Allentown, PA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Allentown regulates political signs under Chapter 505, Signs, Temporary, adopted in 1986 and enforced by the Bureau of Code Enforcement and the Police Department. Section 505-1 defines a political sign as any temporary sign that publicizes a candidacy, promotes the election of a contestant for public office, or advocates a position on a ballot referendum. Section 505-2 sets baseline rules for every temporary sign citywide: none may be nailed, tacked, stapled or otherwise metal-fastened to a utility pole or streetlight standard, none may carry glue or adhesive backing, none may exceed 30 inches in height or 24 inches in width, and none may be affixed to a tree, shrub, traffic control device, the Hamilton Mall, or other City property.

A narrows the timing specifically for political signs: they cannot go up on a pole or standard earlier than 45 days before the election they concern and must be taken down within seven days after that election. Section 505-5 requires anyone other than the property owner to register the sponsor's name and mailing address with the Zoning Office before posting, and requires a permit, with a fee set under the Home Rule Charter, for any placement of 10 or more signs. Section 505-6 makes the sponsor of a sign directly responsible for making sure it is posted and removed on time; a sponsor who leaves a sign up past the deadline is liable for the violation. Section 505-4 clarifies that none of this implies the pole owner's consent to post.