With Election Day over, the time has come for community members to remove campaign signs from their lawns and streets. Several rules exist governing campaign sign removal, and several are from different departments and levels of government.
Legal timeline
Michigan law requires that campaign signs be removed within 10 days after the election. This law also applies to signs posted on private property, including residential lawns, in addition to signs placed along public roads.
Key legal information is found on the Michigan Department of Transportation website under political signs, which explains that public safety is a main reason for the rules.
"Improperly placed signs can create safety hazards and interfere with a driver's vision along roads," state officials wrote on the webpage. "To maintain traffic safety while affording office-seekers the opportunity to inform the public, rules that govern the placement of signs on state highways must be followed."
Michigan law also prohibits unauthorized signs of any type in the roadside right-of-way or on a traffic sign or traffic signal.
The specific rules outline where signs can be placed along roadways and other areas. Failure to adhere to the rules might lead to removal of the signs by a government representative and -- depending on local ordinances of a given county or city — fees or other penalties.
For state-maintained roads and highways, these rules apply, and are listed on the Michigan transportation department website:
- Signs must be more than 30 feet from the edge of the roadway (white line) for highways that do not have barrier-type curbs. For highways with barrier curbs, the signs must be more than three feet from the back of the curb.
- Signs are not permitted within areas used for clear vision at intersections or commercial driveways so they will not interfere with the sight distance of a driver.
- No signs may be placed within the limited access rights of way (freeways, including ramps).
- Illegally placed signs will be removed. Signs removed by MDOT crews will be kept for seven days at a local MDOT office or maintenance garage, then discarded.
Washtenaw County officials, as stated on its website, will not hold the signs for any period, explaining: the road commission "has the right to remove unauthorized signs from the road right-of-way and dispose of them without notice."
The Washtenaw County Road Commission follows the same policies as the Michigan Department of Transportation in regard to campaign sign removal. Tiffany Oliphant, the Washtenaw County Road Commission Communications Manager, said the county does not issue fees or fines to those who fail to comply with the policy.
“We would hope that the owners of those signs and the political teams that put those signs up, would remove them,” Oliphant said. “We do not have the manpower to go around and remove political signs."
On the county's website, department officials said the road commission "prioritizes removing signs that are a safety hazard or are in the way of pending maintenance."
“We do not have the manpower to go around and remove political signs,” a spokesperson from the Washtenaw County Road Commission said following the Nov. 5 election.
Practices to consider
While there might not be legal repercussions if signs remain past the 10-day window, state and county officials said it is important to follow the removal policies.
If a sign is placed on private property, it is the property owner's responsibility to take it down, according to the state rules. Signs placed on public property -- including roadsides, city-owned areas, and medians -- must be removed 10 days after the election.
In Michigan, while residents and candidates must comply with the legal requirements for sign removal, they are also urged to demonstrate respect for public space and the community during election season.
