The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is sending a friendly reminder that unauthorized signage of any kind found in the state right of way is unlawful and is subject to immediate removal by Georgia DOT maintenance crews as part of the department's routine maintenance work.

Signs on the state highway system - interstates and state routes - must be approved and permitted to be placed on the right of way. The number of unauthorized political signs typically increases during an election year, but they are not the only problem. Signs that advertise yard sales, real estate, or goods and services for sale are often found in the right of way.

Unauthorized signs can distract drivers or obstruct their view and also can lead to debris that clogs drainage systems along highways and state routes during inclement weather, which creates safety hazards.

Georgia Code 32-6-51 states that "it shall be unlawful for any person to erect, place or maintain within the right of way of any public road any sign, signal or other device except as authorized by subsection (d) of this Code section."

Georgia law also stipulates that the department is required to maintain a safe roadway for the traveling public, which includes the immediate removal of any obstruction or hazard that may pose a threat to the traveling public.

The width of the right of way depends on the route. If there are power poles on the right of way, the edge is usually behind the poles. However, check with your local Georgia DOT office for guidance if you aren't sure where signs are allowed on a particular route.

It is not unusual for Georgia DOT maintenance employees to uproot several hundred signs during an election year. The signs are then taken back to the crew's county headquarters and held for 30 days, giving the owners an opportunity to reclaim them. If not reclaimed, the signs will then be destroyed.