We may not officially have a new president until the votes are certified and Donald Trump’s legal challenges have been heard, but that doesn’t mean you can leave your Biden or Trump yard signs out forever. That’s because it’s actually illegal to leave political signs out past a certain date once the election is concluded. Below, we take a closer look at the law and explain why if anyone is going to get cited for a violation, it’s probably going to happen this year.
Political Yard Sign Law
According to Minnesota Statute Sec. 211B.045, “all noncommercial signs of any size may be posted in any number beginning 46 days before the state primary in a state general election year until 10 days following the state general election. Municipal ordinances may regulate the size and number of noncommercial signs at other times.”
In other words, all political signs pertaining to the 2020 presidential election will need to be removed from your yard by Friday, November 13, otherwise you could face a citation.
Now, it will be interesting to see how local law enforcement agencies police this statute. Given the fact that the results are still being contested by one side, it seems unlikely that there will be an officially certified winner by November 13, which means many people may still want to champion their political beliefs in the form of a political sign. However, the law goes by the date of the election, not the date that the election results are certified.
Needless to say, we don’t expect police to come knocking on doors on Friday for anyone with a political sign out in their yard. If it goes much past that date and a neighbor calls it in, there’s a chance police may politely request that it be removed from a yard, but it seems unlikely that a citation would be ordered right away. This could change after numerous refusals, but again, this is a bit unprecedented.
Also, the law talks about political signage, but it doesn’t talk about other political objects, like flags or bumper stickers. Odds are you’ve seen Obama bumper stickers on vehicles long after that election came to an end, so we think this law will only be applied to the signs you see in yards or along county highways. However, we’re hesitant to think citations will be handed out over political signage unless they become a major eyesore or point of contention among neighbors.
But with that said, it’s worth noting that Minnesota does have a law on the books, so know that you’re not entitled to have those political signs in your yard until spring. If you end up with a citation for having signs up beyond the limit or any other citation you want to challenge in court, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today.
