Fitchburg, WI Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Chapter 26 of the Fitchburg, Wisconsin Code of Ordinances treats political signs as an exempt sign category rather than banning or fully regulating them like commercial signage. Section 26-4(7) allows any public election or referenda sign to go up during an "election campaign period," a term the ordinance ties directly to Wis. Stats. 04(1)(a) rather than defining locally. In residential zoning districts, a political sign cannot exceed 11 square feet, though the ordinance sets no separate size cap outside residential districts. The exemption bars any electrical, mechanical or audio auxiliary on a political sign if that feature would be found a public nuisance under Chapter 14's offenses-against-public-policy provisions, and it independently bars placing a political sign where it would jeopardize traffic or pedestrian safety, a standard the zoning administrator applies case by case.

Responsibility for compliance falls on two parties at once: the person or committee authorizing distribution or posting of the campaign material, and the owner of the premises where the sign stands, so a candidate's committee and a homeowner who allows a yard sign can both be held accountable. Because political signs are an exempt category under Section 26-4 rather than a permitted use under Sections 26-120 through 26-125, they do not need a sign permit under Section 26-31, but they remain subject to the chapter's general safety rules in Sections 26-57 through 26-61, including the ban on signs obstructing clear vision at intersections.