Using traffic signs as wall designs for a room may be an appealing addition to its decor, but it is illegal in Iowa State residence halls.

According to the Terms and Conditions of the 1997-98 Room and Board Contract, traffic signs are not permitted in residence hall rooms.

In fact, just recently several traffic signs have been confiscated from dorm rooms. On Sunday, Nov. 23 the Department of Public Safety confiscated five traffic signs from Larch Hall.

Brad Knapp, hall director of Larch, reported the signs to DPS, after Richardson Court Association guards found them while doing room safety checks. According to Knapp, the signs will be returned to students if they can produce a sales receipt.

“If they can’t produce the receipt then I would assume that they got the signs in a way that they weren’t supposed to,” Knapp said.

Larch Hall isn’t the only residence hall where traffic signs have been found in students’ rooms.

Wade Burken, South Helser Hall director, said like RCA, Towers Residence Association and Union Drive Association have had signs confiscated from students as well.

Although street signs were found in rooms during break, Knapp said it’s not a common occurrence “where everybody has street signs in their room.”

“I think that most of them understand what the consequences are and that’s why most of them don’t bring them to the residence halls,” Knapp said.

Along with Knapp, Burken advises students not to have signs in their rooms.

“It’s against the law to have the signs,” Burken said. “Students need to know about the penalties.”

DPS doesn’t become involved in all situations involving traffic signs in dorm rooms.

Burken said hall directors typically try to handle the situation “in house” before resorting to law enforcement. “What we typically do is call DPS for guidance,” he said.

Lieutenant Doug Clabaugh of DPS, said signs received are returned to their owners or utilized by the department for campus use.

Clabaugh said if the individual provides proof of ownership, the sign will not be confiscated. Without proof of purchase the individual can be found guilty of a serious misdemeanor for interference with signs or other devices. According to Iowa law, persons can receive a penalty of a $1,000 fine, a year in jail, or both.

“If they purchase a sign from a city or state or auction it will say where it came from. We normally do not call up Montana to find out if they bought it,” Clabaugh said. “No one has ever came up with a receipt.”

Burken agreed that rarely do students have a receipt for their traffic sign decorations.

Clabaugh said many cities are protecting their property from theft by engraving the city’s name on them. “A lot of the cities are taking back the signs,” he said. “They usually come get them.”

If signs are claimed, Clabaugh said the DPS’s parking department will put them to use. “Signs are expensive and it saves money to recycle them,” he added.

Besides being stolen property, Clabaugh emphasized the safety hazard of stealing traffic signs or devices and how they can affect the lives of people using the area where the sign was last located.

“That sign was put there for a reason, there is a danger in that area and someone not familiar with that area might get broadsided,” Clabaugh said.