Cumberland County, ME Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Cumberland County, Maine has no codified sign code (the County publishes only a Charter and Commissioner Bylaws — see cumberlandcountyme.gov). Maine counties have no zoning or sign-permitting authority outside the Unorganized Territory (12 MRS §685-A). For signs in the public right-of-way anywhere in Maine, the Maine Department of Transportation enforces 23 MRS §1913-A (Categorical signs), which permits 'temporary signs' (the category that includes political/campaign signs) in the public right-of-way for a maximum of 12 weeks per calendar year — no more than 6 weeks January through June and no more than 6 weeks July through December. A temporary sign may not exceed 4 feet by 8 feet, must be at least 30 feet from another sign carrying the same or substantially similar message, and must be marked with the name and address of the individual, entity, or organization that placed it and the date of erection. Temporary signs are prohibited on traffic-control devices, utility poles, rotary islands, trees in the public right-of-way, control-of-access areas, and medians under 6 feet wide. Within the Interstate right-of-way (or within 660 feet if readable from the Interstate), temporary signs are prohibited. On private property, each Cumberland County municipality (Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Scarborough, Gorham, Brunswick, Falmouth, etc.) sets its own size, duration, and setback rules for political signs under home-rule authority (30-A MRS §3001); federal First-Amendment doctrine (Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155) requires those local rules be content-neutral.