City of Southport updates ordinance, clarifying enforcement regarding political signs

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — Southport leaders are clarifying how an ordinance about political signs will be enforced.

At the first of two regular Board of Aldermen monthly meetings on October 5th, the Board voted unanimously to not enforce the first line of the Sign Ordinance of the city’s Unified Development Ordinance.

The ordinance used to say: “On private property, one (1) sign shall be permitted per lot, not exceeding eight (8) square feet in the area per display face, and two (2) faces per sign.”

Now it has been updated to say: “The one sign rule will not be enforced; property owners may have as many signs as they would like on their private property.”

The rest of the ordinance is the same, including elements focusing on public land. The rest of the ordinance reads as follows:

“Within NCDOT right-of-way, sign placement and duration shall be in accordance with NCGS 136-32 during the period beginning on the 30th day before the beginning of “one-stop” early voting under NCGS 163-227.2 and ending on the 10th day after the primary or Election Day, subject to the following provisions. A person must obtain the permission of any property owner of a residence, business, or religious institution fronting the right-of-way where a sign would be erected. Signs must be placed in accordance with the following:
• No sign shall be permitted in the right-of-way of a fully controlled access highway.
• No sign shall be closer than three (3) feet from the edge of the pavement of the road.
• No sign shall be higher than 42 inches above the edge of the pavement of the road.
• No sign shall be larger than 864 square inches.
• No sign shall obscure or replace another sign.
• No sign shall be located in the City’s right-of-way.”