Blue Earth County, MN Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Section 24-311(d) of the Blue Earth County Code exempts certain sign types from the permit requirement of section 24-311(b) while still holding them to the chapter's general standards. Item (5) covers signs designating candidates seeking public political office: such an election sign cannot exceed eight square feet in size, must be located on private property, and cannot be placed at any intersection in a way that obstructs vehicular lines of sight. Political signs are exempt from the permit process and from the application requirements of section 24-311(c), but they still fall under the general sign standards of section 24-311(f), including the requirement that every sign be maintained by its owner in a safe condition and repainted once its finish begins to fade, chip or discolor.

Political signs also remain subject to the chapter's outright prohibitions in section 24-311(e), so a campaign sign cannot be attached to a tree or utility pole, placed within a public right-of-way or easement, or built with rotating beam or flashing illumination. The county does not set a removal deadline for political signs the way it does for temporary real estate or construction signs elsewhere in section 24-311(d), but an unsafe or unmaintained sign can still be ordered repaired or removed by the zoning administrator under section 24-311(f)(3).