Illegal handbill

Last updated January 09, 2026

Sometimes followed by another word, such as poster or posting, an illegal handbill is one that violates laws or codes regarding use of a public place to advertise.

Examples of restrictions

Although the precise wording may vary from place to place, an example of applicable regulations is:

"No person shall post, affix, ... attach ... upon any street lamp, street sign, ... utility poll ...^[2]

Enforcement

Fines ^[3]^[4]
Combatting posters for upcoming events by marking them CANCELLED ^[5]
have government workers tear them down ^[6]^[7]^[8]
Business loss ^[9]

Legal alternative

Permitting posting on a limited basis, e.g. bulletin boards ^[10] provides another outlet for the distribution of the information.
Unity - "Workshop to Create Single Handbill" ^[11]

External links

"Wild Postings - ALT TERRAIN - Wild Postings Company New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco Outdoor Advertising". Archived from the original on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
"Deland Enterprises: Mesquite Texas Handbill Law". delandenterprises.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2026-01-08.

References

↑ Tucson City Code – Chapter 16 – Neighborhood Preservation
↑ "Neighborhood preservation ordinance 16-36 (Tucson city code)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-03.
↑ above/Tucson "not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00)" plus costs of removal
↑ "Motion" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-01.
↑ "Glasgow says booya to illegal handbill posters with giant "cancelled" stickers".
↑ Bureau of Street Services: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-1512_mot_06-10-08.pdf, which includes the idea of increasingly higher fines, to make enforcement self-funding.
↑ http://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2008/21/brooklyn_graphic_newscbcleanupc05222008.html Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine is about NYC's Brooklyn Community Board 11's organizing of groups of volunteers, of various ages, including Boy Scout Troops
↑ https://universitydistrict.squarespace.com/s/15-0226-Service-Plan.pdf%5B%5D ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
↑ based on "Who wants to do business with a criminal?" in http://delandenterprises.blogspot.com/2007/06/mesquite-texas-handbill-law_07.html leave the poster as is, except scratching out address and phone number information.
↑ http://cityweb.flagstaffaz%5B%5D. gov/print_ag_memo.cfm?seq=1376&rev_num=0&mode=External&reloaded=true&id=
↑ "The Tombstone News".
↑ which is about door-to-door but mentions "on the street" distribution

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[1] Tucson City Code – Chapter 16 – Neighborhood Preservation

[2] "Neighborhood preservation ordinance 16-36 (Tucson city code)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-03.

[3] ve/Tucson "not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00)" plus costs of removal

[4] "Motion" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-01.

[5] "Glasgow says booya to illegal handbill posters with giant "cancelled" stickers".

[6] Bureau of Street Services: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2008/08-1512_mot_06-10-08.pdf, which includes the idea of increasingly higher fines, to make enforcement self-funding.

[7] ttp://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2008/21/brooklyn_graphic_newscbcleanupc05222008.html Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine is about NYC's Brooklyn Community Board 11's organizing of groups of volunteers, of various ages, including Boy Scout Troops

[8] ttps://universitydistrict.squarespace.com/s/15-0226-Service-Plan.pdf%5B%5D ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}

[9] sed on "Who wants to do business with a criminal?" in http://delandenterprises.blogspot.com/2007/06/mesquite-texas-handbill-law_07.html leave the poster as is, except scratching out address and phone number information.

[10] ttp://cityweb.flagstaffaz%5B%5D. gov/print_ag_memo.cfm?seq=1376&rev_num=0&mode=External&reloaded=true&id=

[11] "The Tombstone News".

[12] which is about door-to-door but mentions "on the street" distribution

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