Palatine, IL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Section 8.06(h) of the Zoning Ordinance splits political sign rules by location. Subsection (h)(1) governs signs located within the public right-of-way: they shall be erected and displayed not more than seventy-two hours prior to a primary or general municipal election or a primary or general state/federal election, and must come down within twenty-four hours after such election. Subsection (h)(2) covers private property, allowing signs up to thirty days before an election and requiring removal within 48 hours after, except for political signs displayed on residential property, which shall have no limit on the time duration of display.

In both locations, political signs shall not exceed eight square feet in gross surface area and shall be limited to a maximum height of four feet, and neither location requires a sign permit. The 72-hour and 30-day windows run from the actual election date only, and specifically exclude any early voting or absentee balloting period, so a sign posted during early voting but more than 72 hours (right-of-way) or 30 days (private property) before election day itself is outside the window even though voting has already started.

The residential-property exception in (h)(2) is notable because it lets a homeowner display a candidate or issue sign year-round without triggering a removal deadline, while the same sign in the right-of-way or on non-residential private property must come down on the standard post-election schedule.