Prevent Graffiti

If your property is impacted by graffiti, please notify Orlando Police Department at their non-emergency number of 321.235.5300.

Keep Up the Neighborhood
Make every effort to keep the appearance of a neighborhood clean and neat. Remove litter and trash, fix broken fences, trim landscape, and ensure all lighting is working properly. An exterior appearance that suggests apathy and neglect attracts vandals.

Remove Graffiti Promptly
Rapid removal of graffiti is an effective prevention tool. Data shows that removal within 24 to 48 hours results in a nearly zero rate of recurrence.

Encourage Citizen Reporting
Educate the public about the impact of graffiti vandalism and provide a way for them to report graffiti. In many cities, an 800 number, a dedicated telephone line, or a web site is established for this purpose. Respond promptly to reports of graffiti vandalism to 407.246.2752.

Change the Environment
Make changes to build-in graffiti prevention:

• Incorporate natural deterrents, such as landscaping. Shrubs, thorny plants and vines will effectively restrict vandal access.
• Plan or add lighting to promote natural surveillance.
• Use fences, controlled entrance and exits, rails, and other barriers that discourage through traffic.
• Limit access to roofs by moving dumpsters away from walls and covering drainpipes to prevent vandals from scaling them.
• Use graffiti hoods to buffer freeway signs
• Incorporate metal baffles on sign poles, similar to squirrel baffles on bird feeders.

Employ Graffiti Resistant Surfaces
To help vandal-proof targeted areas use:

• Graffiti resistant materials or coatings.
• Sacrificial coatings, which allow graffiti to be washed off, must be re-applied after each graffiti clean-up.
• Textured surfaces, which are less attractive to graffiti vandals.
• Dark-colored or colorful surfaces; neither of these provide a good canvas for a graffiti vandal.