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Terms Used In 21 Guam Code Ann. § 61541

  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
No structure of any kind or character erected or maintained for outdoor advertising or identification purposes, upon which any poster, bill, printing, painting, or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever is placed, including statuary for advertising or identification purposes, and no card, cloth, paper, metal, painted or wooden sign of any character placed for outdoor advertising or identification purposes, on or to the ground or any tree, wall, bush, rock, fence, building, structure or thing, either privately or publicly owned, shall be placed or maintained on property adjacent to any highway, road , street, boulevard, lane, court, place, summons, trail, way, or other right of way or easement used for or laid out and intended for the public passage of vehicles or of vehicles and persons except as provided below:

(a) In Residential and Agricultural zones no exterior name plate or sign shall be erected, displayed, or maintained, except the following:
(1) One non-moving, non-flashing sign for each family residing on the premises indicating the name of the resident or pertaining to a permitted occupation provided that each such sign does not exceed three (3) square feet in area.

(2) One non-moving, non-flashing sign, not exceeding twelve (12) square feet in area, pertaining to permitted buildings, structures, and uses of the premises other than dwellings and occupations permitted therein.

(3) Temporary unlighted signs aggregating not over twenty-four (24) square feet in area pertaining to the sale or lease of the premises.

(4) Unlighted directional signs not exceeding three (3) square feet in area pertaining to churches, schools, institutions and other public or nonprofit uses.

(5) Political signs that advocate voting for or against candidates, or other matters to be considered by the electorate; provided, that such signs shall only be posted on private property.

(A) If such private property is adjacent to any roadway, political signs shall be at least eight (8) feet from the paved portion of the roadway, and posted in such a manner that would not impede traffic or a driver’s visibility.

(B) Political sign means

(i) all free-standing billboards, posters, banners, or

(ii) displays that advocate a candidate for political office or

(iii) any matter to be presented to the electorate for vote, and

(iv) all items put on property to erect or secure the billboard, poster, banner, or display in place, including rebars and wires.

(b) In Commercial zones, no exterior signs shall be erected displayed or maintained except the following:

(1) Signs indicating the name of a person or the type of business occupying the premises or the name of the building, provided that:

(A) Individual signs shall be non-flashing and non-moving.

(B) Individual signs shall be placed flat on the building wall, shall not be higher than the roof line of the building, and shall project no further than eighteen (18) inches from the wall to which they are attached.

(C) Individual signs shall not cover an area in excess of ten percent (10%) of the surface of the wall to which they are attached.

(2) Free standing, doubled faced signs indicating the name of a person or the type of business occupying the premises or the name of the building, provided that:

(A) such signs shall not exceed forty (40) square feet in area on each face nor twelve (12) feet in height;

(B) such structure shall not be placed closer that ten (10) feet to any street or high way right-of- way; and

(C) one such sign shall be permitted for each premises or building.

(3) Political signs that advocate voting for or against candidates, or other matters to be considered by the electorate; provided, that such signs shall only be posted on private property.

(A) If such private property is adjacent to any roadway, political signs shall be at least eight (8) feet from the paved portion of the roadway, and posted in such a manner that would not impede traffic or a driver’s visibility.
(B) Political sign means

(i) all free-standing billboards, posters, banners, or

(ii) displays that advocate a candidate for political office or

(iii) any matter to be presented to the electorate for vote, and

(iv) all items put on property to erect or secure the billboard, poster, banner, or display in place, including rebars and wires.

(c) In Industrial zones no exterior signs shall be erected, displayed or maintained except the following:

(1) Signs indicating the name of a person, or the type of industry occupying the premises or the name of the building, provided that:

(A) Individual signs shall be non-flashing and non-moving.

(B) Individual signs shall be placed flat on the building wall, shall not be higher than the roof line of the building, and shall project no further than eighteen (18) inches from the wall to which they are attached.

(C) Individual signs shall not cover an area in excess of ten percent (10%) of the surface of the wall to which they are attached.

(2) Free standing signs identifying the name of the owner or occupant of the premises, or advertising goods manufactured or produced, or services rendered, on the premises, provided that:

(A) Such sign shall not exceed sixty (60)
square feet in area nor twelve feet (12) in height.

(B) Such structure shall not be placed closer than ten (10) feet to any street or high way right of way.
(C) Such signs shall be non-moving and non- flashing.

(D) One (1) such sign shall be allowed for each industrial structure, or complex or structures housing a single industrial user.

(3) Political signs that advocate voting for or against candidates, or other matters to be considered by the electorate; provided, that such signs shall only be posted on private property.

(A) If such private property is adjacent to any roadway, political signs shall be at least eight (8) feet from the paved portion of the roadway, and posted in such a manner that would not impede traffic or a driver’s visibility.

(B) Political sign means

(i) all free-standing billboards, posters, banners, or displays that advocate a candidate for political office or

(ii) any matter to be presented to the electorate for vote, and

(iii) all items put on property to erect or secure the billboard, poster, banner, or display in place, including rebars and wires.

(d) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any sign placed by or for purposes of any charitable, religious and civic organization, individual or entity, if the same remains posted or erected for a period of not more than sixty (60) days.

(e) The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any political sign used in connection with roadside waving on property by person(s) who actively attend said roadside waving.

(f) In the Tumon Bay H Resort-Hotel Zone, signs shall comply with §§ 61541(b)(2)-(3), 61543, and 61544 of this Subarticle. No exterior signs shall be erected, displayed or
maintained, except for signs indicating the name of a person, the type of business occupying the premises, or the name of the building, or signs displaying messages appurtenant to the use of, products sold on, or the sale or lease of, the property on which it is displayed, and for public service announcements; provided, that:

(1) Signs shall be placed along on the building wall or behind a window or clear covering on the building wall, shall not be higher than the roof line of the building, and shall protrude no farther than eighteen (18) inches from the wall to which they are attached.

(2) Except for electronic or other signs authorized by a Guam Land Use Commission variance prior to the enactment of this Act, individual signs shall not cover an area in excess of ten percent (10%) of the surface of the wall to which they are attached.

(3) Violations. Any person in violation of Subsections 61541(f)-(f)(2) of Chapter 61, Title 21, Guam Code Annotated, shall pay a civil penalty not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) for each violation. If violation(s) are not corrected within ten (10) business days of receipt of a Notice of Violation from the Department of Public Works, such person shall be subject to an additional late action civil penalty not to exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300) per day for each remaining violation. Failure to pay penalties and to rectify the violations may result in the termination or non-renewal of the digital sign permit. The Director of Public Works shall have the authority to waive parts or all of the late action penalty should the violator demonstrate a good faith effort to address the violation in a timely manner; provided, that such waiver is limited to no more than thirty (30) calendar days. All penalties recovered in any such action shall be paid into the General Fund.

SOURCE: GC § 17400. Subsection b(1)(c) amended by P.L. 16-077; subsection (b)(2) repealed and reenacted by P.L. 15-140:13. Subsection (a)(5) added by P.L. 32-199:2 (Oct. 13, 2014). Subsection (b)(3) added by
P.L. 32-199:3 (Oct. 13, 2014). Subsection (c)(3) added by P.L. 32-199:4 (Oct. 13, 2014). Subsection (a)(5) amended by P.L. 34-067:1 (Nov. 11,
2017); subsection (b)(3) amended by P.L. 34-067:2; subsection (c)(3) amended by P.L. 34-067:3; subsection (e) added by P.L. 34-067:5. Subsection (f) added by P.L. 35-052:2 (Nov. 27, 2019).

2013 NOTE: Pursuant to the authority granted by 1 Guam Code Ann. § 1606, numbers and/or letters were altered in subsections (b) and (c) to adhere to the Compiler’s alpha-numeric scheme.