Concord, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- First Amendment
- First Amendment protects political speech
- Civil Code
- Civil Code §4710 protects signs on private property
- Business Professions
- Business & Professions Code §5405.3 — 90-day rule near state highways
- Restrictions
- Public right-of-way posting prohibited
- Hoa Limits
- HOA limits must be reasonable
Summary
Political signs in Concord are regulated content-neutrally alongside all other temporary signs per Reed v. Gilbert. California Elections Code §13.5 and Civil Code §4710 further protect the right to display non-commercial and political signs on private property. Concord imposes no special pre-election posting or post-election removal deadlines beyond general temporary-sign duration limits.
(a) The governing documents may not prohibit posting or displaying of noncommercial signs, posters, flags, or banners on or in a member's separate interest, except as required for the protection of public health or safety or if the posting or display would violate a local, state, or federal law.
(b) For purposes of this section, a noncommercial sign, poster, flag, or banner may be made of paper, cardboard, cloth, plastic, or fabric, and may be posted or displayed from the yard, window, door, balcony, or outside wall of the separate interest, but may not be made of lights, roofing, siding, paving materials, flora, or balloons, or any other similar building, landscaping, or decorative component, or include the painting of architectural surfaces.
(c) An association may prohibit noncommercial signs and posters that are more than nine square feet in size and noncommercial flags or banners that are more than 15 square feet in size.
Full Breakdown
Political-speech signs enjoy the highest level of First Amendment protection, and California law further strengthens these rights. Following Reed v. Town of Gilbert, Concord's sign code cannot impose content-based distinctions, political signs are treated identically to real-estate, garage-sale, or other temporary signs for size, placement, and duration. 5 and Civil Code §4710 protect the right of property owners and tenants to display non-commercial signs, including political signs, on private property, overriding most HOA restrictions (though HOAs may impose reasonable time/place/manner rules including up to 90 square feet per sign in most cases).
& Prof. 3) allows temporary political signs on private property within 660 feet of a state highway if not exceeding 32 sq ft, erected no more than 90 days before the election, and removed within 10 days after, though this 90/10 rule applies only to signs visible from state highways, not to all political signs. Within Concord's non-highway residential areas, temporary-sign duration limits govern. Political signs in the public right-of-way, on utility poles, in medians, or attached to traffic signs are prohibited and summarily removed like any other non-compliant sign. Candidates and campaigns should consult Concord's sign regulations and Fair Political Practices Commission rules on campaign signage responsibility.
Frequently Asked Questions
When must Concord political signs come down?
Can my HOA ban political yard signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Concord
California rules heatmap·Compare Concord to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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Political Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Contra Costa County handle political signs.