Long Beach : Spray Paint Sales Restricted in Anti-Graffiti Ordinances

Hoping to give Long Beach greater firepower in the war on graffiti, the City Council has passed ordinances that will restrict the sale of spray paint and require property owners and tenants to clear graffiti from their buildings.

City Manager James C. Hankla said the ordinances, passed Tuesday, will move the city to the forefront of community graffiti prevention programs.

The ordinances will regulate the sale of spray paint, marking pens and etching tools, make it illegal to loiter with such items and require building owners and tenants to clean graffiti off their homes and businesses. People violating the ordinances could be charged with misdemeanor offenses.

The three-part plan hinges on a system much like the city’s weed abatement program. The Department of Building and Safety notifies owners of the need to clean off their walls, and if they fail to do so promptly, the city will remove the offending marks and assess the owner. A system of appeals and a means of transferring liens upon the sale of property has been established to encourage owners to avail themselves of the existing graffiti prevention program.

Additional sections of the code will require stores selling pressurized paint, marking pens and etching equipment to keep those products in an area not directly accessible to the public. Moreover, the sale of the items to minors would be prohibited. No one under 18 may possess a marking pen, paint or etching tool in the street.

Finally, a definition of “loitering for graffiti,” or hanging around for the purpose of defacing public or private buildings, gives police the authority to apprehend a suspect.