If you drive by some houses in Ohio, you will see so many political signs that it could almost be called a shrine to a particular candidate. But if you drive around some neighborhoods, you won’t see any political yard signs anywhere.
A Republican lawmaker thinks that might be because some homeowners associations prohibit displaying those signs. And he’s sponsoring a bill to force those associations to allow political yard signs.
Rep. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) said he’s heard from homeowners who lament not being allowed to display political signs in their yards because of homeowners' association regulations. Lorenz said his bill would prevent homeowners' associations from banning those signs.
"We want to make sure we are giving folks the option to do this if they would like to do it instead of being told no, you absolutely can't do it," Lorenz said.
Lorenz said he's not pushing for neighborhoods to allow the erection of signs in common areas. But he said homeowners associations should allow members to display a political sign in a window or a mulch bed for example.
“A sign would need to be displayed within an area where an owner maintains the property," Lorenz said.
“We are not talking about a grassy area and a sign being put there but maybe one in the window or maybe one in the mulch bed that the homeowner would be responsible for maintaining," Lorenz said. "So the intent is not to clutter up the HOA."
Lorenz said he’d be fine with time limits for displaying signs too, noting that he lives in a neighborhood that has restrictions on when political signs could be displayed.
Lorenz said he plans to hold public hearings on House Bill 668 after the election. But he admitted it might not pass in the busy lame-duck session.
