Graffiti removal in Orlando, and the city program that helps pay for it

Graffiti looks permanent because removing it properly is genuinely hard. Scrub too hard or use the wrong chemistry and you leave a pale "ghost" of the tag, or etch the wall underneath. Paint over it in a slightly different color and you have a patch that marks the spot just as clearly.

For commercial, office and larger multifamily properties inside Orlando city limits, there is also money on the table. The City of Orlando runs a program that reimburses part of the cost of removing graffiti and making a repeat less likely. This guide covers both: how removal works, and how to use the program without losing your eligibility.

Step one: report it and photograph it

Before anything is cleaned, take clear photos of the graffiti and where it is on the property. Then report it. For graffiti on private property, the City of Orlando asks owners to call the police department's non-emergency number, 321.235.5300.

The photos matter twice: for the police report, and as the "before" record if you apply for reimbursement.

Step two: if you want reimbursement, apply before any work starts

The city's Take Action Against Graffiti (TAAG) program reimburses property and business owners for graffiti removal and mitigation. The key terms, as the city publishes them:

• It covers up to 80 percent of the cost of removal and mitigation projects, once per calendar year per property, up to a yearly cap.
• The property must be inside Orlando city limits, and must be commercial, office, or multifamily residential with four or more units.
• The graffiti must be visible from the right of way.
• Removal has to restore the surface to how it looked before, including the same paint color and design.
• The application must be submitted and approved before you start any work you want reimbursed.
• You need at least two contractor estimates for the removal, and two for each mitigation project.
• Mitigation means a graffiti-resistant coating plus at least one other measure, such as landscaping, better lighting, security cameras or an approved mural.
• Properties downtown, inside the CRA boundary, apply to the separate Downtown TAAG program instead, and cannot combine the two.

Check the current cap, funding and paperwork on the city's graffiti removal assistance page before you apply. Programs like this can change from year to year.

The most common way to lose eligibility is to fix the problem first and ask second. If the tag is somewhere you can live with for a short while, apply first.

Step three: match the removal to the surface

Each surface needs a different approach, which is why one method rarely works across a whole property.

• Painted stucco and block: usually the paint is restored rather than the tag "removed". The color has to match exactly, both to look right and to meet the program's same-color rule.
• Bare brick, block and concrete: a remover suited to the paint, given time to work, then hot water at a pressure the surface can take. Too much pressure etches the face and leaves a permanent outline.
• Metal, glass and signage: solvents and hand work. Pressure is rarely the answer here.
• Sidewalks and plazas: hot water and the right chemistry, the same way we treat other bonded stains on concrete.

The goal every time is a surface that looks like nothing happened, with no ghost and no patch.

Step four: make the next tag easier to remove

Graffiti tends to return to the same walls, so prevention is part of the job, and the TAAG program requires it.

• Anti-graffiti coatings come in two broad kinds. Sacrificial coatings come off with the graffiti and are reapplied after each cleaning. Permanent coatings stay on the wall, so new graffiti can be cleaned off them repeatedly.
• Landscaping and lighting make walls harder to reach and easier to see.
• Fast removal matters on its own. A tag that comes down quickly gets less attention, which is the idea the city's program is built on.

How we help

Green Earth Power Wash Orlando removes graffiti from walls, floors and storefronts across Orlando. If you are applying to TAAG, we can give you a written estimate to include with your application, wait for the city's approval before starting, and send before-and-after photos when the work is done. See our oil, gum and graffiti removal page, or request a free estimate.