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Hart County OKs first reading to tighten speed-limit and signage rules
Summary
The Hart County Board of Commissioners took the first reading of ordinance amendments March 24 to require county compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for sign size, placement and reflectivity and to add a sign-maintenance requirement to county roads code; commissioners also discussed the need for engineering speed studies before changing posted limits.
The Hart County Board of Commissioners on March 24 approved the first reading of an ordinance change aimed at standardizing speed-limit signage and replacing aging signs across the county.
Mr. Spencer, the county's public works director, told commissioners he discovered gaps in the county code and proposed amendments to explicitly require compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and to add a new section in the roads-and-bridges chapter obliging the county to maintain regulatory and nonregulatory signs. "If we're putting on this our county residents to abide [by] speed laws as a county, we should at least provide proper signage, proper placement, uh size and reflectivity," he said.
Spencer walked the board through two specific proposals: (1) amend Sec. 8261 to note the county's obligation to follow MUTCD standards for sign size, placement and reflectivity and adopt a phased replacement policy; and (2) add language under chapter 66 to require the county to maintain stop signs, warning signs and street signs and to bring them up to current standards over time.
Commissioners emphasized that posted speed limits remain tied to engineering and traffic investigations: changes to a road's posted limit still require a speed study and, for radar enforcement, state sign-off. Spencer said he is preparing an in-house study for Liberty Hill and expects to present results within about a month.
The board took the proposal as a first reading and voted to advance it; commissioners asked staff to tidy the ordinance's formatting so it can be inserted into the county code cleanly. The measure will return for additional readings and the formal three-reading process required by county ordinance.
Why it matters: county officials say several speed-limit and street-name signs around Hart County are undersized, faded or inconsistent with MUTCD standards; the change aims to improve visibility and consistency so enforcement and driver expectations align with clear, standardized signage.
