Town of Babylon ponders harsher anti-graffiti law

The Babylon Town Board will consider amending an anti-graffiti ordinance to speed cleanup by property owners.

Babylon officials scheduled a June 9 hearing on the law after noticing an increase in obscene graffiti at a number of locations around town, spokesman Kevin Bonner said.

“We want to get this stuff down as fast as possible,” he said. “The changes are meant to motivate the property owner to eliminate whatever is creating the conditions” under which graffiti are drawn.

The amendments would lower the number of days a property owner has to remove graffiti from 10 to five. It would also give the town more options when notifying property owners about graffiti. Instead of only certified mail, notice can now be posted on the premises or hand-delivered.

Violators can be fined $250 for a first offense, and up to $5,000 for the third offense.

The town already bans sale of aerosol spray paint cans and broad-tipped indelible markers to people younger than 18.

Graffiti writers can be fined up to $1,000 -- a fine that can be suspended if the property owner agrees and if the offender cleans the property.