Madison, WI Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- What's banned
- Political/commercial signs on public property w/o permit
- Trees included
- Yes: explicitly covers material placed on trees
- Exception
- Kiosks, bulletin boards, or owner's permission
- Penalty
- $25–$200 forfeiture per violation
- Related rule
- Electioneering banned within 100 ft of polling places
- Governing section
- Madison General Ordinances § 23.02
Summary
Madison bars placing political, commercial, or promotional advertising material on public property, public telephone booths, streets, alleys, public grounds, or the exterior of private property next to a street without a sign permit or the owner's permission, under Madison General Ordinances § 23.02. The ban explicitly reaches material tacked or stapled to trees.
No person, firm, corporation or organization shall place or cause to be placed in any manner any commercial, political or promotional advertising material upon any public property or public telephone booth in any street, alley or public grounds, or upon the exterior of any private property situated and fixed in or adjacent to any street, alley or public ground, unless proper sign permits, permission from the lawful owner or occupant of the premises where such material is to be displayed provided such signs are not otherwise prohibited by ordinance, or Council approval therefore is obtained. This prohibition shall include but not be limited to the placement in any manner of any advertising material upon trees.
Full Breakdown
02(1) makes it unlawful to place any commercial, political, or promotional advertising material on public property or a public telephone booth in any street, alley, or public ground, or on the exterior of private property situated and fixed in or adjacent to a street, alley, or public ground, unless a sign permit, the property owner's or occupant's permission, or Council approval has been obtained. The prohibition specifically includes placing material on trees, and doesn't apply to posters on kiosks, bulletin boards, or other designated locations, nor to legally required notices or mailed material.
02(2) separately regulates commercial advertising material distributed on private property, requiring distributor contact information, timely collection of unclaimed material, and a minimum plastic-bag thickness with ventilation holes if bagged, but that subsection is limited to commercial material. 03: electioneering, distributing printed matter, or displaying any visible or audible campaign announcement is banned within 100 feet of any polling-place entrance during voting hours, with a separate ban on amplified sound intended to influence votes, though bumper material on a parked vehicle is excepted. Both sections are severable, meaning a court striking one part doesn't invalidate the rest of the ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 23.02 carries a forfeiture of not less than $25 nor more than $200 under § 23.02(5). Electioneering or displaying campaign material within 100 feet of a polling place during voting hours is a separate offense under § 23.03, carrying a forfeiture of not less than $50 nor more than $200 per § 23.03(4).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a political yard sign on my own lawn in Madison?
Can a candidate staple campaign signs to street trees in Madison?
What's the fine for illegally posted political signs in Madison?
Are political signs also restricted near polling places on election day?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Madison
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Political Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dane County handle political signs.