Business owner fined for violating sign code

Clovis Main Street merchant Robert Vilandry has been fined $49 for violating the city’s sign code.

Municipal Judge Vicki Kelley made the ruling on Feb. 21, court records show.

Vilandry, who owns Bullet Bob Has It, said the judge told him she didn’t fine him more because he took down the signs in front of his store immediately when he received notice he was in violation of the city’s sign code, which was enacted in May.

Vilandry said he was also warned that if he violated the city ordinance again, he could spend 30 days in jail and be fined $500 for each sign that’s in violation.

“This wasn’t even about my ‘customer parking’ signs,” Vilandry said. “This was about my big floppy flags that said stuff like, ‘WE BUY GOLD & SILVER.’

Vilandry wants to secure parking for his customers in front of his store but patrons at a popular restaurant next door are often filling the spaces.

The parking signs and flags are both violating the new city code, according to Clovis’ Director of Building Safety Daron Roach.

“We sent out over 3,000 notices about the new sign code last year,” Roach told The News earlier this month.