Milpitas, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- None
- Removal deadline
- 14 days after the election
- Abatement fee
- $25.00 per sign
- Counted toward site sign limits
- No
- Advance notice to City
- Written notice to City Clerk
- Citation
- § XIII-C.8.070.E.2
Summary
In the City of Milpitas, political signs may go up on private property without a Sign Permit before an election, but Municipal Code § XIII-C.8.070.E.2 requires every one to come down within 14 days after the election it addresses or be declared a public nuisance. The City can then remove a noncompliant sign after 14 days' written notice and charge a $25.00 per-sign abatement fee.
2.Political Signs. Political signs are a necessary part of our political life before an election. After the election is over, political signs become litter, create a health and safety problem, and encourage blight. ... a.Application. A "political sign" ... means a portable sign that is designed or designated to influence the action of voters in an upcoming election, including the election or defeat of a candidate for nomination or election to any public office or a recall, referendum, initiative, proposition, measure, or other item appearing on the ballot at any national, state, district, or local election. ... (iv)Removal. All political signs shall be removed within 14 days following the election or elections to which the political sign pertains. Any political sign that is not removed within this time period is declared a public nuisance. ( ... iii) ... the City may remove any sign in violation of these regulations, including Subsection C.8.070.E.2.b.iv (Removal), and shall charge a fee of $25.00 per sign for the reasonable cost of abatement.
Full Breakdown
A 'political sign' under § XIII-C.8.070.E.2.a is any portable sign designed or designated to influence voters in an upcoming election, covering candidate races, recalls, referenda, initiatives, propositions, or any other measure on a national, state, district, or local ballot. Political signs are permitted in any zone on private property without a permit and are not counted toward a site's maximum sign area or number of signs, but they must still meet the placement rules for portable signs, stay off public property and the right-of-way, and avoid attachment to utility poles, streetlights, fire hydrants, trees, or other public structures.
Like other portable signs, they must display the name and address of the entity placing the sign and the date it was erected. Anyone erecting or distributing political signs must notify the City Clerk in writing, by mail or in person, with contact information for the responsible person or group before the signs go up; failing to notify does not excuse the other duties. All political signs must come down within 14 days after the relevant election, after which an unremoved sign is automatically a public nuisance and the City needs no further notice to abate it.
The person or group that erected the sign is primarily responsible for removal; if they fail, the property owner becomes responsible too, but only after the City gives the owner 14 days' written notice.
Violations & Fines
An unremoved political sign is a declared public nuisance the City may summarily abate on vacant or public property without notice. After giving the responsible party or landowner 14 days' written notice, the City may remove any noncompliant sign, including one left up past the 14-day post-election deadline, and charge $25.00 per sign for the reasonable cost of abatement, with the City entitled to collect that cost through a civil action, a lien under § XIII-D.18.100, or, per § XIII-C.8.070.E.2.c, even a criminal proceeding against the candidate or landowner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a political yard sign in Milpitas?
How soon must political signs come down after Election Day in Milpitas?
Will Milpitas charge me if the City removes my political sign?
Who is responsible for taking down a political sign in Milpitas, the campaign or the property owner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Milpitas
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Political Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle political signs.