House approves political-sign rules: prohibits altering messages, requires 14-day removal and 5-day municipal storage

The Utah House on Jan. 22 approved House Bill 33, a package of amendments clarifying state-level rules on political signs intended to reduce post-election sign disputes and unauthorized changes to campaign messaging.

Sponsor Representative Tuscher told the House the bill addresses problems seen in the 2024 election cycle, including adding material to signs that changes their message. "If a person puts another sign or a sticker or fixes something physically to another political sign that then changes the message of the sign... that would then violate a sign," Tuscher said, adding the bill would allow removal of the added material and make explicit that attached material that alters a message is illegal.

Key provisions include:
- Prohibiting physical affixing of material that changes or conceals a sign's message.
- Requiring campaigns to remove signs within 14 days after an election; after that period any member of the public may remove abandoned signs.
- Requiring municipalities that collect signs to store them for five business days, notify the campaign, and allow candidates to retrieve them; repeat offenders may incur storage fees.

Representatives who supported the bill said it was the product of months of stakeholder work with municipalities and the League of Cities and Towns. Representative Fifia said he had personal experience with sign defacement and praised Tuscher's work; Representative Shepherd also endorsed the sponsor's outreach to stakeholders.

The House passed HB33 72-0 and will transmit the bill to the Senate.