Bottom line
This page is a current-reference page for 40-6-26. Interference with official traffic-control devices or certain signs; travel on closed highway prohibited.. Match the facts to the statutory language and verify agency/prosecutor charging practice when needed.
O.C.G.A. section
40-6-26. Interference with official traffic-control devices or certain signs; travel on closed highway prohibited.
Officer field notes
- Confirm and document the specific conduct that matches the statute, not just the code number.
- For traffic stops, articulate the observed violation, location/public roadway facts, vehicle tag/driver identifiers, and any video or witness evidence.
- Verify effective dates, enhancements, and agency charging practices before relying on the post for court-sensitive decisions.
Report / citation articulation tips
- Use the statutory phrase that matches the observed facts.
- Include the who/what/where/when, how you observed it, and any admissions or corroborating evidence.
- If issuing a citation, preserve the specific subsection or factual basis in notes/bodycam/report narrative.
Current statutory text
40-6-26. Interference with official traffic-control devices or certain signs; travel on closed highway prohibited.
No person shall, without lawful authority, attempt to or in fact alter, deface, injure, knock down, or remove any official traffic-control device or any railroad sign or signal or any inscription, shield, or insignia thereon or any other part thereof.
No person shall, without lawful authority, drive around or through or ignore any official traffic-control device so as to go onto an officially closed highway or road or onto a section of highway or road before it has been officially opened to the public. This Code section shall not apply to police officers in the performance of their duties, to individuals domiciled or making their livelihood within the affected area, or to any person authorized to be in the affected area by the appropriate municipal, county, or state officer.
(Ga. L. 1953, Nov.-Dec. Sess., p. 556, § 39; Code 1933, § 68A-206, enacted by Ga. L. 1974, p. 633, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 2048, § 5.)
Cross references.
– Provisions regarding interference with traffic-control devices,
§
32-6-50
.
JUDICIAL DECISIONS
Unwarranted alteration of stop sign negligence per se.
– Whether a traffic control device was initially erected by authority of the State Highway Department (now Department of Transportation) or by local municipal authorities, an unwarranted alteration of the stop sign (allegedly replaced after installation of gas lines so as to face in the wrong direction) constitutes a violation of Ga. L. 1953, Nov.-Dec. Sess., p. 556 and is negligence per se. Richards & Assocs. v. Studstill,
92 Ga. App. 853
,
90 S.E.2d 56
(1955), rev’d on other grounds,
212 Ga. 375
,
93 S.E.2d 3
(1956).
Source / verification note: Updated from the Georgia Code public CIC/Lexis-linked source snapshot used for this audit. Verify court-sensitive decisions against the official Georgia Code and agency policy. Last reviewed: 2026-05-23.