20A-17 - Political Campaign Signs

Title 20A > 20A-17

Sections (3)

20A-17-101 - Title.

This chapter is known as “Political Campaign Signs.”

20A-17-102 - Campaign signs.

20A-17-102(1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), a person is guilty of a class B misdemeanor if the person knowingly removes, alters, defaces, or otherwise vandalizes a sign:

advocating the election or defeat of a candidate for public office; or advocating the approval or defeat of a ballot proposition. 20A-17-102(2) A person is not guilty of a violation of Subsection (1) if the person who engages in the conduct described in Subsection (1) is:

as it relates to a sign described in Subsection (1)(a), the candidate or an agent of the candidate; as it relates to a sign described in Subsection (1)(b), the person who placed the sign, the person who directed the placement of the sign, or an agent of either; a property owner of property on which the sign is placed or the property owner’s agent; or a public official who removes the sign in accordance with an official duty of the public official.

20A-17-103 - Posting political signs on public property.

20A-17-103(1) As used in this section:

“Local government entity” means: a county, municipality, or other political subdivision; a special district, as defined in Section 17B-1-102; a special service district, as defined in Section 17D-1-102; a local building authority, as defined in Section 17D-2-102; a conservation district, as defined in Section 17D-3-102; an independent entity, as defined in Section 63E-1-102; a public corporation, as defined in Section 63E-1-102; a public transit district, organized under Title 17B, Chapter 2a, Part 8, Public Transit District Act; a school district; a public school, including a charter school or other publicly funded school; a state institution of higher education; an entity that expends public funds; and each office, agency, or other division of an entity described in Subsections (1)(a)(i) through (xii). “Political sign” means any sign or document that advocates: the election or defeat of a candidate for public office; or the approval or defeat of a ballot proposition. “Public property” means any real property, building, or structure owned or leased by a local government entity. “Public property” does not include any real property, building, or structure during a period of time that the real property, building, or structure is rented out by a government entity to a private party for a meeting, convention, or similar event. 20A-17-103(2) A local government entity, a local government officer, a local government employee, or another person with authority or control over public property that posts or permits a person to post a political sign on public property:

shall permit any other person to post a political sign on the public property, subject to the same requirements and restrictions imposed on all other political signs permitted to be posted on the public property; and may not impose a requirement or restriction on the posting of a political sign if the requirement or restriction is not politically neutral and content neutral.