Lake County, IL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Political signs in Lake County receive heightened First Amendment protection following Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015), which struck down content-based sign restrictions. Municipalities including Waukegan, Libertyville, Gurnee, Highland Park, Lake Forest, and Mundelein have revised sign codes to treat temporary political signs under the general temporary-sign category. Typical rules: unlimited number of signs on private property (subject to total aggregate size in some codes), maximum individual sign size 6 sq ft residential / 16-32 sq ft commercial, and a flat prohibition on placement in the public right-of-way, on utility poles, traffic signs, or public property. Illinois Election Code (10 ILCS 5/9-9.5) prohibits electioneering within 100 ft of a polling place but does not restrict signs on private property. Post-election removal windows are typically 7 to 15 days. Yard signs never require a permit. HOAs may impose reasonable time/size limits but cannot ban political speech outright under Illinois public-policy precedent.