Lee County, NC Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

UDO § 11.7.11 places political signs among the signs that do not require a permit, but only within specific limits. A temporary political sign erected in connection with an election or political campaign cannot exceed six square feet in area, and it must come down within seven days after the election or event it relates to. The section is explicit about location: political signs must be erected on private property and are never permitted within any public right-of-way, and they cannot be placed on utility poles, on trees located on public property, or in any street median.

A timing window also applies. Political signs may go up beginning 45 days before an election the candidate is participating in and must come down by 72 hours after that election; if a runoff follows, signs for the candidates in the runoff may stay up until 72 hours after the runoff election itself. Because these signs fall under the no-permit category of article 11, they still must comply with the general prohibited-signs list in § 11.6, meaning a political sign that is illuminated in a way otherwise banned, or placed within a required sight triangle, loses its exempt status and becomes a prohibited sign subject to removal.

The Department of Community Development administers sign compliance countywide, and the ordinance's stated purpose in § 11.1 is to balance free speech rights under the First Amendment with traffic safety and aesthetic goals, which is why the size, siting, and timing limits apply uniformly regardless of the message on the sign. Homeowners, candidates, and campaign volunteers placing yard signs in unincorporated Lee County need to track both the 45-day posting window and the seven-day removal deadline to stay compliant.