One alien in the Sedona area may be in trouble with the law, but this has nothing to do with Senate Bill 1070.

The alien in question pilots a flying saucer — and is in violation of Sedona’s sign ordinance, according to Development Services Supervisor Jim Windham.

“My UFO is being discriminated against,” said Jennifer McCoy, owner of the saucer parked in front of a UFO store south of the ‘Y’ roundabout.

Sedona Code Enforcement Officer John Egan said the UFO is in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s right-of-way on State Route 179. He initially suggested to McCoy the vehicle would be in compliance if it was moved behind a telephone pole on the property.

In October 2008 McCoy bought the flying saucer from the Sedona Airport. The saucer was built around an all-terrain vehicle by artist Buryl Hill, who donated it to the airport.

“He didn’t want it left it up at the airport in a hanger,” McCoy said. “I purchased this from the airport because I knew that people would enjoy it.”

From October 2008 until April, the saucer was on display outside her business’ previous location, a few hundred feet south and down the hill. McCoy said she had no problems when the vehicle was parked there.

Tourists regularly visit the saucer and take photographs and sometimes visit the store. There is no sign on the saucer advertising the store.

“A lot of people don’t realize the history of UFOs in Sedona,” McCoy said. “Sedona has more UFO sightings than any other place in North America.”

The ATV beneath the saucer is licensed and its registration is current. McCoy said she sometimes drives the vehicle around.

The saucer is accompanied on the property by a green van labeled “Alien Recovery Team,” which Windham said was also in violation of the ordinance. Unlike the saucer, it includes the business’ name and website.

McCoy said no one has spoken to her about the van until the saucer became an issue.

Windham said during the State Route 179 Improvement Project, the road was treated as a “nonenforcement zone” for temporary signs. As the construction work wrapped up, the city began to reinforce the ordinance and tried to bring businesses into compliance, he said.

Windham said the vehicles are in violation under Land Development Code §1114-U: “Signs painted on or attached to vehicles … parked conspicuously on the public right-of-way or on private premises for the purpose of circumventing the intention of these regulations shall be considered portable signs.”

He added other vehicles, such as tour company Jeeps, along the roadway may appear in violation of the ordinance but have conditional use permits or were grandfathered in before the city wrote the code.

A tour company Jeep was parked in front of its parent business on State Route 179 across from the UFO store Wednesday, Sept. 29. Windham said he was not certain if the business had a conditional use permit but would look into it. A neighboring business that rents ATVs has a permit allowing two vehicles out front, but it must build a 2-foot tall wall to screen them when road construction is complete.

“I would like to see their enforcement across the board,” McCoy said.

Windham said the city applies a “four corner” rule — when enforcing a sign code at one location, officials will speak to people around the area who may also be in violation.

“We want to try and give everyone the same opportunity. We’re trying to be as lenient as possible,” Windham said. “If she [McCoy] wants to discuss it, we’re reasonable people.”

McCoy said she plans to start a petition to save the UFO.