Blaine, MN Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Location
- Private property only, with owner's permission
- Public property
- Political signs banned entirely
- Corner setback
- Barred inside 30-foot curb sight triangle
- Street setback
- At least 10 feet from pavement edge
- Sidewalk setback
- 12 inches from far sidewalk edge
- Removal window
- 48 hours after city notice
- Penalty
- Petty misdemeanor under section 1-7
Summary
Blaine City Code § 26-3 confines political campaign signs to private property with the owner's permission, bans them entirely on public property, and sets placement rules: no sign inside a 30-foot corner sight triangle, at least ten feet from the pavement edge away from intersections, and 12 inches from a sidewalk's far edge where one exists. Candidates must remove signs within 48 hours of a city notice or face a petty misdemeanor.
(a)Political campaign signs designating candidates seeking public political office and other data pertinent thereto shall be subject to the following restrictions:(1)Signs shall be permitted only on private property provided that the property owner's permission has been obtained by the candidate. Signs are prohibited on public property.(2)At a corner of an intersection, signs are prohibited within a triangle formed by measuring 30 feet along the curbs from the point where the curbs intersect and drawing an imaginary line from curb to curb to define the triangle.(3)Along the street edge, away from an intersection, signs shall be placed not less than ten feet from the nearest edge of the pavement.(4)Where a sidewalk is installed parallel to a public street, 12 inches from the sidewalk edge farthest from the street shall be the minimum setback from the street for sign placement. ... (6)Any candidate who fails to remove a sign placed in violation of this subsection (a) within 48 hours after receiving notice from the city shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalty contained in section 1-7.
Full Breakdown
The ordinance sits in Chapter 26, the elections chapter, right after Blaine's voter-registration section. Signs may go up only on private property with the property owner's consent; placement on any public property is flatly prohibited. At street corners, no sign may stand inside the triangle formed by measuring 30 feet along the curbs from where they meet and drawing a line curb to curb. Away from intersections, a sign must sit at least ten feet back from the nearest pavement edge; where a sidewalk runs parallel to the street, the minimum setback shrinks to 12 inches from the sidewalk edge farthest from the roadway.
Every sign is presumed to belong to, and be the responsibility of, the candidate it names, and each candidate must give the city clerk the names and contact information of two people who can receive violation notices on the candidate's behalf. The city manager can order immediate removal of any sign judged a safety hazard without waiting out the 48-hour notice period that otherwise applies, and any sign placed in violation of the section is separately subject to immediate removal by the city regardless of the safety-hazard finding. Minnesota's own general-election-year statute on noncommercial signs, M.S.A. § 211B.045, is cross-referenced immediately after the local section.
Violations & Fines
A candidate who fails to remove a sign placed in violation of subsection (a) within 48 hours of receiving city notice is guilty of a petty misdemeanor and subject to the penalty in section 1-7. Signs placed in violation of the section can also be removed immediately by the city itself, independent of any charge against the candidate, and a safety-hazard sign can be pulled by the city manager without any notice period at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a political sign on the boulevard or median in Blaine?
How close to a street corner can a Blaine political sign be placed?
What happens if a candidate doesn't take signs down after the election?
Who is legally responsible for a political sign in Blaine?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Blaine
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