Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign by Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Now we’ve heard it all. One of the first cases to come before the U.S. Supreme court this year deals with the case of a pastor in Gilbert, Arizona, who believes his right to free speech is being threatened by the town’s signage regulations. His temporary signs, directing churchgoers to the facility where services will be held, are limited to six square feet. In addition, they can only be displayed for 12 hours before events and must be taken down by one hour after them.

The pastor notes that homeowners’ association signs, political signs, and ideological signs have size limits of 80, 32, and 20 square feet, respectively. In addition, they may be displayed for longer periods of time: unlimited for ideological signs, 4.5 months before elections to 15 days after for political signs, and 30 days before HOA events to 48 hours after.

The town's case imploded late in the hearing when Justice Stephen Breyer laid out the basic problem: “Well, my goodness...it does sound as if the town is being a little unreasonable, doesn't it?”

We bring up this incident to highlight the fact that it is important to understand your local jurisdiction’s rules on signage—especially if you plan to erect temporary signs for some reason. We are familiar with the rules for San Diego and its adjacent communities, so we’re happy to serve as a resource to ensure you don’t end up in hot water—and certainly not arguing before the Supreme Court!


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Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign by Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA