.010 The term "sign" as used in this section shall include any card, banner, handbill, sign, poster, printing, writing, drawing, painting, decoration, pictorial representation of advertising or publicity or notice of any kind, including any political sign of any kind. Such term shall not include (1) any sign required or permitted by any statute, ordinance or law, (2) any duly authorized official City, County, State or Federal directional or informational sign, or (3) any privately owned directional sign maintained pursuant to an encroachment agreement approved by the City of Anaheim for the sole purpose of providing directions to one or more new "for sale" residential developments provided both said sign and such development(s) are located within the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone of the City.
.020 The term "public right-of-way" as used in this section shall mean any area of real property dedicated to or owned by the City of Anaheim or the public or any other public body, or over which the City of Anaheim or the public or any other public body holds any easement, for public street, alley, sidewalk, pedestrian, equestrian, or public utility purposes.
.030 It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, committee, or organization, except a public officer or employee in the performance of a public duty or unless required or permitted by ordinance of the City of Anaheim or the laws of the State or of the United States, to place or cause to be placed, any sign on or within any public right-of-way in the City of Anaheim, or to affix any sign to any curb, telephone wire, crossbar or pole, utility wire, crossbar or pole, lamp post, traffic or parking control signs or devices, hydrant, bridge, tree, bus shelter, or any other object located within said public right-of-way.
.040 The provisions of this section shall not apply to signs placed or maintained upon, or in front of, or attached to, or above any building or premises either wholly located upon private property, or upon a building or structure projecting into the public right-of-way and which sign is regulated by the provisions of Title 18, Chapter 18.44 of the Anaheim Municipal Code. The provisions of this section shall likewise not apply to signs affixed to any vehicle provided said vehicle is lawfully located in the public right-of-way.
.050 Any sign violating any of the provisions of this section is hereby declared to be and is a public nuisance.
.060 Any sign violating any of the provisions of this section may be removed by any employee of the City duly authorized so to do by the Director of Maintenance, City Engineer, Public Utilities General Manager, or Director of Community Development and Planning. Any sign so removed shall be transported to the City of Anaheim and placed in the custody of the Maintenance Department of the City and notice of such removal and the right to claim such sign shall be given by the City to the person or entity owning such sign to the extent such ownership can be reasonably ascertained from information contained on the sign. Failure of the City to give or failure of the owner to receive such notice shall not subject the City or any of its officers or employees to any civil liability or invalidate any other action taken pursuant to this section. The person or entity owning such sign and the person or entity responsible for the affixing of such sign in the public right-of-way shall be jointly and severally civilly liable and indebted to the City of Anaheim for the reasonable cost of removal and storage of such sign incurred by the City which shall be in addition to any other penalty provided by law. In the event any sign so removed is not claimed by its owner and the costs prescribed herein paid to the City within thirty days following its removal, such sign may be disposed of by the City without further notice. For purposes of this section, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the name of any person or entity which appears on such sign in any manner or capacity is either the owner of said sign or the person or entity responsible for the affixing of such sign in the public right-of-way.
.070 Penalty. Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an infraction which shall be punishable by a fine in an amount as prescribed by State law but in no event less than the amount of any reward prescribed payable pursuant to subsection .080 hereof.
.080 Every person who provides information resulting in the conviction of any person who violates any of the provisions of this section shall receive as a reward from the City of Anaheim the sum of Fifty Dollars. Conviction of multiple violations as a result of a single criminal complaint shall be deemed a single conviction for purposes of this subsection. The Finance Director is hereby authorized and directed to pay from any appropriation created for the purpose the sum of Fifty Dollars to each person who gives such information, provided that a claim therefor is filed with the Finance Director within sixty days after conviction and that such claim is approved by the City Attorney. Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, only one such Fifty Dollar reward shall be payable by the City for each conviction. In the event more than one person claims such reward for any conviction, the Fifty Dollar reward shall be divided equally among the total number of persons providing information resulting in such conviction as determined by the City. (Ord. 508 § 12; June 9, 1927: Ord. 4097 § 1; January 29, 1980: Ord. 4731 § 1; July 8, 1986: Ord. 4734 § 1; July 8, 1986: Ord. 5075 § 1; November 14, 1989.)