New Law Supports Wilmington’s Beautiful City Campaign

November 17, 2021

As of December 1, contractors must remove construction cones and barrels within three days of a project’s completion

Wilmington’s ongoing Beautiful City campaign, launched by Mayor Mike Purzycki in 2017 to promote a cleaner and more livable City, continues with the enactment of a new ordnance that City Council has passed, and Mayor Purzycki has signed. The new law will require contractors to remove privately owned traffic control devices such as barrels and cones within a reasonable time after the completion of a construction project.

You can read the complete Ordnance 21-049 to amend Chapter 37 of the City Code here.

Under the law, sponsored by Council Member Nathan Field of the 8^th District and co-sponsored by 3^rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver, contractors will now be required to retrieve their cones and barrels within three days of finishing their project. Otherwise, the City will confiscate them. The following language has been added to Section 37-429 (“Prohibited blocking of parking spaces”) of the City Code:

(b) It shall be unlawful for a properly authorized private construction contractor to not remove the contractor’s lawfully erected “No Parking” official traffic control devices (“‘No Parking’ devices”) within three (3) days after all authorized construction work is completed. Work shall be deemed completed based on the timeframe indicated by signage on the “No Parking” devices as well as the Department of Public Work’s Traffic and Travel Advisory database.

On the fourth day after all construction work is completed, the “No Parking” devices shall be deemed abandoned and City residents may contact the City’s Department of Public Works to collect the “No Parking” devices.

Subsection (b) shall not apply to “No Parking” devices placed by the Department of Public Works in accordance with § 3 6-192 or for emergency situations. This subsection also does not prevent the City from granting a private construction contractor an extension of time to complete a construction project.

“This is new ordnance is just plain common sense when it comes to keeping our City beautiful,” said Mayor Purzycki upon signing the legislation. “I thank Council Members Field and Oliver for their work in getting this language added to the Code, which gives the City one more tool to help keep our streets clean and clear of unsightly construction materials. Now that the City has the clear authority to remove traffic control devices, it is our hope that contractors will do the right thing and remove these items in a timely fashion, thereby improving the overall aesthetics of the community.”