The following article originally appeared on the Small Business Administration website in February 2001, but it was subsequently removed. The Lanham Trademark Act, at 15 U.S.C. 1121, prohibits states, and their political subdivisions, from requiring alteration of federally registered names, marks and colors where included within the registration. The decisions in two recent federal cases […]
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Fourteenth Amendment Application to Sign Control
Fourteenth Amendment Application to Sign Control Under the Fourteenth Amendment, applicable to the states and their subdivisions, a state or local-government regulation may not deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor deprive a person of equal protection of the laws. Due process. A fundamental requirement of due process […]
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First Amendment Application to Sign Control
The Fourteenth Amendment makes the First Amendment’s freedom-of-speech provision applicable to states and their political subdivisions. While many sign codes begin as content neutral “time, place, and manner” regulations (or “police power” exercises), further analysis often reveals the ordinance violates First Amendment “free speech” guarantees. Even in cases where the subject ordinance is not per se […]
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Fifth Amendment Application to Sign Control
The Fifth Amendment applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. It contains two guarantees: The “due process” clause, as in the Fourteenth Amendment, protects citizens from government action that arbitrarily deprives them of a fundamental right without due process of law, and it applies to both the act itself and the procedures incidental to […]
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Signage Quarterly – Vol 2 – No 1 – March 1979
Technical Criteria for Signage. A Rationale for the Height of Freestanding Signs for Vehicular Traffic; Vision Factors and Directional Traffic Signals; A Sample Corporate Identification Program. Signage Quarterly is a series of manuscripts specifically tailored for the on-premise or business sign community. Each issue is designed to offer insight into specific problems in the sign community. Download Signage […]
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Signs, Legal Rights and Aesthetic Considerations (1972)
There are three general ways in which cultural constraints are enforced: through the use of police powers, eminent domain and taxation. Download Signs. Legal Rights and Aesthetic Considerations
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The Sign User’s Guide – A Marketing Guide (1988)
Sections include: Functions of Signs, The Importance of Signs, Sign Design, Selecting the Appropriate Type of Sign, Designing a Sign, How Much Should a Sign Cost?, Choosing the Copy for a Sign, The Importance of Sign Size to Advertising Effectiveness, Why Businesses Need Signage, The Importance of Marketing, Types of Advertising Media, Standard Measures of […]
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The Impact of Urban Planning Documents on the Landscape (1976)
The Columbus Experience: Writing, Legislating and Enforcing The City Graphics Code This paper was given at the Urban Signage Forum, Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, April 22-23, 1976 Download The Impact of Urban Planning Documents on The Landscape
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Cases on Sign Law (1975)
The exercise of power to regulate signs is not unlimited. This comprehensive look at the case law relating to signs. Download Cases on Sign Law.
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What’s Your Signage? (2004)
How On-Premise Signs Help Small Businesses Tap into a Hidden Profit Center A handbook developed by The New York State Small Business Development Center and the Signage Foundation for Communications Excellence. Download What’s Your Signage?
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