Iowa City's sign code applies content-neutral rules to political signs after Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) barred content-based sign distinctions. Temporary signs must stay on private property with permission. Iowa Code 39A.4 bars electioneering within 300 feet of a polling place.
Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015) held that sign codes singling out political signs by message are content-based and presumptively unconstitutional. Iowa City's sign chapter therefore applies content-neutral standards to temporary signs regardless of message. Typical rules include aggregate square-footage caps per residential parcel, height limits, setbacks from the curb, sight-distance triangles, no attachment to utility poles, and a ban on signs in the public right-of-way. Signs in Iowa DOT right-of-way along Interstate 80, U.S. 6, U.S. 218, and Iowa 1 are removed by Iowa DOT under Iowa Code chapter 306C.
Signs exceeding size or height, in the right-of-way, on utility poles, or blocking sight triangles are removed by Code Enforcement and cited as municipal infractions. Electioneering within the 300-foot polling buffer is a simple misdemeanor under Iowa Code 39A.4.
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