Campaign Signs

Iowa Code 68A.406 provides where campaign signs are permitted and prohibited. The Ethics Board's advisory opinion 2008-14 outlines where signs are permitted and prohibited, based on the type of sign and location near a polling place. That opinion states:  

Permitted locations with the permission of the property owner or lessee:

  1. Residential property.
  2. Agricultural land belonging to a family farm operation as defined in Iowa Code section 9H.1.
  3. Property leased for residential purposes including, but not limited to, apartments, condominiums, college housing facilities, and houses.  However, signs may only be placed on the portion of the leased property space that is actually occupied.
  4. Vacant lots owned by a person who is not a prohibited contributor.
  5. Property belonging to any business, association, or organization that is not a corporation, financial institution, or insurance company.
  6. Property leased by a candidate, campaign committee, or an organization established to advocate the nomination, election or defeat of a candidate when the property is used as campaign headquarters or office and the placement of the sign is limited to the space that is actually leased.
  7. Property owned by the state, county, city, or other political subdivision if the property is made open and available to any person from the public to lawfully place any type of sign.

Prohibited locations for candidate campaign signs:

  1. On any property without the permission of the property owner or lessee.
  2. Property owned by the state or the governing body of a county, city, or other political subdivision of the state including all property considered the public right-of-way unless the property is made open and available to any individual or group from the public to lawfully place any type of sign.
  3. Property owned, leased, or occupied by a corporation, financial institution, or insurance company except when leased as campaign headquarters or a campaign office and the placement of the sign is limited to the space that is actually leased.

Permitted locations with the permission of the property owner or lessee:

  1. Property belonging to any individual, corporation, financial institution, insurance company, business, association, organization, or other person.

Prohibited locations for ballot issue campaign signs:

  1. On any property without the permission of the property owner or lessee.
  2. Property owned by the state or the governing body of a county, city, or other political subdivision of the state including all property considered the public right-of-way unless the property is made open and available to any individual or group from the public to lawfully place any type of sign.

Except on private property, campaign signs for candidates or ballot issues shall not be placed on the following on Election Day:

  1. The premises of any polling place or within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to any room where the polls are held or to any hallway, corridor, stairway, or other means of reaching the room where the polls are held.
  2. On any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or any attachment to the preceding, if the vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer is parked on public property within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to a polling place and the sign is more than 90 square inches in size.

Except on private property, campaign signs for candidates or ballot issues shall not be placed on the following:

  1. The premises or within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to an absentee voting site during the hours when absentee ballots are available in the office of the county commissioner of elections as provided in Iowa Code section 53.10.
  2. The premises or within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to a  satellite voting station during the hours when satellite voting is available at the satellite voting station as provided in Iowa Code section 53.11.
  3. On any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or any attachment to the preceding, if the vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer is parked on public property within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to an absentee voting site during the hours when absentee ballots are available in the office of the county commissioner of elections and the sign is more than 90 square inches in size.
  4. On any motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or any attachment to the preceding, if the vehicle, trailer, or semitrailer is parked on public property within 300 feet of an outside door affording access to a satellite voting station during the hours when satellite voting is available and the sign is more than 90 square inches in size.

Please note this opinion applies solely to campaign signs for state and local campaigns as the Ethics Board does not have jurisdiction over federal candidates.

You may also be interested in the Iowa Department of Transportation's frequently asked questions about campaign signs and removal.

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