Maine state law: Political and campaign signs

Maine's primary political-sign statute is 23 MRS § 1913-A (Signs within public ways), which generally prohibits signs within highway rights-of-way EXCEPT under specific carve-outs. Political signs are one of the recognized exceptions: a political sign may be placed within the public right-of-way provided it is not within an interchange or controlled-access portion of a state highway, does not obstruct sight distance at intersections, and does not interfere with the traveling public. The statute imposes a removal window — political signs may be displayed beginning 6 weeks before an election and must be removed within 1 week after the election (with exceptions for primary winners advancing to the general). 23 MRS § 1914-B further provides that political signs may not be posted within 250 feet of the entrance to a polling place on election day (with the goal of preventing electioneering at the polls). On private property, sign placement is governed by municipal sign ordinances under 30-A MRS § 4352 (Zoning ordinances) and 30-A MRS § 3001 home rule. Municipal sign codes must be content-neutral under the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, 576 U.S. 155 (2015) — a municipality may not impose different time, place, or manner rules on political signs than on other temporary signs based on the content of the message. Typical Maine municipal residential-zone temporary-sign limits: max 6-8 sq ft per sign, max 4-6 ft tall, set back from the public right-of-way (often 5-10 ft), no illumination, removal within a generally applicable temporary-sign window. Maine has no statewide cap on the number of political signs per residence; that is set by municipal ordinance.

23 MRS § 1913-A violations: Maine DOT may remove the sign and assess a removal-and-disposal fee against the responsible party. 23 MRS § 1914-B violations (electioneering at polls): civil enforcement, removal by election officials. Municipal sign-code violations: typically civil fines $50-$500 per offense under the local code. Content-based municipal enforcement may be challenged under the First Amendment per Reed v. Town of Gilbert.