area has taken a turn for the worse with all the signs. If every storefront in a strip mall puts out three or four signs, it will look like the whole mall is on the verge of going out of business. That spooks homeowners in a subliminal way and when housing demographics take a turn for the worse, nearby retail quickly dies and goes to hell. Our county leaders are trying to reverse that trend through code enforcement, redevelopment and improvement districts, but broad citizen involvement is crucial.

We would also like to point out that although we don't play favorites and therefore try to pull ALL illegal signs, some offenders are far more obnoxious and illegitimate. A small business that puts a few signs out front might be ignored were it not for the people who put out hundreds of signs all over the county. We wouldn't exist as a group if the problem weren't so far out of control. We believe a level playing field and good property maintenance is the best protection for homeowners AND storefronts. We, the people, have elected leaders who agree.
I just saw the article in the Gwinnett Post!!

WAY TO GO!

I have been pulling, yanking, dumping and calling about these bad boys for 2 yrs since I moved to into the Lawrenceville area.

I work for a large corporation and am in the field often. If traffic allows, I play “sign posse”!

Poles that seemed to be used as a billboard, I usually call the “owner” and give them the chance to pull down those high signs and remind them the poles belong to our company and they are trespassing...I like to let them go back to get them.

What I really wished we could do is place all the old yard/garage sale signs in the originating home as well as the new neighborhood signs...but then we wouldn’t be helping the environment would we.

Anyway, thanks for the time. And keep it up!!!!
- J.W.

RESPONSE: Great to hear from another sign grabber! We also hate signs on poles and like to tell offenders that all the rusty nails they leave behind turn poles into metal porcupines for linemen to climb. As if 7200 Volts AC isn't dangerous enough...

We suspect that the people who put out illegal signs would not want them plastered all over THEIR property.
Let me start by saying thank you!!!

I remove signs in my area, but I run into a problem with the amount of trash. I often fill up more than half of my trash can each week, which limits my ability to pull more signs. I use the wooden stakes to build things, or burn them in the winter, but there again, it is a lot of stuff. Also, is there any way to go after the home builder/developer who puts them up the day after I take them down?

Thanks,
- R.G.

RESPONSE: Your're welcome and thank YOU! Yes, developers can leave an industrial sized load of trash and disposal is a problem. We have been given permission to use a large dumpster and several smaller ones. Let me know and I will tell you where they are. As far as going after the developers, there are cases pending, perhaps even against the one trashing up your area. Lets compare notes...
I saw the article in the Gwinnett Daily Post and all I can say is THANK YOU, and do I have to do anything to officially join The Bunch?

Kudos to you all for helping keep our neighbourhoods clean!

Sincerely,
- L.B.

RESPONSE: Glad to have you on board!
Hello

I am encouraged that your group is successful. In South Fulton the sign companies were able to hire a couple of officers to harrass some of us for doing what you are doing. It cost thousands to defend myself, lost a car that was towed: due to excessive storage fees. It was not until I had a meeting with Chief Coleman did things start to get better. Even then a Lt and a detective still tried to intervene for the sign guys & I pointed out they were in conflict with their oath of office. Finally, after raising cane in every way that I could, code enforcement has finally made cases against some sign companies.

The loss of respect & trust for the system has been the real loser.

-south side sign busters

RESPONSE: WOW! It is tough when the authorities take sides with the criminals. Glad you were able to prevail. We have had some difficulties in past years but our county government really seems to understand and support this today.
I loved the website. People after my own heart!

The amount of signage makes me puke. Because of gas prices I can't do as much as I used to but I 'collect' illegal signs in the Loganville area (gwinnett part). In fact, I picked up about 30 wooden stakes just today. No signs with them of course but at least I got something.

I loved the quote from the guy who said he wanted to meet to whip your ass and you suggested meeting the next morning at planning and development. What a hoot!
- F.A.

RESPONSE: Thanks & keep pulling!
I have a small business and signs are cheap. What other ways can I advertise?
- FAQ

RESPONSE: Putting signs out WILL get you calls, but you will get so many bad prospects it may cost you more time and money than it is worth. Putting out "street spam" positions your product or service right along with rich-quick-schemes and discount junk that people are desperate to sell. Your business is your life, do you really want to be positioned as a bottom feeder?

There are many other affordable advertising methods which will bring in better qualified prospects. Go into any convenience store and get copies of the publications on the news stand. For instance, Atlanta Advertiser, newspaper classifieds and local real estate guides are widely read by people seeking to buy specific things. You can also use a direct mail broker to get highly targeted mailing lists. You can build your business by referrals and promotions. You can get your name out by joining or sponsoring civic and community orginizations. Here are some more ideas:

Junk Removal Service: Adopt-A-Road, publicized road-side cleanups with mailings to nearby homes. You are in the clean-up business, right? Not the littering business.

Garage Sales: Run an ad in the paper to get the serious buyers who show up with cargo vans and wads of cash. Put out decent looking signs (no paper) and TAKE THEM DOWN when done, please! Trashy signs = trashy junk for sale. Would YOU rather stop at a trash sale or a treasure sale?

Lawn Service: You are in the business of making land look good. You pick up trash on your client's grounds. Run ads in HOA newsletters, offer referral discounts.

For Sale/For Rent: Classifieds, real estate guides, mailings. How would YOU go about finding a place to live? Probably not by randomly driving around.

Developers/Agents: Get proper approval and put up nice wood signs. Coroplast signs = vinyl siding = shoddy building in the buyer's mind.

Strip Mall Storefronts like nail salons, cell phone dealers, etc.: Do some research on small business advertising.

Politicians: What sort of message are you sending by breaking the sign law? The candidates who did this in the last election had much higher losses than those who carefully followed the law. Coincidence?

* thanks to StreetSpam.org for ideas
Dear Sir,

First of all I would like to have addressed you by your name, but I noticed that you do not give that information on your web site. I think that only cowards refuse to offer their names when they have a political platform they are standing on.

I would like to know if your little group would like to take credit for what you might like to call cleaning up the Rock Springs Road area today, Monday September 5th. Labor Day? If yes, I have a problem with that.

I live at [...] in Lawrenceville. I have a house that I am trying to sell myself. This was the first week end that I had my house up for sale. I paid $40.00 for a nice sign to place on the street to direct traffic to my home that is in the middle of the subdivision. I also paid $4 for the stand. I did not want to just hand write one that would look tacky and was hard to read. You see, I did read the Gwinnett County sign ordinance before I put the sign up. I was following the section that referred to weekend directional signs. Since the county was not opened on a Holiday Monday I thought I could take advantage of one more day of leaving it up. My plan was to remove it when the sun went down. Looks like you or the other radicals that you lead beat me to it, because when I went to get it, mine and all the others were gone.

You know sir, looking a your web site, I will say that your cause does have some merit. But, do you really think it’s necessary to take you cause to the point that you effect other residents of the county that you are trying to protect? I am not a large builder, a realty company, or even a shop owner trying to gain a larger share of the profits from the citizens of this county. I and the other 3 home owners that had signs on that street, are just trying to sell our own homes. One little sign each. Does it make your group feel really big and important to put us in our place along with the others that really do contaminate major intersections in this county? I guess so, you pulled up the signs.

Anyway I look forward to your response, I am curious to see if you will take credit for the actions of today. You can count on the fact that I will be calling Gwinnett County tomorrow morning to see what my rights are, as a resident of this county also. By the way people do drive around looking for homes, they do respond to signs like mine. I guess I can just count on the fact that my profit from the sale of my home went down $44, because I will have another sign made.

Very disturb,
- J.M.

Response: The reason we don't like to be singled out by name is that people who knowingly violate the sign law are less likely to respect other laws. Some of these creeps have commited acts of harassment and vandalization against us. Some get very angry and potentially violent. While we are capable of taking care of any situation that might come along, we would rather avoid any trouble that distracts from our mission of keeping the streets looking good.

You misunderstand the law. At one time weekend directionals were allowed, but the law was later changed to prohibit them (because developers abused it and left signs up all the time). The definitions section says they "may be" erected Friday to Sunday but that is just a definition and in Section 86-108 they are listed as prohibited. It is a bit confusing at first but Planning & Development will be glad to confirm.

Someone in our group could very well have collected the signs on Old Peachtree but we aren't organized well enough to be able to keep up with each other's every move. It could also have been one of your fed up neighbors. It sounds like whoever did it did a good job.

Four signs in one intersection looks bad, period. If everyone in your subdivison threw "just one" dirty diaper on your lawn you would probably get a little upset.
I live in Suwanee and confess that I do not know the specifics of the Suwanee Sign Ordinance, which I will call about tomorrow. But I would like your opinion on a situation that occurred in my neighborhood nevertheless. A 10 month old kitten showed up at our door one morning and absolutely refused to leave. This little guy stayed around for hours without us paying it any attention. It even scaled the door on our deck so it could look in at eye level. She did not seem like a stray as she was not emaciated or unkempt so we assumed that she was from near by. That night, after being at our house for 12 hours or so without us feeding her, I came home and called neighbers and fellow board members to see if anyone know of someone with a missing kitty. Having no luck I finally took to driving every neighborhood near ours looking for a lost cat sign. 45 minutes later, not finding any signs I decided that it was too cold to just leave the little guy in the cold (this was just before Christmas) and turn my back. So I went down and picked up some cat food and liter and made a place for her in the garage since I am very allergic. Finally, before bed, my wife and I took a photo of the cat so I could get a sign up at the front of our neighborhood. The next day I made the sign (you'd be proud of me as I took one of those "Make $$ at Home" signs for the cause) and really put some time into making it noticeable and secure. I put it in a common area (not on a private lot) in a place that folks coming in or out could see. It could not be seen from the main road. Since we were going to be going out of town over the holiday and I can't have a pet, I intended to take it down and bring the cat to the Humane Society in several days if no one responded. The sign was taken down in less than 10 hours without so much as a call. In my mind, I was doing everything I could to be neighborly thinking there might be some child all broken up about her missing kitten. Any comments.
- S.H.

Response: I am sorry to hear this story and do commend you for trying to find the owner. When I lost my dog years ago, I also put up signs and they eventually led to her recovery. Although I can't speak for everyone in the group, I think it is safe to say we don't take down lost pet signs, especially fresh ones. With all of our publicity, I have noticed more citizens are keeping their own little "areas" clear. It could have been a work crew, prison crew, landscaper, police officer or a neighbor. Also, putting things on telephone poles is a no-no with utility crews. Check with the local vets and with animal control. Also the city of Suwanee is pretty agressive about signs.
Good luck!
From: FASTSIGNS #200
We don't always know where or how our customers will use their signs. We are not located in Gwinnett county. I do know you and your friends are a bunch of thieves, stealing the livlihoods of hard working people. You ought to spend your time riding through some of the subdivisions in Gwinnett County and clean the junk and trash instead of destoying the property of others. Obviously You have entirely too much time on your hands, go volunteer in New Orleans and pick up the trash still there from Katrina.
Sincerely,
Paula

Response: We always find it interesting that some people speak about how we "steal" signs from "hard working people". These hard working people somehow feel that it's OK to ignore local ordinances and trash streets and roadways as long as they're "just trying to make a living". All we ever ask is that folks respect our county and advertise legally.

As for sign companies, it's amazing that they claim not to know ordinances of nearby communities. After all, they're in the sign business and one would expect them to at least advise customers to check local sign rules. But then they wouldn't make the sale, would they?

It's also amusing how sign sellers and placers advise us and others to find something more important to do. The whole idea of the "Fixing Broken Windows" neighborhood cleanup program is how little things grow into big things. (See the newspaper articles linked on our website.) Signs are indeed a part of the overall cleanup campaign going on in Gwinnett.

By the way, our "sign stealing" group consists of three Gwinnett Police Officers, a county commissioner, and more than twenty ordinary citizens stretching from Hamilton Mill and Dacula to Mountain Park and Peachtree Corners, and has the full support of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, the Adopt-a-Road people. It only takes a couple of hours a week, which leaves plenty of time for those more important things. And it sure makes our neighborhoods look better and less inviting for more serious violations.

Fastsigns,Fast Signs
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