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New rules tighten political sign disclosures, limit local bans on park‑strip postings
Summary
HB33 lowers sign‑size disclosure thresholds, tightens removal penalties, requires municipalities to provide sign deposit sites, and — after a late Senate amendment — prevents cities from banning political signs on park strips when adjacent owners place them, though safety regulations remain allowed.
Justin, one of the webinar presenters, summarized a package of changes to political advertising and sign law in HB33 that municipal clerks and code officers should note.
Key provisions described included a lower threshold for when a political sign must identify who paid for it (sign sizes below the old 8x4 threshold but above 24x18 are now covered), a new ‘‘paid for and authorized by’’ disclosure when a candidate is clearly the sponsor, stricter rules against attaching signs to utility or traffic control hardware, and a requirement that political signs placed in roadways be removed no later than 14 days after Election Day.
Justin said the bill also makes it a class B misdemeanor in many cases for knowingly removing a political sign, with several exceptions — such as oversized signs that do not meet identification rules, removal by government employees in the course of their duties, removal of signs attached to prohibited fixtures, or removal of signs left in the roadway more than 14 days post‑election. Municipalities must designate a deposit location to hold removed signs for at least five business days, attempt reasonable contact with the owner, and may seek up to $20 reimbursement per sign for costs of safekeeping and disposal.
Justin criticized a late Senate floor change that was added after League negotiations, saying the amendment effectively prevents local governments from prohibiting political signs on park strips when posted by adjacent property owners or those who maintain the strip (while preserving regulation of safety hazards). "The Senate did some last minute shenanigans with this bill," he said, and the League moved to oppose after the language was reinserted.
Officials were urged to review local ordinances to ensure compliance with the new deposit, contact and disposal procedures and to craft narrow unsafe‑location rules to address traffic and line‑of‑sight hazards while complying with the new state limitation on park‑strip prohibitions.
Next steps: clerks should identify a deposit location, update sign‑removal procedures and coordinate with municipal counsel on ordinance language to reflect the new statutory exceptions and enforcement rules.
