Mebane, NC Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Mebane's UDO handles political signs in two places. Section 6-7.4(M) exempts 'political signs authorized by N.C. General Statutes' from the sign permit requirement altogether, so long as they are sited and maintained in accordance with NCGS 136-32, the state statute governing signs on highway rights-of-way. Separately, the temporary-sign rules in Section 6-7.4(R)(1)(c) give any property owner, not just a candidate, a window to post noncommercial election signage: multiple signs with a noncommercial message, each no larger than nine square feet, may go up for a ninety-day period before a primary or general election involving federal, state or local candidates, and during that same window the owner may also post one larger sign up to thirty-two square feet.

All of those election signs must come down within ten days after the election. Because Section 6-7.4(R)(1)(c) is written around a 'noncommercial message,' a sign that promotes a candidate or a ballot measure without also advertising a business or product fits this exemption; a sign combining political and commercial content would instead have to comply with the ordinary permitted-sign rules for its zoning district and sign type under Section 6-7.7. Political signs, like other temporary signs, must still meet the citywide sight-distance and right-of-way clearance standards set by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the City.