Assess nonconforming/legacy sign rights and amortization exposure before altering, relocating, or removing an existing sign

Steps

1. Confirm the sign's nonconforming status: it must have been lawfully established before a zoning change made it noncompliant, not simply an unpermitted sign
2. Check whether the local ordinance includes an amortization provision requiring nonconforming signs (this is one of the most commonly amortized nonconforming uses in zoning codes) to be brought into compliance or removed after a defined period, and confirm what that period is locally
3. Confirm what triggers loss of nonconforming status in that jurisdiction — common triggers include a change of use, abandonment/discontinuance for a defined period, structural alteration beyond routine maintenance, or damage exceeding a defined percentage of value
4. If an amortization period applies, evaluate whether it has already run and whether the owner has any administrative or judicial remedy (variance, extension request, or a takings/reasonableness challenge) available locally
5. Document the sign's original lawful-establishment date and any subsequent permitted alterations, since that record is usually what preserves nonconforming status in a dispute