Margate, FL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Election signs are regulated in the temporary signs subsection of Section 40.706 of the Margate Land Development Code. The code defines an election sign as any sign that indicates the name, cause or affiliation of a person seeking office, or an issue or referendum question for which an election is scheduled, and it names candidate, referendum and campaign signs as examples. A sign about a belief that is not tied to a scheduled election is an opinion sign, which is handled separately, with a three square foot cap in residential districts and thirty-two square feet in the nonresidential rule.

In residential districts the election sign area maximum is six square feet for single-family residential and thirty-two square feet for multi-family residential. In multi-family areas, election signs can be displayed for a maximum of sixty days before the election and must be removed within forty-eight hours after it. Election signs on one- and two-family dwelling districts can be displayed for a maximum of twelve months within any calendar year.

Multi-family posting comes with paperwork. Each person wishing to post signs in multi-family areas must give the city a list of the locations and descriptions of each sign, written consent from the property owner or the owner's authorized agent for each sign, and a local address and telephone number where the person can be reached about violations. Property owners, individuals filing for a permit and the party erecting the sign are each liable for a violation of the subsection.

The general temporary sign rules also apply. A parcel or lot can display a maximum of five temporary signs of each type at one time, each sign must sit wholly on private property with a minimum one foot setback from the right-of-way in residential areas, and no temporary sign can exceed six feet in height unless the section says otherwise. Temporary signs placed on public property are on the prohibited list.

For nonresidential districts the election sign area maximum is thirty-two square feet, displayed for a maximum of sixty days before the election and removed within forty-eight hours after, with the same location list and owner consent requirement.