Law expected to reduce sign clutter in Marlboro MARLBORO - In the hope of cutting down on the clutter that is caused by temporary signs and political signs that are placed alongside Marlboro's roads, the Township Council unanimously adopted a new ordinance on April 24 that will limit the placement of these signs. According to the law, anyone who wants to place a temporary sign in a right-of-way or on public property will be required to register with theMarlboro zoning office before placing the signs. The signs will have to gain approval fromtheMarlboro Police Department Bureau of Traffic Safety. The combined total area of signs that may be placed in a public right-of-way will be limited to 32 square feet (of signs) on any one tax lot. No temporary political signs on private property will be allowed to be placed within 50 linear feet of any other sign of the same candidate or campaign on any one tax lot. The ordinance goes on to discuss the right of way on roads such as Route 9, Route 18, Route 34, Route 79, county Route 520 and county Route 3 (Tennent Road). Political signs will not be allowed to be placed closer than within 200 linear feet of any other sign of the same candidate or campaign. This regulation also applies to Robertsville,Wyncrest, Tennent, Ryan and Gordons Corner roads. The owner of a tax lot or the registrant of the signs will be held responsible for the removal of the signs, which must be done no more than seven days after the end of the political event. The ordinance pertains not only to political advertisements, but also to all temporary signs. A temporary sign that is placed on a property by a contractor (i.e. builder, painter or roofer)may not exceed 6 square feet in size and may only remain during the duration of the contracted work. The signs are not permitted to be chained to trees, fences or other structures. Violators face the possibility of a fine in the range of $500 to $2,000, and/or the possibility of imprisonment for no more than 90 days. Every day that a violation continues after service of written notice by ordinary mail on the owner of the property or the sign registrant will be deemed as a separate offense. During the public hearing on the ordinance several area real estate agents expressed concern about whether the law would impact the signs they place on properties they represent. It was explained by Township Attorney Ronald Gordon that the law will not impact real estate signs placed on properties as long as the sign does not impede the line of sight. Gordon noted that real estate agents will not be required to register their signs with the township. Also at the April 24 meeting, an ordinance amending the annual license fee of liquor licenses was passed. A plenary retail consumption license will now cost $2,400, while a plenary retail distribution license will now cost $1,261.44. The price of a limited retail distribution license will be $63 and a club license will now be $188. The club fee will be waived for volunteer fire companies in Marlboro. - Rebecca Morton