Portable real estate signs not welcome in Erin

ERIN - Portable signs that provide direction to properties for sale are no longer welcome on public land in Erin.

At a Nov. 19 meeting, town council approved a staff recommendation to repeal the bylaw that allowed portable signs, and to review other sign-related bylaws with the goal of combining them into a single bylaw.

The initiative comes after an October motion from Mayor Allan Alls to investigate how other area municipalities handle real estate signs.

Chief building official Paul Evans said area bylaws generally regulate the size and placement of regular real estate signs and open house signs.

Unlike Erin, they do not allow for portable directional signs. Erin does not currently regulate non-portable open house signs.

Erin has required a $10 permit and a $50 deposit for portable real estate signs, but in 2016 discontinued requesting the deposit.

While there have been no public complaints about the placement of portable real estate signs, the roads department said they are “somewhat problematic during periods of roadside maintenance”, said Evans.