Virginia Law

Article 2. False and Misleading Signs.

It shall be unlawful for any person to erect or maintain alongside, or in plain view of, any public highway any false or misleading sign of any kind or character purporting to furnish travel information relating to place or direction. It shall be unlawful for any person to erect or maintain alongside, or in plain view of, any public highway any sign of any kind or character purporting to furnish travel information relating to merchandise or services unless the design of such sign, the information thereon, and the location thereof are approved in writing by the Commissioner of Highways, provided that the provisions of this section as to merchandise and service shall not:

1. Apply to or restrict the right of any person to post, display, erect, or maintain on any store, dwelling house, or other building, together with so much land therewith as shall be necessary for the convenience, use, and enjoyment thereof, or on any mercantile appliances, contrivances, or machinery annexed or immediately adjacent thereto, any sign advertising goods, merchandise, real or personal property, business services, entertainment, or amusements actually and in good faith manufactured, produced, bought, sold, conducted, furnished, or dealt in on the premises;

2. Limit or restrict the publication of official notices by or under the direction of any public or court officer in the performance of his official or directed duties;

3. Limit or restrict notice of sale by a trustee under a deed of trust, deed of assignment, or other similar instrument; or

4. Apply to or restrict the right of any property owner or his agent, lessee, or tenant to maintain any sign offering to the public farm products, including livestock of every kind, or board or lodging or similar entertainment, or the sale, rental, or lease of the property.

Nothing in this section shall limit the right of any person, firm, or corporation to erect signs that advertise natural scenic attractions in the Commonwealth.

Code 1950, § 33-324; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-379; 2014, c. 805.

Any person who violates any of the provisions of § 33.2-1232 shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $10 for each offense, and it shall be deemed a separate offense for the same person to erect, or permit to be erected, a similar sign at each of two or more places.

Code 1950, § 33-325; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-380; 2014, c. 805.

Whenever the Commissioner of Highways determines that a sign gives incorrect information in violation of this article, he shall notify the person who erected such sign and the person on whose property it is located, in writing, to remove it immediately, and if it is not removed within 10 days after receipt of such notice, the Commissioner of Highways shall remove and destroy such sign, or cause it to be removed and destroyed, without liability for damages therefor, and if any person convicted of erecting or maintaining any such sign, or of permitting the same to be erected or maintained, as provided in this article shall fail or refuse to remove such sign within 10 days after such judgment of conviction, the Commissioner of Highways shall remove and destroy such sign without liability for damages.

(Code 1950, § 33-327; 1970, c. 322, § 33.1-381; 2014, c. 805.)