Politics & Government
Signs, Signs, Everywhere (Political) Signs...Are They Legally Placed?
"Campaign signs are not allowed in the public right-of-way anywhere within the city." Belmont Municipal Code, Section 23
[Editor's note: Neither the editor nor Patch Media Corporation endorse a particular candidate or ballot initiative. The photographs used in this story appear randomly and are used as a sampling of signage found throughout Belmont and Redwood Shores.]
Ahhh.....Election season. A time for handshaking, promise-making, soap box- stumping, and of course, the traditional campaign sign-planting in the yards of like-minded voters.
Come November 6, those signs will disappear, but for the next two weeks, they are part of our urban landscape, so let's at least make sure they're following the rules, shall we?
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Patch asked Belmont City Clerk Terri Cook to provide us with the rules and regs of non-commercial political signage, and here's the gist of what's written in the Belmont Municipal Code (Section 23: Sign Regulations):
Outlined in the Muni Code, addressed in the sign ordinance,- Campaign signs on commercial property are subject to the same sign standards (size, material, location, total signage, etc.) as commercial signs.
- Lawn signs (e.g. signs affixed to stakes or wire frames placed in the ground) are not allowed on commercial property. Other types of temporary signs may be allowed on commercial property only in the limited circumstances described in Belmont Zoning Ordinance Section 23.09.
- A sign containing a commercial message may be replaced with a sign containing a campaign message so long as the campaign sign meets the sign standards applicable to a sign containing a commercial message.
- Campaign signs on commercial property are treated the same as commercial signs for purposes of calculating the maximum signage allowed.
- Signs are not allowed in the public right-of-way anywhere within the city. When placing signs on private residential, it must be within the private property boundaries.
Here is a link to the sign ordinance.
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http://www.belmont.gov/Upload/Document/D240006954/Belmont%20Sign%20Ord%20-%20Section%2023.pdf
Do campaign signs sway the way you'll vote? Do you have signs posted in your yard?
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