The City of Salem’s sign department, tasked with ensuring public safety and maintaining the “neat, clean, orderly, and attractive appearance of the community,” has become a pressure point for a growing number of frustrated local business owners. The department reviews and approves signage, educates the public on a complicated sign code, and investigates violations. But for some entrepreneurs, a ramp-up in enforcement has felt less like civic improvement and more like a costly, confusing grind that punishes small operators for minor or long-standing issues.
For years, Salem went without a dedicated sign code enforcer. About two years ago, the city hired one to cover enforcement citywide, responding to complaints and conducting inspections on a geographic rotation. The city’s stated approach is that compliance begins with outreach and education, and that most businesses voluntarily comply. City staff have also said they are now addressing signs that have “always been non-compliant.”
Business owners who have been caught up in the enforcement push describe a different reality: what starts as a question about a sign can spiral into shifting interpretations, repeated permit demands, and costs that snowball into the thousands — all while the rules themselves can feel hard to parse even for experienced operators…