In November, a major election will be held, determining who holds local office all the way up to the presidency of the United States of America.
Washington County Land Use and Transportation doesn’t care who you vote for. They do care if you put a political sign in a county right-of-way.
“If you plan to show your support for a political campaign with a sign this election season, make sure you place it on private property,” Washington County Land Use and Transportation said in a press release.
“Unauthorized temporary signs are not allowed in the public right-of-way,” the county’s roads department said.
“Unauthorized roadside signs can block sight distance, traffic devices and/or access to sidewalks,” the county said.
State law and county regulations allow county workers to remove any signs they find in a right-of-way, political or otherwise.
“We remove signs as resources allow. The sign content is not a factor in whether we remove it or not,” the county said.
If your sign goes missing, the county has a way for you to get it back, within limits.
“We typically keep the signs we’ve removed at the Washington County Walnut Street Center for up to 30 days,” the county said. To get it back, there’s a series of steps to take.
First, contact the county at [email protected] or 503-846-7623.
Give a description of the sign and where it was placed. If your sign is in their possession, staff will schedule an appointment for it to be picked up.
To retrieve the sign, proof it’s yours will need to be brought with you.
One of the following will do:
- Photo ID matching the name of the candidate or individual advertised on the sign
- Mail, lease, letterhead, ID or other proof of address matching what is advertised on the sign
- Documents confirming property ownership of address adjacent to where the sign was removed
- Badge, paystub, nametag or other documentation that you work, volunteer or are associated with the organization advertised on the sign
- Receipt of purchase
When you arrive at the Walnut Street Center, contact the person you made your appointment with, present your proof, and get your sign back.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has similar feelings about political signage on state highways. If your inclination is to show your support for a candidate on Highway 6, 26, 47, or any other state highway, don’t, the state said.
“Every election season, we receive complaints from the public and from candidates regarding the improper placement of political signs on the state highway rights-of-way, where only official traffic control devices are allowed. Improperly placed signs can distract drivers and block road safety messages,” ODOT said in a press release.
If a sign is taken down, they’ll be stored for thirty days at a nearby ODOT district maintenance office. For this region, located in ODOT’s district 1, that means an improperly placed sign could find itself in Astoria, a lengthy drive for western Washington Co. residents.
It’s up to campaigns to find where the right of way ends; a map showing state highway boundaries can be found at ormap.net. Those placing signs can also contact their region’s maintenance office for assistance.
In 2020, at least two political flags expressing support for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign were hung over Highway 26 in at least two locations, prompting removals by ODOT and the Port of Tillamook Bay.
In early September of 2020, one such sign was placed on the overhanging sign at the junction of Highway 6 and 26 headed westbound toward Banks. The other sign, featuring an expletive, was located on the old railroad trestle/Salmonberry Trail right of way between Buxton and the Dennis L. Edwards Tunnel.
The trestle there is owned by the Port of Tillamook Bay; in an email to the Banks Post in 2020, the Port’s General Manager, Michele Bradley, said the sign was not allowed to be hung on the trestle and that someone would be dispatched to remove it.
“The POTB does not allow political campaign signs on our right of way. All signs we find in our right of way are removed as we discover them or are notified about them. Non-political signs (businesses, etc.) are allowed with approval and by easement with the POTB,” Bradley said, adding that to have hung the sign would require trespassing on the railroad right of way, a federal offense, according to Bradley.
Those who wish to see an illegally placed sign on a county right of way be removed should contact the county by email at [email protected], submit a service request or call 503-846-7623.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
