19.44.020 (47)         Political Election Sign.  A sign announcing, supporting or opposing political candidates or issues in connection with any national, state or local election.  When applied to political election signs, the provisions of this chapter are modified by this section, where such provisions exceed the requirements of this section or are in conflict with it.

          (a)      No political election sign shall exceed sixteen square feet per sign face.  The total sign area of all political election signs shall not exceed thirty-two square feet per parcel of real property.  Signs shall not exceed ten feet in height.

          (b)      No political election sign may be erected or maintained more than ninety days prior to the day of pertinent election, nor more than ten days following the day of the election.

          (c)      No owner or person in lawful possession of real property shall be required to notify the director of community development prior to erecting a political election sign on his or her real property.

          (d)      No person, other than an owner or person in lawful possession of real property, shall erect a political sign on real property without first providing the following information to the director of community development:  the name and address of the person, a description of the sign to be erected, the address or addresses where each sign is to be erected, the statement of the person that he or she has secured the permission of the owner or person in lawful possession at each address to erect the sign, and the date of the election.

          (e)      Political election signs shall not be placed on public property, except that political election signs may be placed in those portions of the public right-of-way which meet all of the following conditions:

                   (i)       The portion of the public right-of-way is contiguous and immediately adjacent to property in private ownership and is not separated from the adjacent property by a sidewalk, curb or any other public improvement;

                   (ii)      The portion of the public right-of-way is not improved or used for pedestrian or vehicular travel or movement, or for any other public purpose requiring physical use of the right-of-way;

                   (iii)     The portion of the public right-of-way is maintained by the owner or occupant of the contiguous property or their agent;

                   (iv)     The portion of the public right-of-way is physically related to the contiguous private property by reason of its integration into a uniform landscaping theme, architectural treatment, or other factors causing the portion of the public right-of-way to resemble the physical aspects of the contiguous privately owned property;

                   (v)      Permission for the placement of signs in the portion of the public right-of-way shall have been obtained from the owner or person in lawful possession of the contiguous and adjacent private property.