§ 497 - Removal of signs - Vermont Statutes

§ 497. Removal of signs

The owner of a sign which is not licensed under this chapter and which is not a legal on-premise or exempt sign meeting the requirements set forth in this chapter, other than a sign which was lawfully erected and maintained prior to March 23, 1968, shall be in violation of this chapter until it is removed. The travel information council, or the secretary of transportation or his designee pursuant to authority delegated by the council, may, upon failure of the owner to remove such sign, order its removal by the agency of transportation, and the agency of transportation shall thereupon remove the sign without notice or further proceeding, at the expense of the owner. The expense may be recovered by the state in an action on this statute, which shall be instituted in the superior court or Vermont district court having jurisdiction in the area in which the sign is located. A copy of the notice of removal shall be sent by certified mail to the owner at the last known address. If an illegal sign is re-erected after the initial removal notice is executed, the agency of transportation shall have the authority to remove that illegal sign without additional prior notice to the owner. The agency of transportation or the legislative body of a municipality shall have the authority to remove or relocate, or both, without prior notice, any sign, device or display which is temporary in nature and not affixed to a substantive structure which is erected within 24.75 feet of the actual centerline of any highway under its jurisdiction and within the public highway right-of-way. (1967, No. 333 (Adj. Sess.), § 17, eff. March 23, 1968; amended 1969, No. 92, § 12, eff. April 19, 1969; 1983, No. 167 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 1993, No. 121 (Adj. Sess.), § 11.)