A Roadside Memorial is a temporary display of memorabilia placed within the public right-of-way by family members and/or friends of victims of fatal traffic collisions. Roadside Memorials are typically placed on sidewalks or parkways near the collision location and consist of items such as pictures, flowers, signs and candles. The City understands the need for family members to grieve the loss of loved ones and will allow the placement of Roadside Memorials provided they do not constitute a hazard or obstruct public travel and meet the conditions indicated below.
Roadside Memorials placed within the public right-of-way by private persons shall not be affixed to any sign, street light, or traffic signal and shall not constitute a hazard or cause an obstruction to any the following: public travel, visibility, ADA access, access to fire hydrants, access to traffic signal or utility access openings, or landscape maintenance. Roadside Memorials affixed to any sign, street light, or traffic signal or which have been deemed to constitute a hazard or obstruction as indicated above will be removed immediately by City Staff.
Roadside Memorials placed within the public right-of-way by private persons shall be placed for no longer than 60 days. Upon expiration of the 60th day, City staff will remove the memorial items and store them at a City facility. Any memorial items placed at the memorial site after the 60th day will be removed by the City upon discovery of the items.
Perishable memorial items removed by the City will be disposed of immediately. Non-perishable memorial items removed by the City will be stored at a City facility for a period of 30 days. City staff will attempt to contact family members of the decedent to provide them an opportunity to retrieve the items. Items not retrieved within 30 days will be disposed of by the City.
Approved by Torrance City Council on 1/28/20