NO SIGN: Frankton hairdresser Sharron Clarke had her footpath sign seized by Hamilton City Council staff after she refused to pay a permit fee.

A Frankton hairdresser whose footpath sign was confiscated by city council staff says costly fees and heavy-handed bureaucrats are styming Hamilton's small business operators.

Sharron Clarke, owner of Time after Time hair salon in Commerce St, had her sign seized yesterday after she repeatedly refused to pay a $205 permit fee.

Clarke's hair salon was one of four businesses visited by council staff yesterday.

Currently there are about 20 Hamilton businesses whose signs breach the council's public places bylaw.

Clarke said she was in the wrong by not paying the fee but knew of numerous other businesses whose signs flouted the bylaw.

"The fee for the sign is actually higher than it is for me to register my salon as a business. I'm occupying 60 square metres and my sign is occupying about 12 bricks on the footpath so I don't think the fee is right," she said.

Clarke said the council had sent her two letters advising her to pay the required permit but the fee was "highly overpriced".

"To turn up and take the sign is heavy-handed and everyone is trying to clip the ticket with small businesses and I just think council needs to drop the price. With insurance and other bills I just think this is one fee that could be a lot smaller."

Council city safe unit manager Kelvin Powell said the council was working with businesses to ensure they were compliant with the public places bylaw.

Staff phoned businesses to explain their obligations and followed this up with personal visits and letters.

Powell, who served six years as police district commander based in the Waikato, said this was the first time a sign had been seized during his five months with the council.

He said "hundreds" of businesses were compliant with the bylaw.

It was also important footpath signs were regulated to ensure they did not clutter public spaces, he said.

Councillor Dave Macpherson said the council should ensure footpath signs did not block people's access but also believed the signs added colour to a street.

Rather than staff confiscating business signs, the matter should have been put in front of councillors for discussion.

"One of the reasons I don't like the current council structure is we don't hear about this sort of stuff until people complain," Macpherson said.

"Rather than Kelvin [Powell] doing this, I would rather he say 'okay we've got a problem, I'm going to take it to council and see what they want us to do about it'.

"What worries me is it's not one or two we're having an argument with, so it shows the policy is not working," he said.

aaron.leaman@fairfaxmedia.co.nz