West Valley City has taken a stand against graffiti! The city's full-time Graffiti Specialist removes graffiti from public properties throughout the city and works with residents to provide resources for graffiti removal from private property (due to liability and private property issues, the property owner is responsible for the removal of graffiti).

West Valley City requires graffiti on private property to be removed as soon as possible to deter the taggers from tagging it again. The longer the graffiti is up, the longer taggers will keep vandalizing the site.

Graffiti Prevention Tips

  • Add additional lighting to the area, so vandals will be seen easily.
  • Add texture to the paint to make it more difficult to paint decoratively.
  • Choose paints that are easy to clean in case the vandalism reoccurs.
  • Graffiti artists want their work to be seen. By removing it immediately, their time and energy is wasted. Removing graffiti promptly is the best way to discourage future graffiti.
  • If possible, plant shrubs or bushes in front of large surfaces that are potential targets for graffiti. Planting shrubs or bushes can make it more difficult to get to a surface and therefore deter graffiti.
  • When you see graffiti in the city, encourage property owners to report the vandalism to the police department and then promptly remove it.
  • Work together with city departments to help keep our city a nice place to live and work.

Graffiti Removal Tips

Vinyl Fences

Vinyl is a solid surface, and most graffiti can be removed with some products, including:

  • Graffiti Scrubs™
  • Krud Kutter™
  • Tag Away™

These products will take the graffiti off with a little scrubbing and will not damage the vinyl. Before graffiti happens, spray a coat of Armor All™ on the surface of the fence to make it easier to remove graffiti.

Wood Fences

Wood is a very absorbent surface. There is really no way to take graffiti off a wooden fence without altering the wood. A pressure washer will take graffiti off and take the wood back to its original state, requiring refinishing. Another method to try is to use a steel wire brush with mineral spirits or just repaint the fence.

Power Poles

Most power poles are galvanized steel or wood. Galvanized steel poles can be cleaned with almost any chemical and will not hurt the pole -- even acetone and mineral spirits. On a wood pole, use a pressure washer or repaint the pole.

Mailboxes

Mailboxes are usually solid surfaces and can be cleaned with Krud Kutter™, Tag Away™, or Graffiti Scrubs™ with a little scrubbing.

Cinderblock & Brick

Cinderblock or brick walls are very porous surfaces and take a little more work than most surfaces to remove graffiti. A few options to clean these surfaces include:

  • Painting over the graffiti
  • Pressure washer using a chemical
  • Soda blasting

Spray the wall with an anti-graffiti chemical to make it easier to clean if vandalism occurs.

Where can I buy these products?

Most of the products mentioned above can be purchased at The Home Depot, Lowe's, Sherwin-Williams, Walmart, and most industrial supply warehouses.

Graffiti Removal Resources

Many resources are available to residents wishing to remove graffiti from their property. Paint is available in a variety of colors to property owners. Additional recommendations for removal may be made by the Graffiti Specialist.

Graffiti Removal Kits

Free graffiti removal kits are available to all West Valley City residents. The Graffiti Safewipes Citizen's Pack includes three sets of graffiti removal wipes and a pair of gloves in a convenient package for residents to remove graffiti on the go.

Reporting Graffiti

Report graffiti via our online service portal. To request paint, please call the Graffiti Hotline at 801-963-3467, send an SMS text message to 801-509-2702 or email the Graffiti Specialist. Please note: The graffiti hotline is a messaging service only - calls, texts, and emails will be returned as soon as possible.