Palm Coast, FL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Palm Coast's sign regulations are in Chapter 12 (Signs and Advertising) of the Unified Land Development Code (originally adopted 2008, amended 2009, 2012, and 2024). The defining rule is the citywide right-of-way prohibition: no signs of any kind are permitted in any public right-of-way, swale, median, or other public property, with the sole exception of governmental signs (directional, emergency, regulatory). The city adopted this uniform, content-neutral ban specifically to satisfy Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), which held that any content-based sign regulation triggers strict scrutiny — allowing one category of speech in the right-of-way (such as political) would force the city to allow every category. Palm Coast's prior code treated political signs as a temporary-sign category limited to 16 square feet of total surface area on residential property and 32 square feet on non-residential property, with display permitted no earlier than 60 days before the election and removal required within 15 days after the election. The 2024 Chapter 12 amendments retained the right-of-way prohibition and revised temporary commercial-sign duration (extended from 30 to 60 days); residential flagpoles are limited to two per parcel for properties with up to 100 feet of road frontage (three for parcels exceeding 100 feet), residential flagpoles capped at 25 feet in height (commercial at 30 feet), and a minimum 5-foot setback from any property line. Any sign placed in the public right-of-way may be removed by Palm Coast Code Enforcement, Public Works, or the Flagler County Sheriff's Office immediately and without prior notice. Violations on private property follow the standard code-enforcement process: a Notice of Violation is issued by Code Enforcement (386-986-3764), with a compliance deadline; unresolved cases are referred to the Code Enforcement Special Magistrate under Chapter 17 (Code Enforcement) and FS Chapter 162. The Special Magistrate may impose fines of up to $250 per day for a first violation and up to $500 per day for a repeat violation under FS 162.09, with up to $5,000 for irreparable or irreversible violations.