(A) (1) No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any street or highway any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device which purports to be or is an imitation of, or resembles a traffic control device or railroad sign or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic or hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any traffic control device or any railroad sign or signal, and no person shall place or maintain, nor shall any public authority permit, upon any street or highway any traffic sign or signal bearing thereon any commercial advertising. This section does not prohibit the erection upon private property adjacent to streets or highways of signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for traffic control devices by the owner of real property in accordance with R.C. §§ 4511.211 and 4511.432.
(2) Every such prohibited sign, signal, marking or device is a public nuisance, and the Division of Police is authorized to remove the same or cause it to be removed.
(B) Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one predicate motor vehicle or traffic offense, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of two or more predicate motor vehicle or traffic offenses, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(R.C. § 4511.16) (Ord. 3033, passed 8-10-76) Penalty, see § 313.99