legal nonconforming sign

[daisybell2]

michigan, hasn't there been some resent court cases that dealt with legal nonconforming signs, I have a sign that I've had for 15 years, I recently cleaned, painted and changed the face so that I could change the lettering to post different things on it. I did not change the dimensions of the sign. I just received a violation from the township zoning administrator that its not being used for its intended purpose and I must tear it down within 30 days or they will prosecute. Can they legally do that?

 

[FarmerJ]

They can follow the local ordinance and do what they need to ,

 

[daisybell2]

You mean to tell me that just because the zoning administrator chooses to make me tear my sign down he can do it? What happened to my rights? The sign was built under the zoning of 1987 in complete compliance of the zoning - they changed the zoning in 2001 which made my sign non conforming, just because I've changed the face of the sign doesn't mean that its not still serving the purpose for which it was built. If the townships have that much power to do as they choose, then I'm thinking we don't live in America, or we've lost more rights than I was aware of. Wonder why it would be that I'm the only one that he's sent a violation to, there are 6 other signs within 3 miles that would fall under the same thing he claims ours does. How can you say they can follow the local ordinance and do what they have to. I think thats bull.

 

[HomeGuru]

You mean to tell me that just because the zoning administrator chooses to make me tear my sign down he can do it? What happened to my rights? The sign was built under the zoning of 1987 in complete compliance of the zoning - they changed the zoning in 2001 which made my sign non conforming, just because I've changed the face of the sign doesn't mean that its not still serving the purpose for which it was built. If the townships have that much power to do as they choose, then I'm thinking we don't live in America, or we've lost more rights than I was aware of. Wonder why it would be that I'm the only one that he's sent a violation to, there are 6 other signs within 3 miles that would fall under the same thing he claims ours does. How can you say they can follow the local ordinance and do what they have to. I think thats bull.

**A: you failed to tell us the conmplete story. Like what did the original sign state vs. what the new sign states.