The city of Austin is now enforcing a law that for a long time has been widely ignored. A law covering advertisements and signs along roads.
The law was created more than 20 years ago and applies to anything in the city's right of way, including flyers of lost puppies.
It's Matthew Christianson's job as a city code enforcement officer to take down signs that are in the city's right of way.
"Anything between the sidewalk and the street is illegal," Christianson said.
For some, the enforcement of this law is bad news.
Realtor Chris Hemming, for example, is finding it difficult to advertise his open houses.
"This was an overreaction to having too many signs out there for just anyone. We're not allowed to put signs at all now in rights of way," Hemming said.
While the enforcement of the law has hurt Hemming's business, the amount of illegal signs has increased all over Austin.
It's gotten to the point where the city's code enforcement officers can't keep up, so in come sign rangers -- trained citizen volunteers.
"We instruct them on what proper right of way is and where they should and should not pick up signs," Christianson said.
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Sign off
The City of Austin is getting rid of illegal signs.
 
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Code enforcement officials can come at any time and take bandit signs down. Once the sign rangers are trained, they too can do the same.
But signs will be in their most precarious position Oct. 12, when the city has its 'Great City Sign Off.'
"The Great City Sign Off for Austin will be our very first opportunity to involve citizens and community groups from across the city to help the city rid the right of way of illegal bandit signs," said Cora Wright of the Neighborhood Planning and Zoning Department.
The signs' content doesn't matter; be it political, real estate, a job offer or even one of Hemming's temporary directional open house signs.
If it's on city property without a permit, or too close to the road, it's probably illegal and game for plucking by Christianson and the trained city volunteers.
People like Hemming are worried volunteers will take signs that are legal, but the city assures that everyone who volunteers will be told if a sign's location is questionable. If it is, then they'll leave it.
Sign volunteers had their first day of class Tuesday. Wednesday volunteers will go out in the field for the first time and see first-hand what they need to do in disposing of illegal signs.
