Contacts
- Karen Bedeau
218-755-6552
Location
Minnesota Department of
Transportation
Office of Communications
395 John Ireland Blvd.
Mail Stop 150
St. Paul, MN 55155-1899
Additional Information
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Political campaign and other event signs not permitted in state highway rights of way
Mn/DOT reminds citizens that placing campaign and other unauthorized signs and objects in state highway rights of way is illegal and can distract drivers and obstruct their vision. In addition, signs may not be placed on private property outside of the right of way limits without landowner consent.
Highway rights of way include the driving lanes, shoulders, ditches, clear zones and sight corners at intersections.
Violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail. Civil penalties may also apply if the placement of such material contributes to a motor vehicle crash and injures a person or damages a motor vehicle that runs off the road.
Mn/DOT crews will remove any unlawfully placed signs without notice and impound them at one its local truck stations.
Mn/DOT administers these laws in a fair and impartial manner. Political campaign signs are treated in the same way as any other sign wrongly placed on state highway property by businesses, churches, private citizens or charitable groups.
For information on right of way boundaries or where to retrieve confiscated signs, contact the Mn/DOT Permits Office at 218-755-6578 in Bemidji or 218-277-7964 in Crookston.
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