Poster Ban Lifted


by Steven Michael Vroom


The state Court of Appeals ruled, Monday, August 05, 2002, that posting signs on traffic devices, utility poles and lamp posts is "a traditional public forum" and there wasn't "a compelling government interest" to ban it. The appellate decision, however, doesn't preclude the city from putting parameters on handbills, such as setting time limits or other restrictions.

The poster ban, a 1990 law that then City Attorney Marrk Sidran revamped in 1994 with increased enforcement and fines ($250), made postering public property (like telephone poles) a crime. Though some would argue that the poster ban had "cleaned up" Seattle, it has obviously been a detriment to local artists and community groups--or, more specifically, to poor local artists and community groups.

In 1999, the city sued Mighty Movers to recover $7,870 in removal costs after the company blanketed utility poles around the city with signs advertising its business.

After both parties requested summary judgment, a King County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the city and noted that utility poles were not a traditional public forum. It also ordered Mighty Movers to pay $2,500 to the city in attorney fees.

Mighty Movers appealed, and the Joint Artists and Music Promotions Action Committee, heavy users of poles for promoting acts, filed a court brief supporting them.

The first week of August, the appellate court reversed the lower court's decision.

Supporters of the ban argued that postings obscured cracks in wooden poles and that thick layers of paper prevented city workers from anchoring themselves. 

But the appellate court noted that the city failed to show how posting signs constituted a safety hazard since it continued to allow public agencies to post their own notices.

Now that the ban has been lifted, TheLittleCity.com digital photographer Steven Michael Vroom has been combing the streets to see what types of posters are being placed on utility poles. Please enjoy our gallery of the result.