Madera, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

04(N) lists political signs, meaning signs tied to a candidate for elected office, a political party or a ballot measure, or that make a political statement, among the sign types exempt from the chapter's permit requirement. The exemption comes with size and timing conditions: each sign is capped at 32 square feet per candidate or issue per site, may not be erected earlier than the closing date of the filing for candidacy, and must come down within seven days after the election, except that a candidate who advances past a primary may keep signs up until seven days after the subsequent election.

The ordinance also restricts placement: no political or campaign sign may be attached to trees, fence posts or utility poles, except on private property where attaching to a tree or fence post is allowed with the property owner's permission, and no such sign may be attached to or erected on public property or within the public right-of-way at all. Signs on private property additionally cannot be placed so as to create a hazardous condition, whether by blocking an exit, obstructing a building or site, or creating a visual distraction through color, glare, or a resemblance to a traffic control device.

If a candidate does not remove signs within the required time, the city removes them itself and bills the cost and expense of that removal to the candidate.