With the Nov. 4 election just a month away, political yard signs are starting to sprout.Property owners in developments governed by homeowners’ associations are sometimes confused by the rules for displaying yard signs.That confusion was cleared up when Gov. Bill Owens signed Senate Bill 100 in 2005.According to SB 100, HOAs cannot prohibit the display of political signs on a unit owner’s property or in a window of the unit owner’s residence 45 days before an election and seven days after an election.The bill allows HOAs to limit the number of signs displayed to “one political sign per political office or ballot issue that is contested in a pending election.”SB 100 also allows HOAs to limit the size of political signs to a maximum of 36 inches by 48 inches.Kathy Reed of Colorado Management, which manages Woodmen Hills filings one through six and eight through 10, said the rules for those filings are compliant with SB 100.A representative of Management Associates, which manages Woodmen Hills filing 11, said their rules are compliant with SB 100. The woman, who asked not to be identified, added that yard signs are not allowed in common areas.Kathy Blodis of Colorado Association Services, which manages Courtyards at Woodmen Hills and Parkside, said their rules limit the number of signs to one per lot.According to the Meridian Ranch Design Guidelines, written in 2003; political signs are allowed and do not require a permit. The signs must be taken down within five days after an election.Private residential property owners can make their own decisions regarding signs.Liz Olson, manager of the county’s elections department, said she was not aware of any county ordinance limiting the display of political yard signs on properties not governed by an HOA.”It’s up to the person that owns the property to make a determination as to whether they want (to display) a sign or not,” Olson said.All signs are prohibited on county-owned land, said Tim Wolken, the new director of the county’s recently formed public services department. Wolken said any sign – political or otherwise – makes it difficult for the county to maintain roads. He added that all signs illegally placed on county property will be removed.
