Graffiti vandals would be required to clean up their own spray painting under a measure being considered by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
A first offender convicted for defacing public or private property would be put on probation while repairing the damage and might have to further beautify or clean up other parts of the county, according to a proposed amendment to the county code.
The conviction likely would be thrown out after the vandal finished the community service, said Supervisor Frank Principi, D-Woodbridge.
“My preference would be a zero-tolerance policy,” he said. “With skyrocketing foreclosures and overcrowding, we need to have a strong message that this will not be tolerated — even for first offenders.
“Trash heaps, vehicles parked on lawns, vermin, infestation — I want to be sure we’re being as aggressive as we can in [solving this],” he said.
The measure also would authorize the county’s director of public works to clean up graffiti from private buildings as well as public ones, at the county’s expense.
Under the proposal, if graffiti is visible on private property, and the property owner doesn’t remove the graffiti after receiving a notice from the county, county workers would remove the graffiti.
Homeowners would waive their right to take action for any property damage caused by the county in removing the graffiti.
Principi said that the ordinance “is fraught with all sorts of legalities that I’ll have to defer to the state’s attorney’s office.”
The board is scheduling public hearings on the measure.
