Redwood City Municipal Code § 3.9 Real Estate Signs; Garage Sale Signs—applicability

The following terms shall, for purposes of this Article, have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section except where the context clearly requires a different meaning:

COMMERCIAL HANDBILL: Shall mean and include any printed or written matter, any sample or device, dodger, circular, leaflet, pamphlet, paper, booklet or any other printed or otherwise reproduced original or copies of any matter or literature:

A. Which advertises for sale any merchandise, product, commodity or thing; or

B. Which directs attention to any business or mercantile or commercial establishment or other activity for the purpose of either directly or indirectly promoting the interests thereof by sales; or

C. Which directs attention to or advertises any meeting, theatrical performance, exhibition or event of any kind for which an admission fee is charged for the purpose of private gain or profit; but the terms of this clause shall not apply where an admission fee is charged or a collection is taken up solely for the purpose of defraying the expenses incident to such meeting, theatrical performance or exhibition.

PRIVATE PREMISES: Shall mean and include any dwelling, house, building or other structure, whether inhabited or temporarily or continuously uninhabited or vacant, and shall include any yard, grounds, walk, driveway, porch, steps, vestibule, hallway or mailbox belonging or appurtenant to such dwelling, house, building or other structure and any vacant lot or other private property.

PUBLIC PLACE: Shall mean and include any and all streets, boulevards, avenues, lanes, alleys or other public ways and any and all public parking lots, parks, squares, spaces, plazas, grounds and buildings.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast any commercial handbill in or upon any public place within this City; and it shall be also unlawful for any person to hand out or distribute or sell any commercial handbill in any public place.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast any commercial handbill in or upon any automobile or other vehicle.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast any commercial handbill in or upon any private premises which are temporarily or continuously uninhabited or vacant.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute, deposit, place, throw, scatter or cast any commercial handbill upon any private premises without having first obtained the written consent of the owner or of an adult resident or occupant thereof, except that the same may be personally delivered to anyone present on the premises who is willing to accept the same; provided, however, that if any such handbill is placed or deposited in or upon such premises pursuant to such written consent, it shall only be so placed or deposited as to secure or prevent such handbill from being blown or drifted about such premises or elsewhere.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to distribute, deposit, scatter, hand out or circulate any commercial handbill in any place, under any circumstances, which does not have printed on the cover, front or back thereof, the name and address of the person who caused the same to be distributed; provided, however, that in the case of a fictitious person or club, in addition to such fictitious name, the true names and addresses of the owners, managers or agents of the person sponsoring such handbill shall also appear thereon.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

A. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to, prohibit or regulate the delivery of commercial advertising material by the United States Postal Service.

B. The provisions of this Article shall not prohibit the distribution or delivery of any newspaper entered as second class matter under the provisions of the United States postal regulations or other United States statutes; provided, that the newspaper distributed consists of the entire issue of that paper, and the distribution of a special page or special portion of a newspaper containing commercial advertising shall be deemed a violation of the provisions of this Article.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

It shall be unlawful for any person to post, hand out, distribute or transmit any commercial handbill:

A. Which may reasonably tend to incite riot or other public disorder or which advocates disloyalty to or the overthrow of the government of the United States or of this State by means of any artifice, scheme or violence or which urges any unlawful conduct or encourages or tends to encourage a breach of the public peace or good order of the community; or

B. Which is offensive to public morals or decency or which contains blasphemous, obscene, libelous or scurrilous language.

(Ord. No. 1170, § 2)

The provisions of the Article do not apply to "Real Estate Signs; Garage Sale Signs" in Section 3.153, Division 6 of Article III of Chapter 3 of this Code.

(Ord. No. 2309, § 1, 5-7-07)