DBKL Removes 25,000 Illegal Banners A Month. The Maximum Fine Is Still RM2,000.

The enforcement numbers explain the problem better than any legal analysis.

DBKL removes between 25,000 and 30,000 unauthorised banners and bunting every month. In one year it removed 1.3 million illegal posters, banners, bunting and stickers, and was close to 500,000 in the first half of the following year.

And the maximum fine is RM2,000 under the 1982 Advertisement By-Laws and the 1991 Vandalism By-Laws.

That gap is the whole story. A fine capped at RM2,000 against an advertising channel that reaches an entire city is not a deterrent — it is a cost of doing business.

What makes an advertisement illegal

The legal framework:

• Local Government Act 1976 (LGA 1976)
• Advertisements (Federal Territory) By-Laws 1982 — DBKL bases enforcement on section 3
• Vandalism By-Laws 1991
• Section 11(2) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 — an oddly specific provision requiring all publications to bear the name and address of the printer and publisher

These laws give local authorities the power to create and regulate local advertising rules, so rules vary across states — check your own PBT, whether DBKL, MBPJ, MBSP, MPKJ or another.

The practical rule: commercial advertising in public space without approval is an offence. That covers banners, bunting, posters and stickers on streetlights, trees, road dividers and road signs.

Why the Ah Long stickers never stop

Three reasons, and they are all structural.

1. The phone numbers are disposable. DBKL has worked with MCMC to cancel telephone numbers displayed on illegal advertisements — 1,829 numbers submitted, of which 1,256 were terminated.

But that only partly works. As then Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain explained:

"I was informed that these mobile numbers are used to screen the callers and the genuine prospects will be contacted from a different line… We have also caught individuals putting up stickers and have fined them. But they are just the 'small fish' hired to paste the stickers."

2. The people caught are not the people responsible. Enforcement reaches the person with the glue, not the person paying for it.

3. Removal is expensive and repetitive. Many banners are secured with steel wires or cables tightly wrapped around poles and street lamps. For safety, DBKL often performs removals at night using ladders and cranes.

Save Kuala Lumpur coalition chairman Datuk M. Ali put the cost point directly — that ratepayers are effectively subsidising businesses that profit from illegal advertising:

"When DBKL talks about management and operating costs, people imagine paperwork and offices. But when it comes to illegal banners, it is very basic, very physical spending. Officers, contractors and support staff have to be sent out to locate the banners, take them down and dispose of them. And this is not a one-time job."

Because removal often happens after hours, public money goes on overtime, fuel and equipment maintenance — lorries, cranes, mechanical cutters and safety equipment. Nearly 80% of DBKL's RM2.835 billion budget in the reported year went to management and operating costs.

There are safety consequences too. Taman Desa Residents Association chairman Wong Chan Choy noted that banners tied to trees often cover tags used for tree safety assessments, delaying inspections, increasing storm risk and driving up maintenance costs.

The enforcement shift — going after premises owners

DBKL changed tactic, and this is the part businesses need to know.

Rather than chasing the person pasting stickers, DBKL went after the owners of premises where the advertised event is to be held.

From 1 June of the relevant year: any commercial advertising via banners, bunting or posters without approval can result in the suspension or termination of the business licence of premises owners — including management of shopping complexes and exhibition halls.

DBKL had previously issued two warning notices before a fine, but because the fine was not effective, moved to revoking business licences instead.

Enforcement volume in the reported period: over 670 compounds issued and 520 cases taken to court.

A note on where the banners go: through Local Agenda 21, illegal banners collected in the city have been upcycled into reusable bags, aprons and stationery cases.

Signboards — a separate and active enforcement area

If you run a business, this is more likely to affect you than Ah Long stickers.

All storefront signboards must comply with local PBT regulations and obtain approval before installation.

The language rule is the one catching businesses out. Under the Advertisement (Federal Territories) By-Laws 1982 and the LGA 1976, DBKL requires that all business signboards and advertisements be in the national language, though other languages may also be included. The words in the national language must take precedence and be larger than the words in other languages.

DBKL has been issuing summonses to business owners who fail to include a Bahasa Melayu translation alongside the main language.

This has raised a live question about trademarks. Under the Trademarks Act 2019 a trademark is any sign capable of visual representation distinguishing one business's goods or services from another's. Whether a registered trademark displayed on a signboard must nonetheless carry a Bahasa Melayu translation is exactly the question DBKL's enforcement has provoked. If your signage is your registered mark, take advice.

Common violations reported include unfamiliarity with licensing requirements, size restrictions, language proportions and application procedures, with consequences including fines, removal notices and business licence renewal issues.

The reform argument

Commentary in January 2026 contrasted the treatment of "visual litter" with physical waste.

From 1 January, courts were empowered to impose fines of up to RM2,000 and mandatory community service for minor littering offences, with repeat offenders fined up to RM3,000 — while the illegal advertisement maximum remains RM2,000 under by-laws dating from 1982 and 1991.

The Visit Malaysia 2026 angle was raised repeatedly: that tourists form impressions within minutes of arrival, and the clutter of illegal banners shows weak enforcement, with compliant businesses hoping for consistent enforcement so everyone operates under the same rules.

What to actually do

If you run a business:

• Get your signboard licensed before installation, through your PBT.
• Check the language proportions — national language first and larger.
• Do not put up banners or bunting in public space without approval, and be aware that the premises owner's licence is now at risk, not just yours.
• If your signage carries a registered trademark, take advice on the translation requirement.

If you are a resident:

• Report illegal advertisements to your local council rather than removing them yourself — some are secured with steel wire and removal is genuinely hazardous.
• Residents' associations in some areas keep their own neighbourhoods clear, with one association reported as doing so for the past ten years, informing DBKL before removing.

If you are approached by an "Ah Long":

• The advertisement being illegal tells you something about the lender. Licensed moneylenders operate under the Moneylenders Act 1951 and do not advertise on lamp posts.
• Do not engage. Report to police.