(a) Permits required. Unless otherwise provided for in §§ 19-41 through 19-43, no sign shall be erected, placed, constructed or structurally altered until such time as a sign permit has been obtained from the county.
(b) Application, issuance and conditions. Applications for, the issuance of, and conditions pertaining to sign permits shall be established by the Codes Administrator.
(c) Required submittal documents. All required documents shall be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the sign submittal policy as established by the Codes Administrator or his/her designee.
(d) Stop work order. Whenever the Codes Administrator or his/her designee finds any work regulated by this code being performed either contrary to the provisions of this code or in a dangerous or unsafe manner, the Codes Administrator or his/her designee is authorized to issue a stop work order.
(e) Fees. The fees shall be in accordance with the schedule established by the Greenville County Administrator.
(f) Penalties.
(1) Any person, firm, corporation or agent who violates a provision of this chapter or fails to comply with any of the requirements thereof or who erects, constructs, alters or repairs a sign or sign structure in violation of the approved construction documents or directive of the Codes Administrator of his/her designee, or of a permit under the provisions of this chapter, shall be subject to penalties as listed below.
(2) Any person, firm, corporation or agent found to be in violation of this chapter failing to comply with any of the requirements thereof may be cited and assessed, by civil penalty, an amount not more than two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the first violation. Before being charged with a second violation, the person must be given seven calendar days to remedy the violation or submit an acceptable plan for correcting the violation.
(3) A person who fails to correct a violation or fails to comply with any of the requirements thereof and has not submitted a plan for correcting a violation within seven (7) calendar days after citation or written notice may be cited and assessed, by civil penalty, an amount not to exceed two thousand dollars ($2000.00) for each subsequent offense. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
(4) An official authorized by Greenville County may deliver a civil citation to a person, firm, corporation, or agent who violates the provisions of this Code. The civil citation shall include the name and address of the violator; the nature of the violation; the location and time the violation occurred; the amount of the civil penalty assessed; and the defendant’s right to stand trial before the Magistrate for the violation. A defendant may pay the penalty or elect to stand trial by giving the issuing agency written notice within ten (10) days of receipt of the citation of his intention to stand trial. The issuing agency shall then forward the request to the Magistrate’s Court to schedule a hearing on the request.
(5) If a defendant fails to file notice of his intention to stand trial for the violation as required by division (c), and fails to pay the penalty for the violation within thirty (30) days after receipt of the citation, the County agency may request adjudication of the case through Magistrate’s Court. Upon receipt of a request for trial and summons from the County, the Magistrate shall promptly schedule the case for trial and summon the defendant to appear.
(6) In a proceeding for a civil violation a defendant may enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest. The court may render a verdict of “guilty” of the civil infraction or “not guilty” of the civil infraction.
(7) Upon adjudication of the case, the Magistrate may order the payment of the civil penalty. When a defendant has been found guilty of the violation and fails to pay the fine imposed by the court, the court may treat the failure as contempt of court.
(8) Adjudication of a civil citation is not a criminal conviction for any purpose, and does not impose any of the civil disabilities imposed by a criminal conviction.
(Ord. 4926, passed 8-15-2017)