Strafford News

City of Dover issued the following announcement on March 31.

The City of Dover’s Department of Planning and Community Development staff will conduct a cleanup of off-premise signs, including those placed on trees and utility poles or within the right-of-way without a permit.

Sign owners are advised to remove any unpermitted signs before the cleanup, which will occur by Friday, April 8, 2022. Any confiscated signs will be held at City Hall for 30 days before being recycled or destroyed unless the owner claims it and pays a reclamation fee based on the person-hour and equipment use cost to remove the sign. Repeat offenders may be subject to prosecution and fines.

In Dover, temporary signs are permitted only in select commercial zoning districts and must meet dimensional and liability requirements. With a few exceptions, temporary signs not located on the owner’s property, known as “off-premise” signs, are prohibited in Dover.

Sign cleanups are conducted to remove signs placed without permission, such as those often found attached to roadside trees and utility poles or on the ground along roadsides. These signs can cause a safety hazard for motorists and pedestrians or create a visual blight that is unsightly for residents and visitors. Another goal of the sign cleanup is to support those organizations with legal signage.

“Dover’s sign regulations serve to balance the need for identification, advertising and communication with the need to protect safety and welfare and maintain an attractive appearance throughout the city,” said Director of Planning and Community Development Donna Benton. “Removing illegal signs helps ensure that those who’ve followed these regulations know that their efforts to obtain permits are worthwhile.”

The City of Dover regulates most temporary and permanent signage, other than political signage, through Section 170-32 of the city’s zoning ordinance; the code addresses sign dimensions and uses in each of the city’s zoning districts. Political signs are regulated by New Hampshire state law RSA 664:17.

Sign permit applications are available at the Planning and Community Development Department website, http://www.dover.nh.gov/government/city-operations/planning/. The application for temporary signs includes regulations for their use.

For more information, including specific questions about signage, contact Zoning Administrator Natasha Kypfer at 603-516-6008 or n.kypfer@dover.nh.gov.