Can Someone Put a Political Sign In Your Maine Yard Without Permission?

Personally, I kinda wish all political signs were gone.

To be honest, my opinion on this particular subject isn't politically motivated at all. I just hate seeing any area or roadside cluttered with anything. It gives me the same feeling I get when I drive by a house that's basically a junk yard. I'm of the school of thought where, you do your thing, I'll do mine. I just don't need to look at whatever your thing might be.

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So to me, a rusted out Subaru sitting in someone's yard for 8 years, is the same thing as signs littering things up. Politically, you do you. Again, I just don't care to look at it. I have absolutely no opinion about who you vote for. But what if someone takes it one step too far, and puts a sign you don't want, on your property?

That depends on someone's definition of 'your' property.

A person on Reddit claimed that their neighbor, who happens to have opposing political views, put a sign on their property. The neighbor made the argument that the sign was in the "public way". Which a certain amount of footage from the center line, to the interior of your property.

It's an easement meant to make so roads can be widened without permission, according to most of the comments. When I lived in Bangor, it was 25 feet. But one could also argue that you own that land until the town takes some. So it's up for debate as to whether it's actually legal.

You can likely remove the sign, but don't destroy it.

According to Maine law, removal of signs from a public area is strictly prohibited. As is damaging or defacing signs. So given that there may be some grey area about your property, it seems like you could remove them, and maybe return them to your neighbor. Or maybe turning them in to your town could be an option.

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Generally speaking, it seems people don't want to get into legal hairsplitting and choose to just put signs in their own yard, or the campaigns themselves will put them in public places. Even on an easement, you gotta figure it's still your yard. Regardless, it's probably a good idea to just keep cool, and do what you think is right, within the letter of the law.