Political Sign Alert: Careful Where You Plant Them
Superior is being proactive in getting the word out with spring election campaigns underway.
If November brings the general election season, what does April bring?
Wisconsin’s spring election season of course!
And what is a political campaign without political campaign signs?
This spring the signs have sprouted out of the ground–not the snow. Superior is being proactive on political sign etiquette, and says you’ll be just fine with a couple basic rules in mind.
“If you have a sidewalk that’s adjacent to your property, a public sidewalk, keep your signs on the inside of the sidewalk. So, the house side of the sidewalk,” said Lee Sandok Baker, Code Compliance Officer for the city of Superior.
“If you don’t have a public sidewalk adjacent to your property, and you want to put a yard sign out, just keep it at least fifteen feet from the edge of the roadway. And in almost all cases, that will be acceptable for following the rules,” said Sandok Baker.
The sign guidelines apply to those for issues, ballot questions and candidates.
All signs must be on private property and only with the owner’s permission.
Signs are not allowed on public property. If signs are found on public property, they may be removed by the city.
The number of complaints rises and falls with the number of signs. And that’s when the city sometimes gets involved.
“An obstruction for vision for motorists especially. A sign that’s placed in the public right-of-way, on the boulevard, or public right-of-way otherwise could be immediately removed,” said Sandok Baker.
“Oftentimes a property owner, if it’s a residential property, they might get a knock at the door, or a note on their door, a written notice potentially. We just want people to follow the rules. And if their sign is out of place, just move it to where it would be the proper place.”
Over the years, most signs are misplaced just because people don’t know the rules. However, most people are willing to move the sign if necessary once they find out.
