Survey: ⅓ of Americans Displaying Lawn Signs This Election Season

Do local governments or HOAs have the legal power to regulate political signage?

I can tell you that while there are HOAs that ban campaign yard signs, there are states that have laws that limit this during campaign season.

Can landlords legally bar tenants from displaying political signs?

The same thing goes for renters — landlords can ban campaign yard signs in lease agreements but some states have tenant protection laws that prevent them from doing so (or make them unenforceable).

I know, for example, that California, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey all have protections for this kind of political speech (others do as well, I am sure) and every state is different in the particulars.

What are the legal repercussions of removing or vandalizing a political sign that’s in the public right-of-way?

On the vandalism front, my understanding is that the defacing or theft of a sign on someone else’s property is vandalism and theft and is subject to all the relevant laws in that city or state. However, enforcement would really be at the discretion of the local police and AG.

Every election season, there seems to be some news story of a person stealing or defacing signs, but my sense is that this is a rare occurrence.

Can landlords legally bar tenants from displaying political signs?

It is unconstitutional to bar people from displaying yard signs on their property or in their windows.

Do local governments or HOAs have the legal power to regulate political signage?

Landlords and HOAs generally cannot ban political signs, though they can regulate the size of the signs. Here is the California law, for instance:

What should you do if an unauthorized campaign sign appears on your property?

If someone puts a yard sign on your property without your authorization you can take it down.

What are the legal repercussions of removing or vandalizing a political sign that’s in the public right-of-way?

Removing signs from public property is illegal.

How do you deal with working on a lawn covered in political signs?

To me, they would be a pain in the tuchus.

How often do political signs get in the way of lawn care jobs?

Either mow around them and then follow up with a line trimmer or take them up and down.

A large sign that went all the way to the ground, or a large cluster of small signs that has the effect of a large sign, could cause shade issues if left for several weeks.

Can displaying political signs cause damage to your lawn?

Probably the most damage would come from putting the signs up if the ground is very wet or from vandalism — burning a sign onsite, maybe throwing a chemical on it to damage the sign, or perhaps uprooting the sign. Burning the sign onsite or vandalism to the sign could cause turf damage.

How do you deal with working on a lawn covered in political signs?

I do not personally work on lawns, but I observe that they can interfere with lawn care professionals’ work.

How often do political signs get in the way of lawn care jobs?

My observation is that they always impair the speed of lawn care workers, as we have continuous elections at local, state, or federal levels. Campaign signs always seem to be around whether there is an ongoing election or signs from past elections were never collected.

Can displaying political signs cause damage to your lawn?

Depending on their size and nature, political signs generally do not damage lawns. However, when oversized signs are used, they could cause some damage. On the other hand, all political signs create substantial visual pollution.