Subtitle 23 – Pole License Fee

annually, between May 15 and June 1, in each and every year, file with the Director of Transportation a list of all poles so used, possessed, or maintained by them, giving the accurate locations of each pole; and

shall also have stamped, painted, or printed, in legible characters, their name as owner upon each of such poles.

Annually in the 1^st week of January, all persons or corporations shall pay to the Director of Finance a fee of $50 for each and every telephone, electric light, or other pole used, possessed, or maintained by them in any of the streets, lanes, or alleys of the City of Baltimore, except trolley poles used exclusively for stringing thereon wires for use in the propulsion, by electricity, of street passenger cars.

Upon receiving the above fee in January, 1948, and subsequent years:

Such person or corporation shall then have 1 of such permanent metal plates securely fastened in some conspicuous place upon each of the poles used, possessed, or maintained by it or him.

It shall be the duty of the Director of Finance on or before January 1, 1926, to purchase a sufficient number of permanent metal plates, numbered with plain conspicuous numbers, beginning with a given number for each person or corporation required to license its poles as hereinafter provided, and so on progressively, and on or before January 1, 1927, and subsequent years, to purchase a sufficient number of permanent metal plates, beginning with the number next succeeding that last issued to any person or corporation, or with a given number, if the person or corporation has had no licensed poles during 1926 or subsequent years, said permanent metal plates to be furnished as prescribed in § 23-3 to the persons or corporations using, possessing, or maintaining telegraph, telephone, electric light, or other poles other than trolley poles used exclusively for stringing wires thereon for use in the propulsion, by electricity, of street passenger cars.

The Director of Finance shall cause such permanent metal plates to display the initials or some other symbol denoting the person or corporation to which they are issued; the said plates to be of suitable size and description, in the discretion of the Director of Finance and to be paid for out of the appropriation for general licenses.

Provided that in the event any licensee shall replace any pole with another, he may transfer the license to such other pole.

And provided, further, that the Director of Finance may purchase and furnish without cost to the licensee, duplicate metal plates whenever in his judgment those in use have become illegible through natural wear and tear.

which have not been included in any list filed in accordance with § 23-2 with the Director of Transportation; or

upon which the name of the owner is not legibly painted, printed, or stamped; or

upon which the license fee has not been paid; or

on which the prescribed tin plate is not securely fastened in some conspicuous place, on or before June 15 in any year, shall be forthwith removed by its owner and, in default thereof, may be cut or taken down and removed from the streets by the Director of Transportation, in addition to the owner incurring the penalties provided in <cite data-path="|28|§23-7">§ 23-7 of this subtitle</cite>.

who fails to file a list of these poles with the Director of Transportation, as prescribed in <cite data-path="|28|§23-2">§ 23-2 of this subtitle</cite>;

who fails to have stamped, printed, or painted in legible characters, the owner’s name on each of these poles, as prescribed in<cite data-path="|28|§23-2">§ 23-2 of this subtitle</cite>;

who, as required by <cite data-path="|28|§23-3">§ 23-3 of this subtitle</cite>: