What to know about political yard sign laws in Michigan
(CBS DETROIT) — With election season in full swing, political yard signs are more visible than ever. However, several rules regarding their placement exist — whether people follow them is a different story.
Many political signs are placed right next to the road, which is an ordinance violation in most municipalities. Most municipalities also require political signs to be removed up to 10 days following an election.
According to the Washtenaw County Road Commission, signs have to be placed far from the road due to safety concerns.
"Political signs or private signs are not to be placed in the road right of way, and that area is defined as, typically, 33 feet from the center of the road, and usually that's out to the back of the sidewalk or a utility line," said Matt MacDonnell, managing director of Washtenaw County Road Commission.
He said the road commission does receive complaints about signs and will remove them if needed.
"If there is an issue with maintenance or safety, we will have them remove all the signs," said MacDonnell. "We are non-partisan. Anything that's in that area of concern – we'll get them removed."
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, candidates must receive permission from adjacent property owners before placing signs.
Some local businesses say they have had problems with this. One of those businesses is the A&W restaurant in Dexter, which sits on a visible corner lot off Main Street.
"You're not allowed to put the signs down under there – if they are put up, we take them down within 24 hours, and they are disposed of," said employee Josh Zincke. "And it's stopped. A lot of people just realized they can't put the signs down on the corner."
Dexter resident Perry Stern shared that he's reluctant to put a sign in his yard.
"I've found from stories that I've heard around here that if you put up a sign – for example, for Harris in this neighborhood – there is a chance there could be some vandalism associated with it," said Stern. "As much as I would like to put a sign out, I'm kind of afraid to do it. I don't want to put my family at risk, I don't want to put my house at risk."
