Dubuque, IA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Dubuque's unified development code defines a political sign at § 16-15-5 as 'a sign identifying and urging support for a particular election issue, political party, or candidate for public office or expressing the personal noncommercial views of the property owner or tenant.' Section 16-15-8.E prohibits portable signs citywide, including any sign displayed on a stored vehicle, 'except temporary political signs exempted in section 16-15-9 of this chapter,' so political signs get a carve-out from the portable-sign ban that most other temporary displays do not. The exemption itself sits at § 16-15-9.C: political signs no larger than thirty-two (32) square feet are exempt from the sign chapter's requirements, provided they are not placed in the public right of way or in a visibility triangle as required by § 16-3-5.

Because political signs are on the exempt list rather than the regulated temporary-signs list, § 16-15-10.A excuses them, along with real estate signs, from the permit application, fee, and Building Official sign-off that every other temporary sign in Dubuque must obtain before going up. There is no separate seasonal window for posting or removing a political sign; the only conditions the code attaches are the thirty-two-square-foot cap and the right-of-way/visibility-triangle placement bar. A sign that exceeds thirty-two square feet, or that sits in the right of way or a visibility triangle, loses the § 16-15-9.C exemption, is no longer shielded from the § 16-15-8.E portable-sign prohibition, and becomes subject to enforcement by the Building Official under § 16-15-3, who holds the powers of a law enforcement officer to inspect and cite for sign chapter violations.