NY Homeowners Get Lawn Sign Warning: “Don’t Do This”

It used to be that we would only see lawn signs appear around election day. People would display a sign that promoted their favorite candidate or a particular topic that they were passionate about. These days, we are on lawn sign overload! But in New York State, there are some laws depending on which town you live in that regulate the use of lawn signs.

Tesla has a song about signs that "mess" up the scenery. I think about that song often as I drive around and see signs for politics, businesses, high school graduates, sports teams and everything in between! The front lawns of homes are becoming like social media feeds; even if we don't want to see something, it still pops up in our face!

But there are some laws that are interesting regarding the size and placement of lawn signs. In one town in Western New York, they even limit thew duration of how long you can keep a lawn sign displayed.

Lawn Sign Laws

According to the laws in the Town of West Seneca, New York, you have to keep the signs you are using to a specific size and location.

Lawn signs. A single lawn sign shall be allowed on any lot without a permit, provided it is in conformance with the regulations below.
(1) The sign does not exceed three feet in height and six square feet in area.
(2) The sign is not displayed for more than 30 days in a ninety-day period.
(3) The sign is not illuminated.
(4) The sign maintains at least a five-foot setback from all property lines.
(5) The sign does not impede the traffic or visibility of pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorists.

There are other laws that regulate businesses, and advertising signs and some wonder how often these laws are actually enforced? It probably comes down to whether or not thew signs are an ongoing issue or a threat to safety in some way.

For me, it is not about the things that the signs say, people have a right to have their opinions. It comes down to the aesthetics of an area. When neighborhoods become cluttered with signs, it truly is an eyesore and just like a social media feed that is filled with random things, it makes you want to scroll quickly past them.