What's Your Signboard License Number?

Thursday, 5 March 2009

What's Your Signboard License Number?

By Syuhada Adam
Photos by Jessie Yeoh & Zatur-Rawihah Omar

In this modern time and age, even with the advent of the internet and online advertising, conventional signboards that adorn the façade of many, if not most shop lots, are still a must for many business owners.
Signboards form part and parcel of the various advertising tools that most businesses use to make their presence felt at the location of their operations. But how many of us ever wonder if the signboards meet the required standards and more importantly, they are safely hanging above our heads when we walk by.
In the past, the process of applying for a license for the signboard was tedious with long queues and waits. But with the introduction of technology, getting a license for a signboard is just a click of a button. So why are there still so many businesses who disregard the need to do so?
There is a small yet significant difference between licensed and unlicensed signboards – the Subang Jaya Municipal Council license or registration number is imprinted on the signboard for those who have been given the approval and have paid the small fee that goes with it.
For most shop owners who wish to erect signboards, ignorance of what is required could be the main cause. Many shop owners engage agents to design and erect their signboards. While some agents may omit the need for a license, others may demand a high fee for the job citing highly exorbitant license fees as the reason.
The simple matter of the truth is that the cost to register a signboard is actually quite affordable – a mere RM90 for unlit signboards and RM60 for lit ones per annum. One simply can’t say that the fee is too expensive.
But not all middle men give the wrong information though – there are countless signboards built by signboard companies that have the MPSJ license number attached to them.

Licensing the Unlicensed

SJ Echo met up with two MPSJ councilors Roslan Shahir and Gary Chong who sit on the Licensing Committee to discuss the matter. We also touched on how the revenue gained from licensing signboards could be used to upgrade or maintain the needy areas of the municipality.

We first met Roslan who encourages unlicensed signboards owners to come forward to legalise them.

How many of the signboards are licensed so far?
Roslan: It was brought in one of the council’s meeting before. I would say that it would be about 50% are licensed - mainly those doing retail on the ground floor because that’s where the enforcement has got access normally. Every office on the first floor, second floor, sometimes they get off scot free.

With the money that the council gets from the signboard license fee, what can it be used for?
Roslan: Oh, lots of things including maybe increase in manpower! A lot of things that we can do especially maintenance, cleanliness and things like that. I believe that the retailers and traders would expect that in return. I see that the problem cropped up after the change in administration when MPSJ came into existence taking over what belonged to MPPJ (now MBPJ) before.

Can existing signboard owners come to MPSJ to license their signboard without taking down their board?
Roslan: Oh yes, they can. We will encourage that. Only there are certain measurements that they will have to comply with. Some have extraordinarily large signboards which are, of course, not permissible. The standard measurement is there and anything above that you have to apply for separately.

Is there a reason why the shop owners will have to pay for their signboards?
Roslan: One is in terms of regulating what gets put up. The other reason is about standardizing the practice.

Move to Legalise Signboards
There could be a campaign to encourage all the owners of the unlicensed signboard to sign up, according to Gary Chong. He supports the idea of a campaign to get the shop owners to ‘legalise’ their sign boards.

How many illegal signboards are there in Subang Jaya?
Gary: I think quite a fair bit. Normally, when you apply for the license there must be a number there but I don’t see everybody putting it up. Legalise your signboard so that there can be revenue for the local council. There are too many illegal signboards.

So it’s hard to say how many illegal signboards there are?
Gary: To me, for example, the whole of Subang Jaya… simple calculation – 200,000 easily…It is a loss of revenue for the local council. (Based on RM60 for a lit signboard, the council could stand to increase their coffers by a whopping RM12mil annually).

MPSJ should take action but I don’t think we should be very harsh on these people the first time around. Educate, talk to them to legalise and also advise them on how to apply through a soft approach. To impose a fine on them would be too harsh.

If owners encounter any problems licensing your signboards, let us know. We can help them and guide them. As the authority, we should be very friendly so that we can make it easier for them.

What do you think is wrong with the system which results in so many signboards going unlicensed?
Gary: There are a lot of factors. It’s a very general question when you put it that way. Let’s say a coffee shop, a typical Chinese coffee shop. They like to use a runner. They don’t go direct to MPSJ because they are saying it takes up a lot time running around, so most of them use a runner or a so-called agent to do all these things.
Sometimes the agent will say the wrong thing or cause delay, so it’s not (the council’s) fault. They don’t get the direct answer from MPSJ, it’s through the middleman. It’s so easy these days with the internet. You can download the forms, fill it up and send it to us yourself.

Most businessmen do not encounter any problems when they submit their applications for a signboard license. I’m facing a lot of problem from the hawkers because they are not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

What is your plan to encourage the shop owners to license their signboards?
Gary: We will call a press conference to disseminate the information through the press. We will give them (signboard owners) sufficient time. Even though their signboards had existed for quite some time, I hope they will pay up. In a way we are trying to legalise them. If we come in and we take out all your signboards, what will happen? You make a lot of noise; make a political issue on this matter. It is unfair towards those people who pay when you don’t pay.

We will go with a soft approach and guide them on the steps to apply. If we find out they are illegal, we will give them a grace period to apply. It is very fair. If I know you are illegal, I’ll give you a notice, not a fine. Within a month you have to comply. Apply for it but if you don’t we will have to take action on you. It is very fair.

When they apply for a license they get a number. Do you have a way for this license number to be place on the existing signboards? Is it a sticker?
Gary: Right now no but I think we will come up with the sticker.

How do they do it?
Gary: You just put the sticker there. You don’t have to take the whole signboard down. Just place the sticker which contains your serial number on the signboard.

For shop owners who have yet to license their signboard, drop over at MPSJ and register it. They may also opt to go online to do so at www.mpsj.gov.my.