DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A local artist is headed to court to defend his work that sits on display outside his Stonecrest home.
A DeKalb County code enforcement officer ticketed Kyle Brooks with two citations claiming his signs are too big. He also received another citation stating he did not have a permit to place the signs on his property.
Brooks, who's known for his signature BlackCatTips and smiley face pieces, has several murals displayed around Atlanta.
"He (the code enforcement officer) pointed at some things and said, 'That's art. That's not art. That's not art.' I thought that was very interesting a paid law enforcement officer was going to come out here and be an art critic," Brooks said. "He said anything that had words in it was not art. I laughed in my head."
Brooks told Channel 2's Chris Jose on Tuesday that he has lived on Klondike Road for a year, and that nobody has every complained before.
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"I said, 'No matter what I do, I'm going to have to go to court?' He said, 'Yes.' I think everybody needs a chance," Brooks said. "If it was really illegal, if my paintings were really bad, then tell me. Let me know and give me a couple days to fix stuff."
Brooks said code enforcement officers never came by to give him a warning. He's due in court on May 23.
Jose reached out to the officer who ticketed Brooks, but he did not get a phone call back on Tuesday.
DeKalb County sent the following statement:
"Code enforcement received a complaint about signs at Mr. Brooks' residence. Mr. Brooks was cited for non-permitted signs and the size of signs on his property. Code Enforcement has not issued any citations to the resident based on the content of the signs. DeKalb County Code, Chapter 21, prohibits the posting, displaying or erecting of signs without a valid sign permit. Signs in residential areas shall be no greater than 24 square feet in size and no greater 4 feet above the ground. In this case, the resident's signs are greater than the measurements allowed under the code. His court date is not punitive; rather, a decision will be made by the judge whether the pieces on his property fit the definition of a sign or not."
Cox Media Group
