Section 23-5-2

Driving around, destruction, etc., of detour or warning sign, or barricade or fence.

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this subsection:

(1) DETOUR SIGN. Any sign placed across or on a public road of the state by the state, the county or municipal authorities, or by their contractors, indicating that such road is closed or partially closed, which sign also indicates the direction of an alternate route to be followed to give access to certain points.

(2) WARNING SIGN. A sign indicating construction work in area.

(3) BARRICADE. A barrier for obstructing the passage of motor vehicle traffic.

(4) FENCE. A barrier to prevent the intrusion of motor vehicle traffic.

(5) OFFICIALLY CLOSED. A highway or road that has been officially closed by a governmental unit, the State Department of Transportation, a city or a county.

(b) Any person who wilfully destroys, knocks down, removes, defaces or alters any letters or figures on a detour or warning sign set upon a highway or road of this state, or who wilfully knocks down, removes, rearranges, destroys, defaces or alters any letter or figures on a barricade or fence erected on any highway or road of this state, or who drives around or through any barricade or fence on any officially closed highway or road of this state or drives around such detour sign or barricade or fence or any person who wilfully ignores or disregards a warning sign before such road has been officially opened to the public traffic by the State Department of Transportation or, in appropriate cases, by the county or municipal officer responsible for constructing or maintaining such roads, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; provided, that as long as no damage is done to the new work, this section shall have no application to peace officers in the performance of their duties, nor to employees of the State Department of Transportation, nor of the contractor, nor of the federal authorities when engaged in inspection of surveys, repairs, maintenance or construction on or alongside such highways, within the right-of-way, nor individuals domiciled or making their livelihood within the affected areas, nor to any person or group of persons who shall be authorized by the Director of Transportation or any appropriate county or municipal officer.

(c) Every person convicted of a violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than $5.00 nor more than $100.00 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(Acts 1969, No. 1145, p 2148.)