Yard Signs on Private Property
There are two main categories of yard signs on private property: opinion signs and contractor signs. No signs can be in the right-of-way (ROW). The ROW refers to the public sidewalk, terrace, and curb or edge of the street. This includes the parking, vehicle travel, and bicycle lanes.
Types of Opinion Signs
There are two main categories of opinion signs: election signs and non-commercial signs.
Election campaign signs are temporary signs displayed on private property during an Election Campaign Period. Signs about a candidate can be displayed from the first day nomination papers circulate through 11:59pm on election day. Signs about a referendum can be displayed from the day the question is submitted to the electorate through the end of election day. Election campaign signs can't have any electrical, mechanical, or audio aspect. These signs can be posted in a yard or on a building, if they don't block ventilation.
Noncommercial signs express a noncommercial message.
Number of Signs
During the Election Campaign Period (see Types of Opinion Signs above) you can display the same number of noncommercial signs as the number of candidates and referenda on your ballot. The signs can be about political candidates, referenda, or any noncommercial topic.
During all other times, you can display one noncommercial sign per street frontage. This means a corner lot can have two signs. Waterfront lots can have one facing the waterfront and one facing the street. You can't display more than two noncommercial signs.
Size of Signs
Election campaign signs can be up to 12 square feet if one sided, or up to 6 six square feet on each side if two sided.
Noncommercial signs have different rules depending on the zoning district. In Group 1 Zoning Districts, noncommercial signs can be up to 12 square feet if one sided, or up to 6 square feet on each side if two sided. In Group 2 and 3 Zoning Districts, noncommercial signs can be up to 32 square feet if one sided, or 18 square feet on each side if two sided.
To determine your zoning, search for your property address. Click on Property Details on the lefthand side, then look under the Property Information header for Zoning.
Zoning Districts in Group 1 include:
- all districts classified as Residential in the Zoning Code MGO 28.021: SR-C1, SR-C2, SR-C3, SR-V1, SR-V2, TR-C1, TR-C2, TR-C3, TR-C4, TR-V1, TR-V2, TR-U1, TR-U2, TR-R, and TR-P
- Downtown Residential 1 and 2 (DR1 and DR2)
- Agricultural (A)
- Urban Agricultural (UA)
- Campus Institutional (CI)
- Conservancy (CN)
If the address is in a Planned Development (PD) zoning district, reach out to Zoning staff at zoning@cityofmadison.com or 608-266-4551 ext. 3 for information about allowed yard signs.
All other Zoning Districts are in Group 2 or 3.
Location of Signs
There are two main types of election campaign signs, ground and wall signs.
- Ground signs:
- mount on the ground, placed on a fence, tree or other feature on the ground.
- can't exceed 6 feet in height.
- Wall signs:
- are on the side of a building.
- can't exceed 15 feet in height.
Noncommercial signs have different location requirements depending on the Zoning District group.
In Group 1 Zoning Districts (see Size of Signs above for more information about Group 1):
- have a maximum height of one story or 12 feet, whichever is lower.
In Group 2 and 3 Zoning Districts (see Size of Signs above for more information about Group 2 and 3):
- can't exceed 15 feet in height.
No signs can be displayed in the ROW.
Project, Contractor or Construction Signs
These signs can temporarily be displayed on private property while the project is under construction. Typically, these signs include the name of the contractor, architect, engineer, investor, owner, or occupant of the location.
In Group 1 Zoning Districts (see Size of Signs above for more information about Group 1):
- can be up to 32 square feet
- ground mounted signs have a maximum height of 8 feet
- one sign per street frontage
In Group 2 and 3 Zoning Districts (see Size of Signs above for more information about Group 2 and 3):
- Multiple signs allowed, can be up to cumulative of 144 square feet
- wall mounted signs have a maximum height of 10 feet
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