Tennessee Political Yard Sign Rules
What Tennessee law actually says about campaign and political yard signs — where they are protected, where they get removed, and how close you can get to the polls. Every rule below links to the text it came from.
Tennessee measures 100 feet from the designated entrances and marks the boundary. Campaign signs may not be displayed inside it, or in the polling place building. This is the very statute the Supreme Court upheld in Burson v. Freeman, the case that made 100-foot campaign free zones constitutional nationwide. Some larger counties may extend the distance by private act.
Source: Tenn. Code Ann. 2-7-111
Tennessee rules worth knowing
Tenn. Code Ann. 2-1-116
Tennessee asks candidates to clear their own signs from highway rights-of-way and other public property within a reasonable time after the election, not to exceed three weeks. The statute then says plainly that it is not penal and that no punitive measures follow if signs are not removed. A primary candidate still on the general ballot may leave signs up until after that election.
Tennessee also has a statute on homeowners associations and political signs, but we could not read the official text, so we are not quoting its limits here. Check it before you rely on it.
The rule that catches most people
Wherever you are, the public right-of-way is where signs get taken. It reaches further from the pavement than most people expect, and it usually includes the ditch. The field test: if the sign sits between a utility pole and the road, or on the road side of the fence line, it is probably on public land.
And remember your town has its own sign ordinance. State law is the floor, not the whole answer — size and placement on a city lot are usually set locally, and the local rule is the one enforced by the officer who drives past your sign every day.
Read the full guide to political yard sign rules →
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Martin Graphics is a sign shop, not a regulatory agency or a law firm. We publish this as a courtesy and keep it as accurate as we can, but sign rules differ from town to town and change often. Nothing here is legal advice. You are solely responsible for confirming and meeting the rules that apply where your signs go.