Evanston, IL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Evanston treats a political or campaign sign as any sign promoting a candidate for public office or an issue on an election ballot. Section 6-19-5(S) exempts these signs from the construction and alteration permit that Section 6-19-4 otherwise requires for every sign in the city, but the exemption comes with real conditions: the sign cannot exceed six square feet per occupancy, and it must sit on private property. Section 6-19-4(A) confirms the trade-off directly, stating no permit is required for maintenance of a sign or for signs identified as exempt.

There is no exemption for placement in the public right-of-way, on a utility pole, or on private property without the owner's consent; those placements fall under Section 6-19-6, which prohibits any sign not specifically permitted in the Chapter from any location in the City. Even a compliant political sign still has to meet the Chapter's general standards in Section 6-19-7: it cannot flutter, rotate, blink, or otherwise become a traffic hazard, and it cannot obstruct a driver's view or imitate a traffic-control device. The Zoning Administrator in the City's Department of Community Development administers the Sign Chapter and can order removal of a sign that is unsafe or out of compliance under Section 6-19-11.

A sign that exceeds six square feet, sits on public property, or is otherwise noncompliant is treated the same as any other unpermitted sign under the penalty schedule in Section 6-19-16, and the current Sign Chapter was adopted in its entirety by Ordinance No. 63-O-22 on August 8, 2022.