Campaign signs are becoming increasingly visible throughout Josephine County as the November 3 General Election approaches, appearing on residential properties, commercial parcels and heavily traveled corridors throughout Grants Pass and surrounding communities. Signs bearing the names of candidates including John West, Chad Hansen and Dwayne Yunker have been visible in portions of the county during the past week and, in some locations, reportedly longer, placing public attention on the collection of city and state regulations governing political signs during an election year.
The rules are not controlled by a single statewide date, and the legality of a particular sign cannot be determined simply by counting the number of days remaining before the election. Where the sign stands, who owns the property, which government controls the adjoining roadway, the size and construction of the sign and the length of time it has been displayed can all determine which regulation applies.
Within the Grants Pass city limits, temporary political signs are permitted beginning 11 weeks before an election. With Oregon’s General Election scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, the city’s authorized period began Tuesday, August 18. Temporary political signs governed by that provision may remain through the election but must be removed no later than one week afterward.
The calendar provides a straightforward measurement for signs within the city’s jurisdiction. A qualifying political sign erected August 18 or afterward satisfies the city’s timing requirement. A sign erected August 16 would have preceded the authorized period by two days. For signs reported to have been displayed for seven to 10 days as of Wednesday, August 26, the actual erection date becomes necessary before determining whether the city’s timing provision was violated. Seven days before publication reaches approximately August 19, while 10 days reaches approximately August 16.
Grants Pass municipal code provides enforcement authority for political signs erected before the authorized period. City employees may remove and dispose of temporary political signs erected earlier than 11 weeks before the applicable election, and the same removal authority applies to signs remaining beyond the permitted period following the election. The city’s political sign provision does not establish an automatic $1,000 daily monetary penalty for premature placement.
The potential $1,000 daily civil penalty comes from a different body of Oregon law governing outdoor advertising and ODOT enforcement. Combining that state penalty with the Grants Pass 11 week timing provision would incorrectly calculate a fine that the municipal political sign regulation itself does not impose.
Political signs within Grants Pass are also governed by placement requirements independent of the August 18 opening date. Temporary political signs are required to remain behind sidewalks and cannot extend onto or over public property or public right of way. Additional restrictions can apply according to the dimensions of a sign, the zoning of the property and whether the installation falls within provisions governing larger signs.
The Grants Pass 11 week requirement applies within the city’s jurisdiction and should not be treated as a countywide prohibition covering every property in Josephine County. Unincorporated areas are subject to the regulations applicable to those locations, while state requirements become particularly significant around highways and property controlled by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
One of the most frequently misunderstood state provisions involves the 60 day limitation applicable to certain temporary signs. Because September 4 falls exactly 60 days before the November 3 General Election, the date can easily be interpreted as the statewide beginning of campaign sign season. Oregon law does not establish September 4 as a universal first day for political signs.
The state provision instead concerns an exemption from certain outdoor advertising permit requirements. A qualifying temporary sign on private property generally cannot exceed 12 square feet, cannot be mounted on a permanent base, cannot involve compensation or something of value being exchanged for displaying the sign and ordinarily cannot remain displayed for more than 60 days during a calendar year. Oregon law separately provides an exception for temporary signs erected by residents on their own residential property, allowing those signs to remain longer than the general 60 day period.
A political yard sign displayed on private residential property before September 4 therefore does not become an ODOT violation solely because it appeared more than 60 days before Election Day. Determining compliance requires examination of the particular sign, property and statutory exemption rather than treating September 4 as a statewide starting date that Oregon law does not establish.
State highway right of way is governed far more restrictively. Political campaign signs are not permitted within ODOT highway right of way, regardless of when they are erected. The prohibition applies throughout the election season and is independent of the 60 day temporary sign provision governing qualifying signs on private property.
Determining whether a roadside campaign sign actually occupies state right of way can require more than measuring its distance from the pavement. ODOT property boundaries vary considerably and can include shoulders, drainage areas and adjoining ground beyond the visible roadway. In some locations, state highway right of way can extend 200 feet or more beyond the pavement. A sign that appears to have been positioned safely away from traffic can consequently remain within property controlled by ODOT.
State law provides substantial enforcement authority when an actual violation of the Motorist Information Act is established. Civil penalties can reach $1,000 per day for each violation. At the maximum statutory amount, a single qualifying violation continuing for 10 days could result in potential civil penalties reaching $10,000. Multiple independently established violations could increase the potential amount, although the existence of several campaign signs does not automatically establish several violations or an automatic maximum penalty.
The $10,000 figure represents potential maximum exposure for one qualifying violation continuing for 10 days. It is not an automatic fine assessed whenever an improperly placed sign is discovered. ODOT applies established enforcement procedures and criteria, and the circumstances surrounding the violation must be determined before an actual civil penalty can be calculated.
ODOT also possesses authority to remove prohibited signs from state highway right of way. Unauthorized signs in highway right of way may be treated as a public nuisance, and applicable removal and storage expenses can become the responsibility of the sign owner. Other noncompliant signs governed by state law may involve notice procedures that provide an identifiable owner with an opportunity to correct the violation, remove the sign or request a hearing.
The appearance of a candidate’s name on a sign is not sufficient by itself to establish personal responsibility for its placement. Campaign signs can be erected by candidates, campaign organizations, volunteers, supporters or participating property owners. Establishing a violation involving any sign bearing the name of West, Hansen, Yunker or another candidate requires documentation of its location and the regulation governing that location, while attributing responsibility for the placement requires additional evidence identifying the responsible person or organization.
Those requirements leave government agencies with factual measurements available for determining compliance. An erection date can establish whether a sign inside Grants Pass preceded the August 18 opening. Property boundaries can establish whether a sign occupies private or public land. Transportation records can identify whether a roadway is controlled by the city, county or state. Measurements can establish whether a sign complies with applicable dimensional requirements, while ODOT right of way records can determine whether a roadside location falls within state property.
For signs that have reportedly been displayed for approximately 10 days as of August 26, the location becomes particularly significant. A temporary political sign governed by the Grants Pass ordinance and continuously displayed since approximately August 16 would have been erected about two days before the city’s authorized period began. The city’s political sign regulation allows premature signs to be removed and disposed of but does not provide the $1,000 per day ODOT penalty as punishment for those two premature days.
A sign displayed for the same 10 day period on private property outside the Grants Pass jurisdiction cannot be declared unlawful merely because it appeared August 16. The regulations governing that particular property must first be identified. Likewise, a qualifying residential political sign cannot be declared illegal under ODOT regulations simply because it appeared before September 4.
A campaign sign placed within state highway right of way presents a separate enforcement question because its location, rather than an election countdown, creates the potential violation. If such a violation continued for 10 days and qualified for the maximum civil penalty authorized under applicable state law, potential exposure could reach $10,000 for that violation. Actual assessment remains an enforcement determination for ODOT and cannot be calculated solely from the number of days a sign has been visible.
The regulatory framework applies without regard to the candidate whose name appears on the sign. West, Hansen, Yunker and every other candidate participating in the 2026 election are governed by the same municipal and state provisions when those provisions apply to their campaign advertising. Establishing whether any particular sign violates those requirements requires the same documentation and enforcement process regardless of political affiliation, incumbency, previous office or electoral history.
Residents encountering campaign signs before the November election are therefore looking at several different regulatory systems operating simultaneously rather than one statewide political sign rule. August 18 controls the opening of the temporary political sign period within Grants Pass. September 4 marks 60 days before the General Election but does not function as Oregon’s statewide opening date for campaign signs. ODOT prohibits political signs within state highway right of way regardless of the election calendar, while qualifying temporary signs on private property are governed by separate provisions and exemptions.
The financial consequences also depend upon which law has actually been violated. A premature sign governed by the Grants Pass political sign ordinance is subject to the city’s removal provisions rather than an automatic $1,000 daily assessment. An established violation falling under Oregon’s Motorist Information Act can carry a civil penalty reaching $1,000 per day per violation, making the theoretical maximum for one continuing 10 day violation $10,000.
With more campaign advertising expected throughout Josephine County as November 3 approaches, accurate enforcement depends upon identifying the location and jurisdiction of each disputed sign before assigning a violation or calculating a penalty. The applicable rules already provide dates, placement restrictions, right of way prohibitions, removal authority and, under qualifying state violations, potentially substantial civil penalties. Applying those provisions consistently requires the same factual determination for every candidate and every campaign sign appearing throughout Josephine County during the 2026 election season.