SF Graffiti Abatement: No Standards Yet

Free public art?

Sometimes..... when permission is given and a permit is valid we can have beautiful street art murals. But when its your building that is used as a canvas and your tenants want it removed, its vandalism.

The San Francisco Abatement program

Anyone can report a tagged building and often its a tenant or neighbor that wants it removed.
It is the owners responsibility to remove graffiti and it must be done within 30 days.

The fine is steep, considering you are the victim

The Dept of Public Works is authorized to enter your property and remove the graffiti. The minimum fee is $500. DPW is allowed to pile on admin costs and legal fees and place a lien on your property if you do not pay.

Protect yourself from abatement costs.

If your building is continuously tagged try calling the Police Dept. in your area and ask for extra patrols, or log onto www.sfgov.org/site/police and file a complaint. Often when kids see beefed up patrols they will move on. That is the cheap and easy way to stop a problem.

There are programs that will help if you can prove removal costs are a hardship. Its possible for the DPW to provide paint if you agree to remove it within 10 days. Ask.
There are also volunteer groups that will come and clean up graffiti. Call DPW at 415-554-5447 and see if you can get some help there.

Thanks for Reading
Howard Bell
www.yourpropertypath.com