Lewis County, WA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Chapter 12.05 governs conduct in Lewis County parks, and as a default rule, § 12.05.070 lets only "information approved by the county" be posted or distributed in a park, and only under a permit. The same sentence then exempts candidates running for political office: they "may distribute political campaign materials in a park without prior approval," so a candidate does not need to apply for the park-use permit that Chapter 12.05 otherwise requires before handing out flyers, buttons or similar campaign literature on county park grounds.

The exception is narrow. It reaches distribution of materials by or for a candidate; it does not extend to erecting billboards, permanent signs, or structures in a park, which § 12.05.080 still requires to follow any signage posted by the county on-site, and it does not exempt the same candidate from the separate special-event permit in § 12.05.170 if the campaign activity amounts to an organized event, such as a rally reserving a shelter or a stage. Violations of § 12.05.070 by anyone other than an exempt candidate, such as a business or organization posting unapproved flyers, are punished under § 12.05.160(2) as a $50.00 civil fine payable to the county, since political-sign distribution is not among the sections carrying the criminal penalty listed in § 12.05.160(1).