Is it legal to charge a fee for a political sign?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Does anybody know if it is legal for a town to charge a permit fee for political lawn signs?!</p>

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<p>A law is legal if the citizens or their representatives vote and decide on it and it is still in affect until someone challenges it in a court of law. So, to answer your question; Yes it is legal. There is a big difference between something being legal and something being right or wrong.</p>

<p>Now, if you don’t think it’s “Right”, then challenge it. That is how the system works. Legislators make laws and the courts interpret the laws. They then uphold it or have it rescinded. It happens on almost every law that congress passes. Especially with the 9th Circus Court of Appeals. There’s always someone challenging a law. But, if you don’t challenge it and get a court to agree with you and have the law rescinded or changed, then it is “Legal”. Later… Mike…</p>

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<p>If they charge the fee for all signs, regardless of content, then yes it is most likely legal (i.e., it doesn’t run afoul of the First Amendment).</p>

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<p>It’s hard to imagine a law like that would survive a First Amendment challenge. Only the stupidest, most dogged incumbents would try to pass a law like that, too. </p>

<p>Is this a real ordinance, or just theoretical?</p>

<p>EDITED: I dimly remember (hand-waving here) a law in some jurisdiction in California that required a candidate to remove all signs within X days of the election, or be forced to pay a fine if $somenum. Maybe. This would have been ca 1985.</p>

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<p>We have that requirement around our suburban area - if you don’t remove your political signs within a certain number of days (and it isn’t long), then you can be fined. Don’t know if anyone has ever been fined because the signs usually come down pretty quick.</p>

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<p>I have no problem with government taking action to make sure the public is not paying for political signs posted on public property, tele poles, etc.</p>

<p>But it seems a violation of free speech to prohibit a person from posting a political sign on their own property. What’s next, progibiting holiday displays or flying of Old Glory?</p>

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<p>Well, I don’t know how legit these sites are, but somebody else pointed to them:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/personal/topic.aspx?topic=yard_signs[/url]”>http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/personal/topic.aspx?topic=yard_signs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/personal/faqs.aspx?id=14104&[/url]”>http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/speech/personal/faqs.aspx?id=14104&&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.aclufl.org/news_events/?action=viewRelease&emailAlertID=2946[/url]”>http://www.aclufl.org/news_events/?action=viewRelease&emailAlertID=2946&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Anyway, somebody else is working on this and they have already hired a lawyer. </p>

<p>Thanks for ideas everybody!</p>

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<p>I remember we had them in college and we charged 1.00 - but it was more to raise money for the college democrats club. (plus, we had to buy the signs… it’s not like we got them free.)</p>