Sign Ordinance stirs up Business Owners

Recently, there have been complaints made in regards to an ordinance that was most recently amended by the City of Toccoa in 2013.

The ordinance outlines legal and illegal signage for businesses; however, in recent weeks one business owner has come forward expressing grievance for the ordinance, after being issued two citations for failure to remove or bring his sign up to compliance.

William Good, owner of Good’s Furniture, in Toccoa, recently told WNEG about the two $150 fines he received last week.

“Two weeks ago, the City Marshal came in and told us that our signs were in violations of an ordinance that was passed in 2013. Just out of the clear blue. We’re a small business and a lot of our business comes from our signs…It just seems sort of an odd thing,” Good said.

Good goes on to explain that City Marshal Lindsey Owens provided him no leeway or any solution to remedy the sign violation.

“They just came in there and gave us two tickets, and told us our sign had to go,” Good said.

However, Owens who also spoke with WNEG provided a different story, saying that he has allowed several businesses two or three weeks to remove the signs.

“I usually give businesses two weeks to remove their signs. Some of the business owners need to get people to help them move their signs, if the sign is heavy, or some need to time to get a truck to their business to have it removed. So I do work with the businesses. There has just been two businesses that are unwilling to move their signs,” Owens said.

Owens explained that he has only had to issue citations to two businesses for noncompliance, one being Good’s Furniture and the other Creative Customs.

Owens also went on to say that despite being employed with the city for four months, he does know that the city has been enforcing the ordinances in the past.

“I know that the previous code enforcer did work on enforcing the sign ordinance,” Owens said.

For a copy of the city ordinances, visit cityoftoccoa.com/city-ordinances.cfm.