Fairfax, VA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Political yard signs receive full First Amendment protection, and since the Supreme Court ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015), local governments may not single them out for content-based regulation such as shorter permissible display periods. Fairfax City applies its content-neutral residential sign rules equally to political signs: generally up to roughly six square feet per sign and four feet in height, installed entirely on the owner's property with no placement in medians, on utility poles, or within road right of way. HOAs in Fairfax City enforce additional private rules on political signs, and VA Code §55.1-1833 prohibits HOAs in some circumstances from banning flags and political speech outright but still allows reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. Candidate committees and political parties are responsible for removing signs from public areas promptly after elections; the city can remove signs placed illegally in right of way without notice and dispose of them. Signs that are oversized, illuminated improperly, or affixed to trees or public signs may be cited or removed. Placement on commercial property generally requires owner permission, and larger campaign banners on commercial frontage may trigger the temporary sign permit rules.