Columbia, SC Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Columbia's Unified Development Ordinance treats residential yard signs, which include the campaign and political signs residents post ahead of elections, as a category of temporary sign under Sec. 1. The ordinance caps the count at six signs per lot and limits their combined display surface to 18 square feet, applying uniformly across every Residential base zoning district as well as the MU-1 and MU-2 mixed-use districts. Height is capped at six feet, and placement is barred from the public right-of-way. Because Sec. 10(c)(7) states that temporary signs other than those for which standards are established in that subsection are prohibited, yard signs are the operative category for any homeowner posting a political sign in a yard; there is no separate carve-out or heavier standard written specifically for campaign messages.

The duration limit runs two ways: a sign cannot stay up longer than 120 consecutive days, and across any rolling 12-month period the cumulative display time cannot exceed 180 days, letting residents post signs for one long campaign season or several shorter ones without exceeding the yearly cap. Unlike other temporary sign types, such as the two inflatable-sign permits the city allows each calendar year, the code does not require a separate permit for yard signs, though the Zoning Administrator retains inspection and enforcement authority under Article 8.