Community Corner

Got Graffiti? It Could Cost You

The Hatboro Borough Council plans to introduce an ordinance that would penalize property owners who fail to remove or cover graffiti.

People caught spray-painting or otherwise marking their territory may not be the only ones on the hook for what police call a “serious crime.” 

Hatboro officials are looking to introduce an ordinance in the coming weeks that calls for property owners to pay fines for failure to remove graffiti.

The borough is using an ordinance adopted in another Pennsylvania community “as a place to start,” according to Borough Manager Fred Zollers. That ordinance calls for owners to pay fines up to $1,000 and the expense of municipal officials covering graffiti in instances where individuals failed to remove it within 10 days of a second written notice.

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Zollers said he expects that the governing body will take action on the prospective regulation in either July or August.

Also the borough’s public works director, Zollers said about once a month he sees graffiti on the public works building and on park picnic tables.

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“We just go paint over it or remove it as fast as we can,” Zollers said. “It’s not a chronic problem.”

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said he’s been discussing with Hatboro’s Elm Street group the possibility of stepping up graffiti prevention and removal efforts. While Gardner said graffiti is not a huge problem, he and Elm Street representatives–whose focus is on the Jacksonville Road corridor–have noticed markings on buildings in the northeast part of town.

“It’s just unsightly and it’s illegal,” Gardner said, adding that laws requiring property owners to remove graffiti in a timely manner will help to “make the town look better.”

If permitted to remain, Gardner said the various markings could “add to further graffiti.”

For the juveniles and young adults typically caught painting or using indelible markers on private and commercial property, Gardner said punishment is more than just a fine. The acts are generally misdemeanors “and could be higher,” he said.

“We consider it a serious crime,” Gardner said.


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