The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has collected nearly $4 million in signage fees since the roll-out of its Signage Compliance Outreach Programme earlier this year.

Providing an update on the programme during Tuesday’s monthly meeting, Deputy Mayor Lorraine Dobson said the corporation has engaged 140 businesses across eight commercial locations. She also added that compliance among the businesses visited increased from nine per cent to 53 per cent.

“The positive response demonstrates the value of continuing to expand opportunities for direct engagement with the business community, making it easier for entities to access information, receive guidance and regularise their signage,” said the deputy mayor.

Dobson noted that, as part of its integrated approach, the KSAMC’s compliance unit has continued its public education and outreach efforts at plazas and commercial centres throughout the municipality.

“These engagements complement the corporation’s existing compliance services by bringing officers directly into the business community to provide guidance on the regularisation process, clarify obligations under the law, facilitate applications and assist businesses wishing to settle outstanding signage,” she said.

The programme — which aims to encourage compliance with signage regulations — began with a regularisation campaign and transitioned to the enforcement phase. The campaign phase ran from January to March 2026, providing business owners with an opportunity to regularise their signage in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisement) Regulation, 1978 and the Kingston and St Andrew Building Act, 2018.

During this period, they were sensitised to the guidelines and regulations and were allowed to settle outstanding fees at a reduced rate of 20 per cent. After the campaign period, the corporation initiated the programme’s enforcement phase by removing unauthorised billboards and signs throughout the municipality. Since then, the KSAMC has reported that the programme has been effective and well-received by business owners.

The positive response to the initiative led Dobson to commend business owners who have taken the necessary steps to comply with the signage regulations. She said, adding this demonstrated the value of combining public education, direct engagement and enforcement.

“The corporation will continue this outstation engagement across Kingston and St Andrew as part of our ongoing commitment to making the compliance process more accessible, while continuing to encourage all entities with public or visible signs to regularise their signage and remain compliant,” added the deputy mayor.