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Southern Pines staff to draft temporary-sign rules; council leans toward 3-foot setback
Summary
Planning staff told the council they will draft an amendment to the town's Unified Development Ordinance to permit temporary election signage in town rights-of-way with measurable setbacks; staff recommended starting with a 3-foot setback consistent with state law and to prohibit placement in medians. The draft will return for work-session review in January.
Director Grieve, the town's planning director, told the council the planning office will draft code language to clarify where and how temporary signs (including political signs during specified election periods) can be placed in town rights-of-way.
Grieve said the town revised its sign code to be content-neutral and that the recent experience during local races revealed practical enforcement problems because homeowners and volunteers often cannot tell where private property ends and the right-of-way begins. He recommended permitting temporary signs in town rights-of-way with a measurable setback, noting, “the state requires that signs ... be no closer than 36 inches (3 feet) from the edge of the asphalt. That's really close,” and suggested staff begin drafting around that distance so residents can easily measure compliance.
The council debated 3 feet, 4 feet and 5 feet setbacks and discussed whether to prohibit signs in medians. Some members preferred matching the state distance to reduce public confusion; others said a slightly larger setback (5 or 10 feet) would keep signs out of medians and sidewalks. Grieve warned that different local and state distances could add complexity and said staff's initial draft is likely to follow the state standard and explicitly ban median placement on town roads.
Council members and staff also discussed enforcement and public outreach. Grieve proposed passive, low-confrontation steps such as preprinted notice stickers placed on doors to inform residents when a sign violates the setback, rather than immediate removal by staff. He noted the state law also requires adjacent-property-owner permission for placement on certain state rights-of-way, and that the town would retain the option to disallow signs on town-owned properties except when those properties are used as polling places and county rules govern placement on election day.
Mister Curtin, who recently ran for office, described his own experience tracking campaign signs and apologised for any misplaced signs: “I do apologize if my signs are out of line.” That firsthand perspective helped council members weigh enforcement practicality against appearance and public engagement goals.
What's next: staff will draft ordinance language and a simple visual guide for residents, consult the planning board and the police on enforceability, and return to a January work session with a map and recommended language for council review.
