MnDOT Will Remove Illegally-Placed Campaign Signs Starting Oct. 1

MINNESOTA — Minnesota Department of Transportation says it will being removing campaign signs and other advertising not allowed under state law on highway right of ways.

This summer, MnDOT started contacting residents with signs located in or near state roadways. Transit officials are required to remove unlawfully placed signs and will begin doing so Oct. 1..

Signs in driving lanes, inside and outside shoulders, ditches and sight corners at intersections are illegal. Violation of the law — per Minn. Stat. 160.27 — is a misdemeanor.

Civil penalties apply if the placement of a sign contributes to a car crash and injures a person or damages a vehicle, according to a news release.

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.

When improperly placed signs are removed by MnDOT, every effort is made to temporarily store the sign and notify the owner where the signs can be retrieved.