Council eyes new rules for political signs
At the August City Council Business Session, City Council will give third reading to an ordinance amending Section 151.30 of the Code of Ordinances regarding sign regulations applicable to temporary political signs. The changes are being proposed to ensure that the Montgomery Zoning Code is in compliance with the current standards for political sign regulations set in recent legal cases.
The current trend in zoning law is for sign regulations to be ‘content neutral’ in order to protect property owner’s First Amendment right to free expression. The proposed regulations are intended to balance the property owner’s right to free expression with the City’s responsibility to preserve and protect safe pedestrian and vehicular traffic, preserve the character and integrity of the residential community, and to prevent waste and debris. The proposed changes ensure that the size and volume regulations on political signs in the residential districts mirror the commercial signs (i.e. real estate signs) regulations in residential districts. The proposed changes are also designed so political signs in residential districts are compatible in density, setback, height and size to signs permitted in the commercial districts.
The proposed sign regulations are different than the current regulations in the following ways:
- The current regulations require a permit for political signs. There was no fee associated with this permit; however, requiring a permit gave City officials the opportunity to explain the City’s regulations on size and placement of political signs and provided the City with contact information in case the candidate needed to be contacted. In recent court cases, the courts have ruled that requiring a permit violates the First Amendment right to free expression; therefore, the proposed regulations do not require a permit for political signs, but do encourage providing the City with contact information.
- The current regulations permit an 8 square foot political sign, with a maximum sign package of 24 square feet. At the request of City Council, staff conducted an inventory of existing political signs, which found that the typical political sign was 4 square feet or smaller in size. Therefore, staff recommended that the proposed regulations limit political signs to 4 square feet in size, with a maximum sign package of 25 square feet.
- The current regulations do not have an allowance for larger signs. The proposed regulations would allow for a larger political sign (up to 25 square feet) on lots with greater than 150 linear feet of frontage.
- The current regulations allow political signs to be displayed for a maximum of 135 days per year. The proposed regulations do not limit the amount of time a political sign can be displayed, but do encourage property owners to remove the sign after an election or when the sign becomes deteriorated.
For more information about the ordinance, contact Frank Davis, Community Development Director at 792-8347 or Tracy Roblero, City Planner at 792-8312.