Towns, not Plymouth County, regulate signs, through zoning bylaws authorized by MGL c.40A. Those bylaws must stay content-neutral: after Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), a town cannot give political signs a shorter display window or special size limit based on their message.
Massachusetts counties have no sign authority; the rule comes from each town's zoning bylaw under Chapter 40A. Those bylaws reach signs only within the independent constitutional powers of cities and towns, and the First Amendment sets the outer limit. In Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a sign code treating a sign differently because of its message is content-based and almost never survives. So a Plymouth County town may impose neutral rules on size, height, setback, and placement, but it cannot cap how long a political yard sign stays up while allowing other temporary signs longer, nor demand a permit aimed at political messages.
A sign bylaw that limits political signs by their message — a shorter display period or a message-based permit — is unconstitutional under Reed and unenforceable. Content-neutral size and placement limits still apply.
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