It was brought to the Board’s attention that the Tahoe community is fed up with the over-the-top use and misuse of Open House directional signs. If REALTORS don’t regulate themselves, it will be done for them. Let’s work together to ensure that this vital aspect of real estate marketing is not taken away. Please inform yourselves, your officemates, and any folks who might be engaging in unsafe or imprudent sign placement practices to embrace the professional and prudent self-restraint measures as articulated in the eight points set out below.
Many HOAs, like Tahoe Donner, have their own set of regulations regarding signage, be sure to check with the HOA if you are unsure of their rules.
- Do not place signs in the asphalt section of the public right-of-way, including designated paved pedestrian or bicycle lanes of travel
- No portion of such a sign should encroach onto the paved surface
- Do not place such signs on other people’s private property without their expressed consent
- Do not leave temporary signs up overnight, or beyond the time the “open house” is active (i.e., available for public viewing).
- Do not place multiple signs along the same stretch of roadway; deploy them only at points that require the interested party to change direction (e.g., at street corners, intersections leading the person to the property)
- Do not attach objects (e.g., balloons, banners, streamers) to directional signs; these ‘add-ons’ can encroach into the public right-of-way and/or create a visual impediment to travelers
- Do not attach lights, massively reflective materials, or other symbols that could confuse or distract motorists, and/or create a hazard associated with undue attention being drawn away from the roadway
- Do not use “open house” or “ski lease” type signs in front of the real estate office directing interested individuals to enter the business office, (as opposed to directing the interested party to an actual “for-sale” or “for-lease” property.) One must obtain a use permit from the Town of Truckee to utilize such sandwich type “open” signs that front a commercial/office/retail business.