A long the major roadways in unincorporated Harris County, numerous signs—advertising, political and business-oriented—pop out of the sidewalk and telephone poles, creating what some might call a public nuisance.

Any type of signage in the public right of way—which stretches from the utility poles on one side of the street to another—is considered a bandit sign, according to the Harris County Attorney's office.

"In Houston it's a tremendous problem," said Ken Latimer, volunteer with the Cypress Creek Bandit Sign Group. "Drive down Hwy. 249 or Veteran's Memorial.They're all over the place."

Although legislation was signed into law in 2007 giving the county attorney's office the power to take legal action and collect fines from violators, the issue of bandit signs is still a problem throughout unincorporated Harris County.

"It's also an issue in the city of Houston, but the difference is that bandit signs are a misdemeanor criminal offense [in the city] and a civil offense in the county unless you are seen putting up a sign," Latimer said.

If a complaint is filed, the sign owner can be fined up to $1,000 per day. Members of the Cypress Creek Bandit Sign Group or other concerned citizens can remove certain bandit signs under the law, Latimer said.

"We can take it or file a complaint," he said. "For the larger business signs with a value of more than $25, if we take it we have to give it to the constable's office and he notifies the business owner."

Although they are not illegal in Harris County, human directional signs—signs that are held by a person who waves them outside a business along the side of the street—are also a blight, Latimer said.

Bandit signs are illegal throughout the entire state of Texas, but it remains a tremendous problem in Houston, Latimer said.

"When you ride around and see a whole row of cheap signs stuck by the curb, it's just trash and litter," he said. "People need to understand if someone is advertising a business on a pole that leads to a cell phone, you can't do a Better Business Bureau check, and you have no way of tracking them when you call and find out they don't have an office. That's what a large number of those signs turn out to be."