Clean City Program - Graffiti

Per ordinance 9.08.010 (see below), vandalizing property is illegal in the City of Newport. If you witness graffiti in progress or suspicious persons carrying spray paint, report it immediately to the Newport Police by calling 847-1212. You may also use the form below for non-emergency graffiti, such as noticing graffiti on a stop sign near your house.

In any case, please report it as soon as possible so we can ensure that the graffiti will be removed in a timely manner. Reports of graffiti are taken seriously by the Newport Police Department and the Clean City Program. The Police Department reviews and assigns all graffiti reports and the Clean City Program removes the graffiti as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, at this time, the Newport Police Department and the Clean City Program can only remove graffiti from city property.

Examples of city property are:

• Signs: street signs, stop signs, parking signs, historical information signs (often found in downtown Newport - contains information on a place, street, etc)
• City litter barrel: black metal litter barrels, cement/stone litter barrels, or blue metal recycling barrels
• Recreation Department (35 Golden Hill St. "The Hut"), any Newport Public School, the Public Services Garage (80 Halsey St.) and the Utilities Department (70 Halsey St.)
• Parks: playground equipment, park signs, anywhere within boundaries of a city park or the Cliff Walk.
• Pavement & parking lots: on the pavement of sidewalks, streets, anywhere within the boundaries of the Gateway parking lot or the Mary Street parking lot

If you see graffiti on city property, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THE GRAFFITI YOURSELF. This may cause damage to the surface. Please report the graffiti to the Police so that we can ensure it will be removed with the proper graffiti removal products in a timely manner.

At this time, the City of Newport cannot remove graffiti from private property. However, we may be able to give you advice on how to remove graffiti and prevent it. There are many other buildings and signs that may not be city property. You should still report this graffiti to the Newport Police Department, as we may be able to contact the property owner for removal, such a RIPTA bus station or a USPS mail box.

We appreciate all the people that have being reporting graffiti to the Newport Police. We are able to keep the City of Newport cleaner due to concerned citizens like you!

Graffiti ordinances:

9.08.010. Desecration.

1. No person shall:
   
   
   1. Wilfully destroy, defile, deface or otherwise injure any public building, any private or public cemetery or any other property or part thereof or appurtenance thereto;
   2. Wilfully destroy, defile, deface or otherwise injure any building or structure used or designed for use as a place of religious worship or instruction, or any part thereof or appurtenance thereto, or any book, religious vestment, furniture, ornament, musical instrument, article of silver or plated ware or other chattel or property kept therein;
   3. Brand, write, mark or paint any sign, letter or character of an obscene or disparaging nature on any public building or structure used or designed for use as a place of religious worship or instruction, or upon any part of such building, whether such part is interior or exterior;
   4. Wilfully, without the express consent of the property owner, paint, deface, disfigure, or damage property (including but not limited to: buildings, walls, fences, poles, containers, bridges, vehicles, and all other structures and hard surfaces), through the use of paint or other indelible materials used to write names, initials, letters, symbols, or other miscellaneous markings commonly known as "graffiti";
   5. Mar, deface, alter, impair, remove, cover, replace, or change city-installed or approved signs, designations, or markings, including those designating public rights-of-way, other public information signs, symbols, and related city-sanctioned directional aides and devices; or
   6. Attempt to commit any of the acts set forth in subparagraphs 1 through 5 of this subsection.
2. The possession of paint, ink, stain, varnish, dye or any other substance which leaves a mark, without authority of the owner or the lessee or agent of the owner of the property in question, by a person apprehended upon public property, in a public building or upon the grounds of any building or structure used or designed to be used as a place of religious worship or instruction, shall be prima facie evidence of an intent to defile, deface, brand, write, mark or paint such structure or building in the manner prohibited by this section. (Ord. 2008-8 § 1, 2008; Ord. 46-94 § 1, 1994; prior code § 666.01)