Is it unlawful to install a road sign yourself?

[catch22]

This is somewhat related.  It involves moving signs that were already in place.  I can talk about it now since I'm sure that the statute of limitations has long run out. 

My best friend's parents retired to the outskirts of a small town in northern Michigan.  Their side road ended at a T intersection with a state highway and had a stop sign, even though you could see traffic on the highway for 1/2 mile in both directions as you approached the intersection.  In town was a street dumping onto the same highway on a blind corner, and it was protected with only a yield sign even though you had to stop and peek around the corner to be safe.  One night, after a few courage-building refreshing beverages, my friend and I went out and swapped them in the dark of night.  They stayed that way for over 6 months before TPTB figured it out and swapped them back.

[agentsteel53]

I've installed the occasional KANSAS US 66 cutout on the Rainbow Bridge.

I am quite sure someone will inevitably take them down.  I hope someone takes it down and puts it up in their garage, as opposed to discarding it outright.

[J Route Z]

There are several signs that are missing on certain roads, and the municipality/county/state won't install. What would be the penalty for doing such a thing? Have you ever thought about doing it? Why do private drives get special treatment?

Have you pointed out these missing signs to the appropriate agency, or explained the need for the sign to be installed? Were your requests ignored or responded to in a negative manner? If so, did you go over someone's head -- for instance, to the mayor if the city street supervisor said no?

If a sign really needs to be reinstalled, I don't think a governmental agency would ignore a report of a missing sign or refuse to install a replacement.

I had a friend contact me privately about a missing advance curve sign with an advisory speed plaque. I looked the location up on both Street View and KYTC's photo log and verified that it had been there a couple of years ago. I told our sign crew supervisor and he said he would have it taken care of the next day. If you can show proof of the sign having been there previously, that should help your cause.

Well here in NJ there are several signs that are in need of repair (as with pretty much all states), and they are either missing, faded, leaning, vandalized, or all of the above. And the ones on state highways that I notice are missing, such as reassurance route markers. At a four corner intersection, you have 3 posted, but one missing and you report it online to the maintenance form, and they don't do anything. I have reported things on there many times, and they have installed a few signs, but there are still ones that are missing. I could give you at least a dozen examples. One is located on this road: U.S. 206. Where at many signalized intersections, there is a reassurance route marker southbound, but not northbound, or vice versa. These signs were present at one time, too.

[vdeane]

Recently in Long Island a woman put up signs on her property telling people to not speed and not drink and drive with the names of people she knew that were killed in accidents.  NYSDOT Region 10 was very quick to show up with a survey team to determine where the ROW boundary was.  They weren't very quick to tell her that the signs were legally placed on her own property and that they wouldn't be removing them.  The story generated a few complaints about how NYSDOT had time for this but not to remove potholes leftover from last winter (never mind that these are different departments!).  Unfortunately I can't find a link to the news story right now.  I don't know the exact headline or what news site covered the story and Google is being very unhelpful right now.

Found it!
http://riverheadlocal.com/local-news/flanders-family-to-state-dot-forget-the-signs-fix-the-road

[hm insulators]

At mile 126.5 northbound on Alaska's Dalton Highway, when I traveled it in 2012, someone had put up this apparently unofficial but professionally-crafted and erected sign, at a tricky corner where speeding truckers often both literally and figuratively lose their loads:



I'm assuming it's unofficial, based on its unofficial fonts and language, though I didn't think to check the back of the sign for a decal indicating Alaska DOT&PF installed the sign.  But other landmarks on the highway, like the Beaver Slide and Ice Cut, have more official-looking signs.  There are enough state maintenance yards along the highway (one less than a dozen miles to the north), that the sign would have been quickly spotted and removed if the state objected. 

A censored version of the sign made it onto "Ice Road Truckers".

[nyratk1]

Recently in Long Island a woman put up signs on her property telling people to not speed and not drink and drive with the names of people she knew that were killed in accidents.  NYSDOT Region 10 was very quick to show up with a survey team to determine where the ROW boundary was.  They weren't very quick to tell her that the signs were legally placed on her own property and that they wouldn't be removing them.  The story generated a few complaints about how NYSDOT had time for this but not to remove potholes leftover from last winter (never mind that these are different departments!).  Unfortunately I can't find a link to the news story right now.  I don't know the exact headline or what news site covered the story and Google is being very unhelpful right now.

Found it!
http://riverheadlocal.com/local-news/flanders-family-to-state-dot-forget-the-signs-fix-the-road

Another Suffolk County sign poster - except this one's more professional and snarky:

http://patch.com/new-york/threevillage/mystery-christian-avenue-sign-poster-at-it-again#.U_0kZfmwLqQ

http://patch.com/new-york/threevillage/photo-rogue-christian-avenue-sign-poster-strikes-again#.U_0lRfmwLqQ

http://patch.com/new-york/threevillage/photo-where-did-this-sign-come-from#.U_0ljfmwLqQ

[ilvny]

At mile 126.5 northbound on Alaska's Dalton Highway, when I traveled it in 2012, someone had put up this apparently unofficial but professionally-crafted and erected sign, at a tricky corner where speeding truckers often both literally and figuratively lose their loads:



I'm assuming it's unofficial, based on its unofficial fonts and language, though I didn't think to check the back of the sign for a decal indicating Alaska DOT&PF installed the sign.  But other landmarks on the highway, like the Beaver Slide and Ice Cut, have more official-looking signs.  There are enough state maintenance yards along the highway (one less than a dozen miles to the north), that the sign would have been quickly spotted and removed if the state objected. 

A censored version of the sign made it onto "Ice Road Truckers".

That sign is funny!   

[J Route Z]

At mile 126.5 northbound on Alaska's Dalton Highway, when I traveled it in 2012, someone had put up this apparently unofficial but professionally-crafted and erected sign, at a tricky corner where speeding truckers often both literally and figuratively lose their loads:



I'm assuming it's unofficial, based on its unofficial fonts and language, though I didn't think to check the back of the sign for a decal indicating Alaska DOT&PF installed the sign.  But other landmarks on the highway, like the Beaver Slide and Ice Cut, have more official-looking signs.  There are enough state maintenance yards along the highway (one less than a dozen miles to the north), that the sign would have been quickly spotted and removed if the state objected. 

A censored version of the sign made it onto "Ice Road Truckers".

That sign is funny!   

hahah is this sign still up??? But it's Alaska....a lot of shit goes on there.

[Avalanchez71]

Illegal in Tennessee

55-8-113 Unauthorized signs, signals or markings
(a) No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device that purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic control device or railroad sign or signal, or that attempts to direct the movement of traffic, or that hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic control device or any railroad sign or signal.
(b) No person shall sell or offer for sale any traffic control signal or device for use on any street, road, or
highway in this state unless the device conforms to the requirements of this chapter.
(c) No person shall place or maintain nor shall any public authority permit upon any highway any traffic sign or signal bearing any commercial advertising.
(d) This section shall not be deemed to prohibit the erection upon private property adjacent to highways of signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs.
(e) Every prohibited sign, signal or marking is declared to be a public nuisance and the authority having
jurisdiction over the highway is empowered to remove the sign, signal or marking or cause it to be removed without notice.
(f) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

[roadman65]

Did not some one on here place his own END US 3 sign in Cambridge, MA?  I remember that USends.com documented it in hopes jokingly that someone in DOT would get the idea and make a more official and permanent one.

[Pete from Boston]

Did not some one on here place his own END US 3 sign in Cambridge, MA?  I remember that USends.com documented it in hopes jokingly that someone in DOT would get the idea and make a more official and permanent one.

I recall an assembly of several 2/3 signs going east near Magazine St., crudely weatherized in plastic bags. 

[oscar]

hahah is this sign {Oh Shit corner] still up??? But it's Alaska....a lot of shit goes on there.

The latest Milepost indicates it is no longer there, though maybe it was (a) stolen rather than removed by the state, and/or (b) replaced by whoever put it up in the first place, after the Milepost's field checkers last drove through there.

[roadman65]

Did not some one on here place his own END US 3 sign in Cambridge, MA?  I remember that USends.com documented it in hopes jokingly that someone in DOT would get the idea and make a more official and permanent one.

I recall an assembly of several 2/3 signs going east near Magazine St., crudely weatherized in plastic bags. 

I looked at Dale's site and he removed it from the US 3 page.  I think it was someone on here as even Dale referenced to it as someone who lived in the area at the time.  I can named two people on this forum for sure who resided in the Greater Boston area at the time it was done.

[cjk374]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eZyy54pM_k

This is how it was done in south Louisiana back in the day.  (look starting st 2:17...end it at 5:10)

[mjb2002]

S.C. Code of Laws say yes, it's unlawful, unfortunately. Yet, neither the state nor SCDOT is doing anything about rogue sign contractors in Bamberg and Barnwell counties.

SECTION 56-5-1020. Unauthorized signs, signals or like devices prohibited; exception; removal thereof.

No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device which (a) purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic-control device or railroad sign or signal, (b) attempts to direct the movement of traffic or (c) hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal, and no person shall place or maintain nor shall any public authority permit upon any highway any traffic sign, signal or control device bearing thereon any commercial advertisement. This provision shall not be deemed to prohibit the erection upon private property adjacent to highways of signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs. Every such prohibited sign, signal or marking is hereby declared to be a public nuisance, and the authority having jurisdiction over the highway may remove it or cause it to be removed without notice.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-311; 1952 Code Section 46-311; 1949 (46) 466.

SECTION 56-5-1030. Interference with traffic-control devices or railroad signs or signals prohibited.

(A) No person shall wilfully without lawful authority attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove an official traffic-control device or a railroad sign or signal or its inscriptions, shields, or insignia.

(B) A person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be:

(1) fined not less than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. The driver's license of a person convicted under this section must be revoked for not less than five years. In any case where a license has not been issued, the person is not eligible to obtain a license for five years from the date of conviction;

(2) fined not less than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than ten years if injury results;

(3) imprisoned not more than thirty years if death results.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 46-312; 1952 Code Section 46-312; 1949 (46) 466; 1969 (56) 698; 1993 Act No. 184, Section 82.

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t56c005.php

[mtantillo]

Let sign engineers make the decisions what signs to put up. You may think it might be needed, but the engineers in charge may have good reason for not putting a sign up. You should contact the agency, because they might not know that a sign is missing.

If you put up your own sign, you could be held legally liable if someone were to crash as a result of information on the sign or improper placement of the sign.