Political signs in Redding are protected speech under the First Amendment and must be regulated content-neutrally under Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015). Redding's sign rules sit in Redding Municipal Code Title 18 (Zoning), and California Government Code §65850.4 and Civil Code §1947.15 protect tenant displays. Reasonable time, place, and manner rules — size, setback, structural safety, right-of-way placement — apply equally to all temporary noncommercial signs, not just political ones.
After Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015), any sign rule that singles out 'political' signs for special treatment (different size, duration, or placement than other noncommercial temporary signs) is a content-based regulation and presumptively unconstitutional under strict scrutiny. Redding's sign code in Redding Municipal Code Title 18 (Zoning) therefore regulates temporary noncommercial signs — political, garage sale, real estate, holiday — under generally applicable size, placement, illumination, and duration rules. Typical California city standards (and the structure most likely reflected in Redding's code) cap residential temporary signs at around 6 square feet per face, with a small per-property aggregate, height under 6 feet, and prohibition on illumination and on placement in the public right-of-way or on traffic-control devices. California state law layers two additional protections: Gov. Code §65850.4 expressly preempts any city sign ordinance that prohibits political signs but allows reasonable time-place-manner rules; Civil Code §1947.15 prohibits a landlord from banning a tenant's political signs in a window or on the door of a rental unit (subject to a 6-square-foot size cap and a 90-days-pre-election / 15-days-post-election display window). Caltrans regulates signs on state-highway right-of-way along I-5 and SR-44/299. Federal Highway Beautification Act §131 applies on the federal-aid interstate system.
Violations of Redding's Title 18 sign rules are typically resolved through Code Enforcement abatement and administrative citations under the city penalty schedule ($100/$200/$500). Signs in the public right-of-way may be summarily removed by city crews. Caltrans removes illegally placed signs along I-5 and posts disposal notices. Bad-faith landlord retaliation against a tenant displaying a political sign under Civil Code §1947.15 carries up to a $1,000 civil penalty plus attorney fees. Speech-based discrimination claims against content-based enforcement can be brought under 42 U.S.C. §1983.
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