TESTING This sign may seem like a curious relic of a bygone era, but it's a very specific type of legal notice known as a "Mechanic's Lien Warning" or sometimes simply a "Notice of Non-Responsibility." While you might not see many of these painted on metal plates anymore, the legal concept behind them is still very much in play.

This particular sign, with its bold "NOTICE" and clear statement, is designed to protect property owners from financial liabilities for improvements or alterations made to their property without their explicit authorization. In plain terms, if a contractor or worker performs services or supplies materials to a property without the owner's written consent, this sign serves as a public declaration that the owners — in this case, "G.V. Povey" and "R.D. Murray" — will not be responsible for paying those costs.

This legal concept is particularly relevant in the United States. Without such a notice, a contractor who isn't paid by, say, a tenant who hired them, could potentially place a lien on the property itself, meaning the owner could be forced to pay the debt even if they didn't authorize the work. This sign effectively forewarns anyone intending to perform work on the premises that they need to get written approval from the owners first, or they risk not being compensated. The "A.V.R." in the bottom right corner likely refers to the sign's manufacturer or a specific legal code relating to such notices. It's a reminder of the intricate legal safeguards put in place to delineate responsibility in property matters, especially in a dynamic real estate environment like Portland.