In an effort to promote and maintain civic pride in an aesthetically pleasing city, the City of Brantford has recently taken a series of significant actions to address graffiti. These actions include identifying graffiti and tagging locations across the city, regular removal of graffiti from City assets (bridges, overpasses, box culverts, retaining walls, traffic boxes, light poles, street signs, etc.), as well as the ongoing “Celebrating our History” traffic box campaign. We also work closely with Brantford Police Services and the business community to collectively deter vandalism on public and private property.
Graffiti is the unauthorized and deliberate defacement of property including markings, of one or more letters, symbol, designs or drawings placed on any structure, place or thing without the consent of the property owner. In an effort to further deter incidents of graffiti, in 2021 Brantford City Council approved two important by-law amendments to:
- Chapter 492 – Lot Maintenance and Waste, requiring private property owners to remove graffiti from all buildings/structures and secondly, to;
- Chapter 556 – Public Nuisance, making it an offence to apply or place graffiti on any structure without permission of the owner.
Consequences for violating the above noted by-laws may include fines, administrative fees and impacts to business licensing.
What businesses and private property owners should do
If you are a victim of graffiti, it is important that you remove it as soon as possible – ideally within 48 to 72 hours. Please note graffiti removal by the property owner is also mandated under the City’s Lot Maintenance by-law.
- Rapid removal sends a clear message that defacing your property is not acceptable.
- Recurrence is significantly reduced.
- Removal products work best on newly applied graffiti.
- Rapid removal eliminates the public recognition sought by graffiti vandals.
- Rapid removal of graffiti keeps your property and neighbourhood clean and attractive.
- Visit brantford.ca/GraffitiBylaw for reference
What citizens should do
- Call the Brantford Police Service Non-Emergency line at 519-756-0113 or 519-756-7050 if you see spray paint vandalism in progress
- Report graffiti incidents to the City by emailing bylaw@brantford.ca or customercontract@brantford.ca
- Visit brantford.ca/GraffitiBylaw for reference
