The good weather in Arizona in late winter and spring is a high time for garage sales in Fountain Hills and, with changes the Town Council made to its sign regulations last fall, residents may need to be brought up to date on the newest rules.

The updated regulations cover the category of temporary signs, which in general includes A-frame and T-frame signs often used by businesses and the post-and-board and directional yard signs used for real estate and garage sales.

The signs usually posted by residents to advertise or direct people to garage sales are in the category of temporary signs, yard signs and directional signs.

The general requirements for the temporary signs include being maintained in good repair. If a sign is deemed a danger or unsafe, it may be removed. This relates to the fact that garage sale signs attached to cardboard boxes or taped to light or sign posts have never been legal in town.

Signs with banners, balloons, flags (except where allowed), pennants, streamers, feather signs, searchlights, strobes or beacons and inflatables are all prohibited.

In most cases temporary signs must be placed on private property and not in the right of way.

Specific to garage sale signs, they are permitted within any zoning district. They may be a maximum of six square feet and no more than three feet in height.

A-frame and yard signs may be used to direct traffic (directional signs) to events in residential neighborhoods. Each activity may have up to a maximum of four signs including on the property where the event is being held. Three additional signs may be used to direct the public to the location.

These signs must be located on private property (not in the street right-of-way) with the exception of Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well as federal holidays (when right-of-way placement is permitted) between sunup and sundown. There is a standing prohibition on this type of sign along Shea Boulevard.

Currently the Town is working to enhance its enforcement of the sign regulations on weekends. One Code Enforcement Officer is scheduled to work on two of the three weekend days (Friday through Sunday) on a rotating basis so Code Enforcement may be on the street any of the three weekend days. Generally, the officer will simply remove a sign in violation and may or may not contact the person who placed it.