Board urges code enforcement to remove illegal roadside business signs

Chair said he and staff had been discussing the proliferation of roadside business signs—roofers, painters and other solicitations—posted on telephone poles and at intersections across town. "You can literally drive around Henniker and probably find a 100 roofer signs at intersections," he said, and asked whether the board wanted code enforcement to remove such signs.

Members noted the town already has an ordinance prohibiting those signs except at active job sites. One member said political signs are treated differently under separate rules. The board asked code-enforcement staff to collect noncompliant signs, place them behind town hall and call the listed phone numbers to notify owners and request they stop posting signs. "When Bob picks them up, he just dials the number and says, ‘hey, this is Bob Gossow. I'm the Henniker building inspector. The signs are behind the Henniker Town hall,'" the Chair suggested as a script for enforcement.

Members discussed practical steps to avoid asking staff to do special runs and suggested collection could be combined with regular inspection routes. The board also discussed whether repeat offenders should face penalties and asked staff to report back on enforcement options and potential penalties under existing ordinances.

Next steps: staff (code enforcement) will collect visible illegal signs, notify owners and report back with recommendations on enforcement procedures and possible penalties.