Santa Cruz County, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Size limit
- None; exempt from other temporary sign size caps
- Removal deadline
- Within 10 days after the referenced election
- Placement condition
- Cannot create a traffic hazard
- Permit needed
- No temporary use permit or zoning clearance required
- Governing section
- SCCC § 13.10.583(B), unchanged since Ord. 4228 (1992)
Summary
Santa Cruz County places no size or number limit on political signs anywhere in the unincorporated area. SCCC § 13.10.583(B) allows them without restriction on top of the general temporary sign rules, as long as they don't create a traffic hazard, and requires every political sign to come down within 10 days after the election it references.
Political signs are allowed without restriction; provided, that they shall not be placed so as to constitute a traffic hazard and that they shall be removed not more than 10 days after the election to which they refer.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
583 splits temporary signage into two tracks. Subsection (A) governs ordinary temporary signs tied to a special event or an approved temporary use: those are capped at six square feet in residential districts and 18 square feet elsewhere, cannot create a traffic hazard, and must come down within 10 days of the event they advertise. Subsection (B) carves political signs out of that size cap entirely, language the Board of Supervisors kept unchanged from Ordinance 4228 in 1992 even as the surrounding sign chapter was renumbered and rewritten by Ordinance 5423 in 2022.
093 into play at driveways and intersections, and that it must be removed within 10 days after the election to which it refers. Because the section exempts political signs from the general temporary-sign track, a resident does not need a temporary use permit or zoning clearance to post yard signs supporting a candidate or ballot measure ahead of a county, state, or federal election. 582 are.
Violations & Fines
A political sign left up more than 10 days after the election, or one placed so it blocks sight distance at a driveway or intersection, becomes a code violation once the removal deadline passes. Enforcement runs through the Planning Department using the land use remedies in SCCC § 19.01.030, including a notice of violation or nuisance abatement, backed by the misdemeanor penalty in SCCC § 1.12.030 of up to $1,000 and six months in jail for violations without a specific fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a size limit on political yard signs in Santa Cruz County?
How soon do I have to take down my campaign sign after the election?
Do I need a permit to put up a political sign on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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