Apex UDO Sec. 8.7.2 prohibits all commercial and non-commercial signs in the public right-of-way (except those authorized by NCGS 136-32 for political signs in state ROW) and in the required sight triangle. The Town's Sign FAQ states that signs placed on other properties or street rights-of-way directing attention to a sale or activity are not permitted. Garage-sale signs on the host's own residential property are exempt as non-commercial signs on a residential property (UDO 8.7.1 exemption). Off-premise directional signs to the sale are prohibited and may be removed.
Apex does not have a dedicated garage-sale-sign ordinance. The relevant rules sit in UDO Sec. 8.7 and the Town's sign FAQ. UDO Sec. 8.7.1 exempts 'Non-commercial signs on a residential property' from the Section 8.7 standards, so a yard-sale sign on the same residential lot where the sale is being held is not regulated by the Town. Off-premise signs are different. UDO Sec. 8.7.2 prohibits 'Commercial off-premise signs,' and the Town's FAQ on sign regulation expressly states that 'Signs placed at other locations, such as those on other properties or street right-of-ways, directing attention to the sale or activity, are not permitted.' UDO Sec. 8.7.2 also prohibits all commercial and non-commercial signs within the public right-of-way except as authorized by NCGS 136-32 (political signs in state ROW) and bans signs in the required sight triangle at intersections. Apex UDO Sec. 8.7.2 further prohibits portable signs (except sandwich-board signs that meet the downtown-district standard) and signs attached to vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way. Practical takeaway: a single garage-sale sign in the seller's own yard is fine; staking signs along a major road, at the entrance to a subdivision, on telephone poles, or in the public right-of-way is a UDO violation and Town staff may remove the signs. Enforcement runs through the Apex Planning Department (919-249-3418) and Town code-enforcement processes under UDO Article 10. NCDOT may also remove signs from state ROW under NCGS 136-32.
Off-premise / right-of-way garage-sale signs may be removed by Town staff or NCDOT. UDO violations are civil and may be cited; each day a separate offense. The Town does not publish a fixed fine schedule for sign violations — fines are set under the general UDO enforcement provisions.
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