Amber Bailey has a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of North Florida and a Master of Fine Arts from Jacksonville University. She is passionate about researching and writing about the latest trends and regulations in custom signage.
There are many conveniences to shopping online such as the availability of items often not found in stores, time saved from perusing store aisles and even special pricing. However, as most internet shoppers have learned, online shopping has its pitfalls, usually pertaining to package delivery.
This holiday season, and all year, there are things you can do to ease some of the pain points of package delivery. Here are some of our top tips to receiving your gifts and food deliveries safely:
Security Tips:
Post home security system signs and decals. Homes without security systems are 300% more likely to be burglarized.1 If you can’t afford an upscale home monitoring system with surveillance cameras, the mere presence of home security signs can greatly decrease the chance of your home being broken into, or packages being taken from your doorstep.
Let your delivery drivers know where to place packages and make it harder to view deliveries from the street. You can create blockades with planters, benches, hedges and more that will keep your deliveries hidden from view.
Delivery drivers are often glad to help keep your packages discrete. You can even post a small sign (that is not visible from the street) that let’s them know where to leave your packages, food deliveries and more. With the increased popularity of food deliveries as well, small signs can help drivers know where to place your items to protect them from theft, insects and weather.
Packaging and Delivery Tips:
If the tips listed above do not ease your concerns, there are other things you can do to protect your gifts and deliveries, such as:
Have packages shipped to your workplace instead
Require a signature for receiving a package
Have your gift(s) shipped to a nearby store (this option is also often free of charge)
When possible, ask for discrete packaging that disguises what’s inside the parcel
Other Tips for Receiving Packages:
Food delivery apps and grocery apps are very convenient and can save you a lot of time, however these services also enlist the help of new or inexperienced employees. Most customers have experienced the frustration of having food delivered to the wrong address. There are things you can do to help delivery workers find you!
Make sure your house number is easy to read, both on your mailbox and your front door. Freshen up the paint on your house number, or update numbers that have rusted or faded on your mail box
Keep your entryway well lit
Keep plants and shrubs trimmed back to avoid blocking your address
Post signs that make it clear where to leave your items
Post signs that show gratitude to busy delivery workers!
Do your part to increase safety and convenience for yourself and for postal workers and delivery workers. Find small signs and other ways to communicate effectively!
As we enter flu season and another expected rise in COVID cases, businesses and schools are approaching safety measures differently across the states. While mask mandates are lifted in many places, physicians and the CDC recommend preparing for cold weather which inevitability pushes more people indoors. Important stats you should know:
Cases are down across the US since the peak of the delta variant in September
Daily new cases averaged 173,000 in mid-September
As of October 28th, average new cases are 73,000 daily
By September 21, 2021, an estimated 182 million persons in the United States were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (Source: CDC.gov)
However, daily vaccination rates have declined approximately 78% since April 13, 2021
The CDC recommends keeping masking in place as winter approaches and cases go up
How Businesses and Schools are Using Mask Required Signs
Getting creative: Some organizations come up with their own phrases and ideas for mask required signs, or create custom signs that pop! Check out this mask sign with a bold message and bright colors. “Please wear your mask, it’s an easy task.”
There are other ways to make mask signs more heartfelt, such as this “Wearing is caring” mask.
Being funny: Some organizations take their chance to show some snark. Check out these two bold mask signs:
Source: Pinterest
Source: Pinterest
Staying stern: Most businesses keep their mask required signs professional and straightforward, opting to display simple messages like “No mask, no entry” or “STOP! Face mask required.”
Three Reasons Mask Required Signs are Beneficial
As you visit businesses across your city, you may notice many have used handwritten signs. Investing in a durable plastic or metal sign will show customers you take their health and safety seriously. Wear a mask signs will also last longer and will not be easily removed by disgruntled customers. Here are a few benefits of displaying a real face mask required sign:
Customers can see that you mean business
Disgruntled customers can’t easily remove your sign
Plastic and metal signs can be displayed indoors and outdoors
Organizations that are Stricter on Wearing Face Masks
Government buildings such as DMVs and courthouses
Post offices
Dentist offices
Doctor’s offices
Schools and daycares
Types of Signs
At CustomSigns.com you can find several designs in mask signs, featuring:
Notice Face Mask Required Signs
There’s a Smile Behind My Mask Signs
No Mask No Entry Signs
Please Wear A Face Mask Signs
Custom Sign Options
If you do not see a mask sign that fits your needs, design your own! CustomSigns.com offers plastic, vinyl, aluminum, brass and acrylic signs in many options. Add custom text, images, graphics, logos and more to your sign to personalize it to your organization.
Customization options include engraving and UV printing, and we have a range of hanging styles readily available including pins, hooks, screws, and more.
As businesses, particularly retail stores and shipping facilities, get ready for the busy holiday season, and the expected rise in COVID cases, make sure you’re ready! Post custom signs inside and outside your building to let customers know you are doing your part to reduce the spread!
According to the Washington Post, there are 10 million job openings in America, with 8.4 million people unemployed as of June 2021. Job openings are outpacing unemployment levels in many industries, with the business and professional services sector at the top of the list. (Read full article here.)
So how can businesses attract qualified candidates to fill open positions? The first step is to put the word out. What does your company offer? Let potential new hires know! Easy to read, eye-catching business signage is the best first step! Many businesses are still overlooking important details such as posting “we’re hiring” signs.
What should be on your now hiring sign?
Your company name and logo:
A we’re hiring sign on your business property should feature your logo and name in large, easy-to-read graphics and text. Keep it simple. “Keep your words succinct and clear,” says HC Brands Chief People Officer, Sonia Postema. (Keep reading for more tips from Sonia!) Choose from yard signs and A-frame signs for outdoor.
Make your signs pop:
Branding is important to let job seekers know you’re professional, so stay with brand graphics, fonts and colors. Don’t forget to post signs that pop! Make your hiring signs colorful and eye-catching.
Job title(s):
Your hiring signs are most helpful when they feature which jobs you’re looking to fill. Qualified candidates want to know they’re applying to a job that is within their skill set and pay range. If you have several job openings, create several signs!
Requirements:
Let passers-by know what it takes to land a job with your company! In today’s volatile job market, many inexperienced workers or new graduates are looking for experience in a new industry or field. Make it clear that you’re open to train and bring on new talent!
Application Process:
Let workers know the next steps. The full application process may be too lengthy to include on the sign itself, so create a web page with instructions for how to apply, and add a QR code to your now hiring signs to make it easy on potential applicants. If you don’t have the talent or resources to create a landing page on your website, create tear-off tabs or other materials that can be easily taken by applicants.
Other helpful tips for your hiring signs and recruiting efforts:
Don’t leave your hiring signs up for too long!
This could send the message that your business has high turnover, or that no one is paying attention enough to remove signs when positions are filled. Remember to be organized and professional.
Remove we’re hiring signs if you don’t receive qualified candidates.
Sometimes job postings, online and offline, bring the wrong applicants. Either the job posting or signage is not accurately descriptive of the role, or the role or pay rate is not attractive for applicants. Be sure to re-evaluate your job postings and we’re hiring signs if you’re not attracting the right people.
Include them in your recruiting metrics.
Keep track of applications you receive from your hiring signs.
Make sure each phase of your hiring process is streamlined.
Help applicants understand the full process, and where they stand in the process. Be courteous and professional and follow up with all applicants, whether they make it to the job offer phase or not. This helps to build trust between your company and job seekers.
The Benefits of Using Signs to Recruit:
“Yard signs are a cost-effective way to brand your company and recruit new talent,” says Sonia Postema, HC Brands’ Chief People Officer. “Posting jobs on online job sites can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars,” she adds.
“We’re hiring signs are a great way to appeal to the local community about job openings”, says Postema. Small businesses can get creative with signage in order to recruit new talent, and signs are much more affordable for businesses on a tight budget.
Many recruiters may not be aware of how to get inexpensive signs for posting jobs. Businesses such as CustomSigns.com make hiring signage accessible and customizable.
In 2021, recruiters are having to get creative with attracting talent. Although signage is one of the most primitive means of advertising, we’re hiring signs aren’t as accessible as one might assume. CustomSigns.com has been in the business of customized signage since 1954. Whether you’re looking for hiring signs for your business lawn, front door or checkout counter, CustomSigns.com makes many different kinds of professional signs. Start designing your sign now!
As of March 11th, 2021, 18.8% of the US population has received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. President Joe Biden has promised to have at least 1 million shots administered during his first 100 days in office through the end of April.
It remains to be seen how far along the United States will be in vaccinating against COVID-19 come graduation time in May. Some schools are still planning to air on the side of caution by hosting virtual graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021. Other schools and universities are having multiple sized-down ceremonies in order to provide their students with the sense of accomplishment of earning a degree and walking across the stage. The University of Oklahoma, for example, is welcoming 2021 and 2020 graduates to 6 separate traditional grad ceremonies!
Graduation Signs Provide the Pomp & Circumstance for 2020 and 2021 Grads
Due to varying COVID infection stats and safety protocols across the US, grad ceremonies will be handled differently from state to state in 2021. Many schools will keep their graduation rituals virtual for 2021, but there are still ways to show grads the support they deserve. In 2020, graduation yard signs were a HUGE HIT for parents and loved ones of high school and college graduates. Decorated with the graduate’s photo, graduating class, school mascot, and congratulatory message, these grad signs and banners provided some of the pomp and circumstance that was missed at traditional cap and gown ceremonies.
Customizing Signs for Your 2021 Graduate
Whether your excited graduate is earning a high school diploma or a college degree, you can show your support so that he or she doesn’t miss out on the graduation excitement.
What to include on a custom graduation sign:
Graduate’s full name
School name
School mascot
Grad’s earned degree
Graduate’s photo
Well wishes or other congratulatory message
About our Custom Graduation Yard Signs:
Made of durable corrugated plastic that lasts outdoors
Customized with full color vinyl overlay that can feature ANY text, mascot or photo
A collection of congratulatory messages from loved ones afar edited together
While there is much progress being made to beat the COVID-19 pandemic, many states may still not be in the clear to host traditional graduation ceremonies in May. Parents and loved ones of 2021 graduates can combine virtual ceremonies with gifts and custom signs that show support for the hard working students who earned diplomas and degrees during the pandemic!
The freedom to decorate your work space YOUR way is perhaps the greatest advantage of working from home! You set the rules. You create the aesthetic. There are a few popular desk themes we’re seeing since the beginning of the pandemic. If you’re short of ideas on how to update your work from home space, follow these tips and trends!
Go Green! Add a Plant or Succulent to Your Desk
Bringing the outdoors in is proven to boost your mood. As you hack away at your daily work, especially now as people stayed hunkered indoors avoiding crowds, greenery has mood and health boosting benefits. Bring your work space to life with a faux or real house plant. Succulents are on trend, and they’re easy to care for if you don’t happen to have a green thumb. The faux ones, on the other hand, look just like the real thing and require no maintenance, while providing the same benefits as real plants. From colorful cacti to English Ivy, there are many beautiful plants you can add to your desk that will instantly boost your mood. Pair your plants with this botanical clear acrylic desk plate, or minimalist foliage acrylic desk plate, and your work from home space will feel like spring time year ’round.
Add Art: Colorful Signs or Personalized Plates
Many people working remotely do not have a designated office or desk. If you’ve had to carve out a corner of the kitchen or living room, make it your own with a personalized sign or license plate. Mark “Shirley’s She Shed” or “Oliver’s Office” with fun signs that feature your own unique message. Custom license plates are also a great way to personalize your desk or work space at home.
Clean & Clutter Free: Clear Your Head and Fight Germs
Working remotely does drastically reduce the spread of germs, but we’re all still susceptible to illness. Keep your work from home space clean and clear! Add your own sanitizing wipes and a bottle of sanitizer. Also, keep extra items tucked away into drawers or cabinets. This way it’s easier to wipe down your work space at intervals throughout the day. Our new clear acrylic desk blocks also add to the clean and clear aesthetic! Designate your work space with a new clear desk plate that features your name and job title.
Comfortable & Cozy: Add Blankets and Candles
Often times, employers have to limit the use of personal space heaters, fans, electric blankets and other comfort items that use electricity. When you’re working from home, you can use any of these items to keep yourself cozy all day! Set the mood every morning when you begin your work day. Light a candle, turn on your space heater, and grab your favorite blanket. With all the craziness in the world, you can control your work space and keep yourself comfortable! Also, while many employees may start to feel detached from their co-workers and their company, it’s also important to stay professional. Add your own custom desk plate to help remind you of your status, and your connection to your employer and your company’s goals.
Let in the Light! Position Yourself Next to a Window
When you’re working in the office, you often can’t control where your desk is placed. At home you can choose any space you like! Stay connected to the outdoors by taking breaks, practicing breathing exercises, and glancing out at nature. If you can’t work near a window, find the perfect desk lamp! From Himalayan salt lamps to custom candles, you can add comforting lighting to your work from home space. Also add an organic feel to your desk with a wood grain desk plate. You can customize this faux wood desk plate with your name, a title or a custom quote that inspires you.
Haute Hues: Add Pops of Color
Sometimes all it takes to brighten your mood is a pop of color! Find desk essentials in crazy colors, like neon pink pens and pencils, a bright blue file holder, and an aqua pink iridescent desk plate. Show your artsy side and bring out all the color you can to liven up your work from home space!
Optimal & Organized: File and Stack with Purpose
Clutter is proven to cause stress levels to rise. Do yourself a favor and clear away unused papers and utensils. Take the extra coffee mugs to the kitchen. File away important notes and papers so they’re easy to find later. Keep out only the items you’ll need for your immediate task. Take 20 minutes each morning to organize your thoughts and plans, and jot down things you want to discuss in the day’s meetings. These quick, easy activities will provide mental clarity, and your desk will look impressively clean! There are a few desk staples that should always stay in sight, like your favorite pen, a desk light, and your custom desk plate. There are many professional desk plates to choose from! We like this new chalkboard desk plate. It’s great for writing your name, or a new quote or important reminder each day. Plus, it doubles as a handwriting practice tool for the young students who may be learning remotely.
There are tons of great ways to personalize your work from home desk or space! From plants to candles and blankets, you have the freedom to create your own aesthetic for your work from home day. Our desk plates, signs and desk signs add the finishing touch!
Christmas lights and decorations are expected to be extraordinary for the holiday season! A family car ride to see Christmas lights is a safe holiday event that many people are excited about. Lights and Christmas signs will bring something magical to the end the year. Expect to see extra festive lights, displays, signs and lawn décor in your town!
There are many wonderful ways to decorate for the holidays, but we’ve narrowed our list down to our top 4 favorite themes. We have the signs and stencils to help you decorate with each of these themes!
1. Prepare for Santa’s Landing!
Whether we’ve been naughty or nice this year, we will all be expecting something extra special from Santa’s Workshop! Kids and adults alike are excited to bring Christmas magic to their homes and yards to make Santa and his reindeer feel welcome. Here’s how you can get ready for Santa’s visit to your neighborhood, yard and home:
Lead the way to your home with festive street signs
Make sure neighbors know to drive carefully when flying reindeer are near
Mark Santa’s landing zone
Make sure there’s adequate parking for Santa’s sleigh
Make sure Santa knows which family and pets have been good or bad this year! Design your own yard sign.
2. Create Your Own Woodland Winter Theme
If you want to make your yard look like a festive winter wonderland, go for classic reindeer, woodland creatures, pine cones and other forest inspired décor. Whether you’re in a mild or snowy climate, you can turn to mother nature for all the best décor!
Create your own rustic reindeer wooden signs with white paint and a stencil! You can make them of all sizes, and lean them next to your front door for a warm welcome
Create pine cone mulch to make a festive entry to your cozy home
Find unique, creative décor like this reindeer mobile to hang on your front porch or mark your yard with a Reindeer Lane street sign
Bring the outdoors inside and make your own pinecone garland!
Create your own picket-fence snowflakes, or rustic snowflake signs. Use store bought picket fence sections, or find natural elements from your own back yard to create a rustic version of this!
4. Celebrate Your Loved Ones with Personalized Yard Signs
Loved ones make the season bright! Celebrate your family with personalized Christmas yard signs! Add your favorite family photo and a message from you to everyone who passes by. Send well wishes and holiday happiness, or add a little holiday humor with this ugly Christmas sweater sign.
There are countless ways to celebrate and decorate! If you have unique ideas we’d love to see them. Tag us on Instagram @CustomSigns!
As many students head back to brick and mortar learning, schools are doing everything they can to enforce social distancing. From one-way entries and exits, and reminders on signs and decals, to designated COVID response teams, school districts and instructors are doing everything they can to ensure the safety of their students.
Many parents and educators fear the risk of depriving children of in-person instruction, as research shows that children experience learning loss, depression, anxiety and other symptoms as a result of lock down. Other educators and parents would rather continue distance learning to avoid the potential spread of coronavirus, and may have immunocompromised or elderly family members at home. There is no one size fits all answer to whether children should be back in the classroom.
While the debate continues across the US, some schools have taken an educational and lighthearted approach to social distancing. To combine the best of in-person learning AND COVID safety, a school in Ithaca, New York, for example, is using educational floor decals to keep kids at a safe distance.
Check out these creative floor decals being used by a school in Ithaca, New York:
There are many safety procedures being taken to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Schools are implementing safety procedures such as:
Designating small groups of students who stay together throughout the day
These designated groups take recess and eat lunch together
Avoiding communal gathering in large groups
Planning a hybrid approach to learning (groups of students take turns learning remotely when possible)
Arranging instructional spaces so that students have distance between one another, and from the teacher
There are also many ways to make COVID safety procedures educational, and helpful tips for teaching students of all ages about coronavirus. Whether you have chosen to send your kids back to school or you’re continuing distance learning, there are measures we can all take to stay safe.
If you have a creative idea, or a unique sign in your home, office, or school, share it with us at @customsignsco on Instagram!
The class of 2020 has proven itself to be resilient and steadfast. While graduates are missing out on traditional graduation ceremonies, proms and other coming-of-age traditions, they’re also stepping above the difficulties imposed by COVID-19 with new, creative ideas.
Here are some of the best ways that 2020 graduates, teachers and parents are rising above and celebrating their success:
Students are Hosting Their Own Graduation Ceremonies:
Some graduates are coming together and creating their own, 2020 versions of grad ceremonies. This group of University of Michigan graduates, for example, created a front-yard graduation ceremony with a makeshift stage. Each sorority sister wore her grad cap and walked across the stage to receive her diploma. The ceremony was hosted on a video call for parents and friends to see!
Neighborhoods are Having Socially Distant, Drive-Through Graduation Parades:
For younger graduates of kindergarten, middle school and high school, many neighborhood residents are coming together to create drive-through graduation parades! Each family that participates decorates the family vehicle and saddles up their grads to ride around and give themselves and other grads the attention they’ve worked for. Graduation decor for these 2020 grad parades includes custom banners, car flags, car signs, balloons and more! Residents are also putting up personalized graduation yard signs to give their grads attention that lasts all summer.
Some Schools are Hosting Drive-Through Graduation Ceremonies:
Some high schools across the US, like this Kentucky school, are giving graduates a unique experience that is the closest resemblance of a traditional ceremony as possible. At unique 2020 graduation ceremonies like this, families drive-through to get their graduate’s diploma. Staff and school officials are dressed in traditional regalia and wearing masks to promote safety. Cars are decked out with signs, balloons, streamers and more. Families can honk, wave and cheer, as long as there is no hugging or hand shaking.
Families are Honoring their Grads with Custom Yard Signs:
Whether or not some families have a block party or drive-through graduation ceremony to attend, they’re still showing their grads some love with custom graduation yard signs. Across many American neighborhoods, there are fully customized yard signs with graduate photos, names, Class of 2020, school mascots and more! These deserving graduates are getting the attention they’ve worked hard for. While it’s not the same as the important ritual of walking across the stage, it’s the best 2020 is offering to these excited new graduates!
Employers are Recognizing Their 2020 Grads!
Some employers across the US, like this Publix in St. Johns, Florida, are posting signs to honor their graduating employees! Each 2020 graduate that works at this grocery store is being recognized with a custom graduation yard sign that features his or her name and the message “a 2020 graduate works here.”
It’s exciting to see companies rallying behind new grads who otherwise might not be recognized for their hard work!
Going Virtual:
While there are many real-life graduation celebrations happening across the US, there are also virtual ceremonies, video calls, online tributes, photo collages and more! The class of 2020 is showing its resilience by hosting virtual graduation events and parties that allow relatives and friends to join from afar.
Deserving 2020 Graduates with their Personalized Grad Signs
Graduation Yard Signs at CustomSigns.com:
At HC Brands, we care about honoring 2020 graduates of all ages! We’re producing hundreds of graduation yard signs every day and ensuring they are shipped next business day so that parents and new grads can celebrate their accomplishment!
You can trust that our custom graduation yard signs are made with precision and care. We offer easy-to-customize templates that feature the graduate’s photo, name, school name and Class of 2020. You can also find simpler layouts with your choice of background color.
If you’re hosting a party, or you live in an apartment or high rise building, you may be interested in large scale graduation banners that can hang on balconies, walls and more.
While social distancing is causing traditional ceremonies to be postponed or cancelled, you can still find new, creative ways to celebrate the Class of 2020.
In a matter of days, the US has adopted and become very familiar with a new word – social distancing. Anyone paying attention to the news, their neighbors, or strangers in their local grocery store, is aware of social distancing and what it means. Staying six feet away from other people is the most common of the social distancing measures. Maintaining distance, and “doing the five“, are vital practices for businesses who have kept their doors open to the public.
COVID-19 has created a new way of living, and it’s likely to be the new norm even after initial fears of coronavirus infection have faded. Residences and businesses have access to new signage designed to help reinforce social distancing, and control the spread of COVID-19. Whether you have a high-risk person in your household, or you are keeping your business afloat during the pandemic, you can find signs to remind others to keep a proper social distance.
Business Signs for Social Distancing
Most businesses, particularly small local businesses across the US, are doing everything they can to stay afloat and to follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make sure you have signage in place that lets your customers know you are open for business, and that you are following CDC guidelines.
Keep your business running during quarantine and social distancing with:
Once the US is operating normally again, businesses and individuals will still be on high alert, and keenly aware of the danger of infectious disease. It is pertinent to adopt new procedures and ensure that your staff and customers follow them. Get the signs you need to let customers know you are practicing newly adopted rules and expectations in a post-COVID-19 world.
Also make sure your customers have easy access to the information they need about your business. Make sure your signage is current and that it reflects your latest hours, procedures, new delivery services and rules.
Every small business or restaurant should post updated signs for their:
Residential COVID-19 Safety Signs and Social Distancing Signs
Delivery of groceries, take-out, gifts and everyday essentials is a popular convenience that many people enjoy, and it continues to grow in popularity. Amazon’s two day delivery is the standard these days. Modern consumers have grown to expect quick, fast delivery to their front door. This likely will not change, but will become more common as people adapt to life after the coronavirus outbreak. Households with high risk family members can protect themselves from exposure to illnesses by posting signs such as:
“Someone in this House Has a Weakened Immune System”
Lighten the Mood with Decorative Signs for Home or Business
As post-pandemic messaging becomes standard, businesses and home owners will be placing these signs in plain sight. You can maintain your home or business aesthetic with required signage. Decorative signs include engraved wood, brass and plastic. You can even carve out a personal space at home with she shed and man cave signs. Create your own sign to include any message you want! Make it funny or inspirational.
Decorative signs are available for homes, businesses and cars.
Healthcare workers, the government, and everyday people are navigating unfamiliar territory. New York City residents who use public transportation daily, along with teachers, workers in elderly care facilities, childcare facilities and so many other professions and walks of life will undoubtedly take stronger measures against potential future outbreaks.
Everyone can do their part in flattening the curve, and preparing for the return to school, work, and everyday life. Remember to do the five!
Loitering is not easy to define or to control. It is important to understand what constitutes loitering and how you can prevent it from leading to criminal activity on your property. You have likely seen no loitering signs posted in store windows, but what exactly is loitering? The definition of loitering is likely to change due to social distancing mandates during and after coronavirus quarantine.
What is loitering?
To loiter, or prowl, means to remain idle in a public place for a protracted time without any apparent purpose. The legal definition of loitering can vary by state, and can also include wearing masks or disguises in public. The essence of loitering is that an individual is engaged in suspicious behavior that causes justifiable concern that a crime will be committed against a person or property.¹
Examples of loitering
Loitering ordinances and statutes enable law enforcement to cut down on crimes such as prostitution, solicitation, panhandling, begging, drug dealing and other illegal acts. Standing outside of a business for a prolonged period of time is not in itself a punishable crime in most places, but is often known to be associated with illegal acts. However, if a business has a visible no loitering sign posted, police can take action against loiterers without other cause.²
Loitering laws give police the right to disperse suspicious or potentially dangerous crowds. The enforcement of loitering ordinances has been met with much controversy over the years.
Is loitering a felony?
Loitering is a subjective offense. In some places, loitering is a crime in and of itself. In other places, police must observe criminal behavior before they can confront a suspected person.
Loitering is most commonly a city or town ordinance, not state law.
Why is loitering an issue?
Loitering is a vague and subjective act and is difficult to punish. Business owners, schools, public spaces and venues often post no loitering signs to help prevent loitering that can lead to criminal behavior. If a person or group of people stands outside of a convenience store late at night, for a prolonged period, they may be suspected of selling drugs, begging, panhandling and more. If not dispersed, loiterers can also grow to become a disorderly or violent crowd.
Moreover, loiterers can deter other customers. When stagnant individuals or large crowds convene around a store entrance, for example, they can make incoming customers feel unsafe. In this case, the store owner may contact police to have the loiterers removed. A business owner, and the police, have grounds to disperse loiterers when there is a visible no loitering sign posted.
How can loitering be prevented/avoided?
There are a few simple steps you can take to reduce the chance of loitering on your public property.
1. Install a security camera and post a surveillance sign.
When people see that your building is under surveillance, they’re much less likely to stick around unnecessarily.
2. Perform regular maintenance and upkeep to your building, parking lot and entrance.
A well maintained commercial property helps deter loiterers. Unruly crowds, graffiti artists, skateboarders, drug dealers and other individuals are likely to avoid well maintained areas due to the heightened chance of police presence. Keep your parking lot free of trash, broken glass and debris. Provide adequate lighting at night and ensure all signage is in maintained and working order.
3. Provide trash and recycling receptacles inside and outside your building
Give people adequate opportunity to properly dispose of waste. This will help cut down on litter, and will let passersby know your business is under watch. There are many recycling signs to choose from that will help reduce litter and support your effort to go green.
4. Remove graffiti and vandalism quickly
If graffiti is painted on your building or in your parking lot, remove it within 24 hours if possible. Walk your business grounds daily to ensure signs, light fixtures and windows are secure and not broken. A well-maintained building lets people know you keep an eye on your property and that police will be contacted in the case of trespassing, loitering or vandalism.
5. Deter overnight loitering by eliminating potential sleeping areas
Unfortunately, transient individuals have no place to call home. They may resort to sleeping on commercial property, and if you’re concerned with overnight loitering on your business grounds, you’ll want to reduce potential sleeping areas. You can do this by locking public restrooms at night, planting thorny bushes, installing dividers or arm rests on benches or by installing gates that are locked after hours.
6. Play loud music or distracting sounds
There are also more unconventional but effective ways to reduce loitering. Many store owners have used music or annoying sounds to disperse crowds. A 7-Eleven owner in Modesto, California, for example, started blasting classical music and operas outside of his store.³
Loud music makes it harder for people to stand around, gossip and cause trouble. Annoying buzzing or screeching sounds can also be used. Store owners can turn these on and off as needed, which reduces the danger of them asking loiterers to leave their property.4
Order No Loitering Signs and Other Property Signs Online
First and foremost, to let customers and passersby know that the shop owner does not condone loitering, vandalism or trespassing, signs must be posted. A posted sign provides the initial warning that certain acts will not be tolerated, and gives the business owner grounds to call law enforcement if a person or group of people refuses to leave the property.
CustomSigns.com offers hundreds of templates that can be ordered as is, or customized to your needs. Shop all property signs here.