CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has given one week window for advertisers and building owners to obtain licences and rectify violations in hoardings across the city, warning that enforcement will begin from March 7.
March 6 has been set as the deadline to apply for fresh licences and to correct deviations in already licensed hoardings. After that, all hoardings without valid licences will be treated as unauthorised.
As per the rules, hoardings must be static and printed on approved materials such as flex or paper. Scrolling displays are permitted only with a minimum dwell time of 10 seconds and a transition time of one second.
Animation and full-motion video displays are allowed only in areas meant for non-vehicular traffic or in parking lots. The maximum permissible height of a hoarding is 10 metres from ground level, and installation is allowed only up to the second floor.
Variable message hoardings, including LED displays, are generally not permitted except in specified locations and may be allowed on a case-to-case basis with the Commissioner’s approval.
All applications must be submitted online through the Corporation’s official portal. They will be scrutinised by a Single Window Committee, and licences will be granted only after compliance with the prescribed norms and payment of the licence fee.
Hoardings installed without approval, or those found deviating from sanctioned conditions even after obtaining a licence, will be treated as unauthorised. A fine of Rs 25,000 will be imposed, and such structures will be removed, with the cost recovered from the building owner or the advertising agency concerned.
The enforcement drive is in line with the provisions notified by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies rules, 2023.