Tips for Businesses:

Graffiti contributes to reduced retail sales, a decline in property values, and citizen fear. A business littered with graffiti is less likely to be patronized. Citizens feel less safe and secure entering a storefront where graffiti is present. The following are steps to take to aid in the prevention of graffiti:

• Keep the exterior of your business neat and clean.
• Remove graffiti within 24 hours
• Incorporate shrubs, thorny plants, and vines to restrict vandal access.
• Add or improve lighting around the building to promote natural surveillance.
• Use fences, controlled entrance and exits, and other barriers that discourage through traffic.
• Limit access to roofs by moving dumpsters away from walls and covering drainpipes to prevent vandals from climbing them.
• Organize a “Business Watch” with nearby merchants to keep tabs on a business area. Businesses may want to employ security personnel to monitor property.
• Employ graffiti-resistant materials or coating on a chronically hit wall.
• Consider installing surveillance cameras and warning signs.

Work with the Community:

• Refrain from using graffiti images in ads or promoting graffiti in any way.
• Print graffiti prevention messages on bags, sales flyers, tray liners, book covers, calendars, and other promotional items.
• Keep all supplies and tools that could be used in graffiti vandalism, such as markers or spray paint locked at all times