Farmington Hills, MI Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Sign regulation in Farmington Hills lives in Chapter 34 of the Code of Ordinances (Zoning), enforced by the Planning Department / Zoning and Code Enforcement Division at 248-871-2540 and reachable via the City's online inquiry form. The City's sign ordinance was redrafted with planning consultant Giffels Webster to be content-neutral after Reed v. Town of Gilbert (576 U.S. 155 (2015)) — meaning the City regulates temporary signs by duration, size, materials, and placement rather than by message, so the rules that apply to a yard-sale sign apply equally to a campaign sign of the same size. A homeowner may place a political sign on their own residential lot without a City sign permit; the sign must remain on private property and out of the public right-of-way (the strip from the back of curb to the sidewalk plus the sidewalk strip itself), out of any clear-vision triangle at an intersection (Chapter 34 sight-distance rules), and may not be illuminated to spill onto a neighbor or onto the roadway. Sign permits and fees are issued by the City Building Division (sign permit application form available at fhgov.com), with permit thresholds set by Chapter 34. State law layers in: the Michigan Highway Advertising Act of 1972 (Act 106 of 1972, MCL 252.301 et seq.) is administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and governs signs adjacent to state-trunkline roads — in Farmington Hills that includes I-696, M-5, Grand River Avenue (M-5 / Bus. US-16), Orchard Lake Road segments under MDOT jurisdiction, and Northwestern Highway. MDOT's published political-sign placement standard requires signs to be more than 30 feet from the edge of pavement on roads without barrier curbs, or more than three feet behind the back of curb on roads with barrier curbs; signs are completely prohibited within limited-access freeway rights-of-way (including ramps), and on highways with state-owned barrier-protected medians, signs may not be in the median. MDOT does not require pre-approval to put up a political sign in compliance with these rules, but improperly placed signs may be removed by MDOT maintenance crews. The Federal Highway Beautification Act (23 U.S.C. § 131) is implemented through Act 106 of 1972 and adds additional rules along Interstate and Federal-Aid Primary system roads. Within the City itself, signs in the public right-of-way of City streets may be removed by City staff as a public-property violation.