Clay, NY Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

The Town Board treats a political sign as a short-duration temporary sign under § 230-22C(3)(f)[2]. Property owners may post one a maximum of two times per calendar year, and each posting is limited to 60 days before the election, referendum, or event it promotes; the sign must come down within 48 hours after that event concludes. Size is capped at 32 square feet in any zone district, but the Residential Districts carry a tighter six-square-foot limit under the same subsection. Political signs may be placed on any property with the owner's prior permission; unlike some other temporary-sign categories, § 230-22C(3)(f)[2][c] does not cap the number of signs per lot.

Because political signs regularly exceed the 16-square-foot threshold in § 230-22D(3)(a)[1] when posted at the 32-square-foot townwide maximum, owners who build to that ceiling should confirm placement with the Commissioner of Planning and Development, who reviews signs above 16 square feet under § 230-22D(1). Every temporary sign, political signs included, must display local contact information or have its placement recorded with the Commissioner under § 230-22C(3)(b), and it cannot sit within a public right-of-way under § 230-22C(3)(d), which rules out posting a candidate sign along the shoulder of Route 31, Route 57 or any other Town or county road. A sign left up past the 48-hour post-event window or beyond the twice-a-year cap becomes an enforcement matter for the Commissioner.