Skowhegan, ME Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

The Town of Skowhegan Sign Ordinance, adopted at the Annual Town Meeting on June 9, 2025, is written for business and institutional signs. Section I describes its purpose as basic guidelines for the placement of business and institutional signs, and Section IV limits its reach to signs erected for commercial or institutional purposes. Item (c) of Section IV then lists political campaign signs among the signs the ordinance does not apply to, alongside signs placed in or behind windows, temporary signs displayed for less than 60 days per year, and off-premise signs.

That means the numbered rules in the ordinance are not the measuring stick for a campaign sign. The fifty (50) square foot permit threshold in Section V, the two (2) foot distance from property lines in Section VIII and the twenty (20) foot height figure are all written for the signs the ordinance covers. The Sign Ordinance prints no size limit, number limit, placement rule or removal date for political campaign signs, and it prints no permit or fee for them.

Item (d) of the same list separately exempts off-premise signs and points them to state law, including the Maine Traveler Information Services Act. Section XV states that more restrictive provisions in other ordinances shall take precedence over the Sign Ordinance.

For signs the ordinance does cover, the Code Enforcement Officer issues permits without a fee, decides within ten (10) working days, and enforces the ordinance. A person aggrieved by a Code Enforcement Officer decision must apply to the Board of Appeals within thirty (30) days from the date of the written decision.