ST. PAUL
— The Minnesota Department of Transportation wants Minnesotans to know that state law prohibits political or any other signs along the roadways.
Law prohibits unauthorized signs in the right of way of state, county, city and township roads. Highway right of way includes driving lanes, inside and outside shoulders, ditches and sight corners at intersections.
A landowner must consent before signs are placed on private property outside a right of way.
According to a MnDOT news release, signs and other objects along roads pose hazards for drivers and maintenance crews. Signs and other items can distract drivers and contribute to motor vehicle crashes and injuries.
The Minnesota Outdoor Advertising Control Act (Minn. Stat. 173.15) also prohibits placing advertising materials on public utility poles, trees and shrubs, and painting or drawing on rocks or natural features.
MnDOT will remove signs placed in a right of way. When MnDOT removes signs, every effort is made to temporarily store the sign and notify the owner where the signs can be retrieved, according to the release.
For information about the proper placement of campaign signs, visit
mndot.gov/govrel/rw_signs.html
.
To retrieve signs, contact the nearest MnDOT office: Willmar, 320-231-5195; Marshall, 507-537-6146; Hutchinson, 320-234-8480.
