(a) No person, persons, firm, or corporation shall engage in the business of erecting, hanging, placing, painting, displaying, or maintaining any sign for outdoor display within the District of Columbia without first having obtained a license therefor from the Superintendent of Licenses of the District of Columbia, which license shall bear an identification number; provided, that no license shall issue without the prepayment of $14 to the District of Columbia Treasurer, and a fee of $28, paid biennially. For good cause shown the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall have the power to reject any application for a license hereunder, or, where license has been issued, to revoke it, or, upon determination of liability therefor, to impose civil fines pursuant to Chapter 18 of Title 2.
(b) Any license issued pursuant to this section shall be issued as a General Services and Repair endorsement to a basic business license under the basic business license system as set forth in subchapter I-A of Chapter 28 of Title 47 of the District of Columbia Code.
CREDIT(S)
(Mar. 3, 1931, 46 Stat. 1486, ch. 399, § 2; Sept. 14, 1976, D.C. Law 1-82, title I, § 102, 23 DCR 2461; Oct. 5, 1985, D.C. Law 6-42, § 421, 32 DCR 4450; Sept. 26, 1995, D.C. Law 11-52, § 301, 42 DCR 3684; Apr. 20, 1999, D.C. Law 12-261, § 2003(a), 46 DCR 3142; Oct. 28, 2003, D.C. Law 15-38, § 3(a), 50 DCR 6913.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 1-326.
1973 Ed., § 1-232.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 15-38, in subsec. (b), substituted “General Services and Repair endorsement to a basic business license under the basic” for “Class B General Services and Repair endorsement to a master business license under the master”.
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 3(a) of Streamlining Regulation Emergency Act of 2003 (D.C. Act 15-145, August 11, 2003, 50 DCR 6896).
For temporary (90 day) repeal of section, see § 2(c) of the Sign Regulation Emergency Amendment Act of 2012 (D.C. Act 19-387, July 11, 2012, 59 DCR 8491).
Legislative History of Laws
Law 1-82 was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 1-237, which was referred to the Committee on Finance and Revenue. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on March 23, 1976, and April 6, 1976, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on June 22, 1976, it was assigned Act No. 1-135 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 6-42, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 1-303.01.
Law 11-52, the “Omnibus Budget Support Act of 1995,” was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 11-218, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on April 19, 1995, and June 6, 1995, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on July 13, 1995, it was assigned Act No. 11-94 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 11-52 became effective on September 26, 1995.
Law 12-261, the “Second Omnibus Regulatory Reform Amendment Act of 1998,” was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 12-845, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on December 1, 1998, and December 15, 1998, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on December 31, 1998, it was assigned Act No. 12-615 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 12-261 became effective on April 20, 1999.
Law 15-38, the “Streamlining Regulation Act of 2003”, was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 15-19, which was referred to Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on June 3, 2003, and July 8, 2003, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on August 11, 2003, it was assigned Act No. 15-146 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 15-38 became effective on October 28, 2003.
Change in Government
This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 (D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act (D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.
Miscellaneous Notes
Office of Collector of Taxes abolished: The Office of the Collector of Taxes was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. All functions of the Office of the Collector of Taxes including the functions of all officers, employees and subordinate agencies were transferred to the Director, Department of General Administration by Reorganization Order No. 3, dated August 28, 1952. Reorganization Order No. 20, dated November 10, 1952, transferred the functions of the Collector of Taxes to the Finance Office. The same Order provided for the Office of the Collector of Taxes headed by a Collector in the Finance Office, and abolished the previously existing Office of the Collector of Taxes. Reorganization Order No. 20 was superseded and replaced by Organization Order No. 121, dated December 12, 1957, which provided that the Finance Office (consisting of the Office of the Finance Officer, Property Tax Division, Revenue Division, Treasury Division, Accounting Division, and Data Processing Division) would continue under the direction and control of the Director of General Administration, and that the Treasury Division would perform the function of collecting revenues of the District of Columbia and depositing the same with the Treasurer of the United States. Organization Order No. 121 was revoked by Organization Order No. 3 dated December 13, 1967, Part IVC of which prescribed the functions of the Finance Office within a newly established Department of General Administration. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. Functions of the Finance Office as stated in Part IVC of Organization Order No. 3 were transferred to the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue by Commissioner's Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969. The collection functions of the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue was transferred to the District of Columbia Treasurer by § 47-316 on March 5, 1981.
Transfer of function: Commissioner's Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969, transferred to the Director of the Department of Economic Development the function of business and professional licensing. The Department of Economic Development was replaced by the Department of Licenses, Investigation and Inspections by Mayor's Order 78-42, dated February 17, 1978. The functions of the Department of Licenses, Investigations, and Inspections were transferred to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs by Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1983, effective March 31, 1983.