Election signs in Vancouver: where they can go, when they come down, and who to call

Three sets of rules apply to election signs in Vancouver. The City decides where a sign may stand and when it must come down. The Vancouver Charter keeps signs away from voting places. A provincial law, the Local Elections Campaign Financing Act (LECFA), decides what every sign must say.

Elections BC's own FAQ page is clear on the first point: "Local governments regulate the placement of election signs." For Vancouver, that means the City.

The calendar: 45 days up, 48 hours down

Section 6.9 of Vancouver's Sign By-law sets both dates. An election sign for a local election may be put up "no earlier than 45 days before general voting day", and it must be "removed within 48 hours after the close of voting".

For 2026:

• Earliest date to put a sign up: Wednesday, September 2.
• Voting closes: 8pm on Saturday, October 17.
• Deadline to take signs down: 8pm on Monday, October 19.

The same rule covers all four races and the ballot questions. The by-law treats a sign about a referendum or plebiscite as an election sign too.

Signs on private property

The City's guidance says election signs are allowed on private property. Section 6.9 lets two kinds of sign go up with no permit:

• a free-standing sign with an area of 3.0 square metres or less, and
• a window sign, one per address or premises, covering no more than 30 percent of the glass.

Permission is a separate question. The by-law covers the sign. The person who controls the property decides whether it goes up. A renter or a strata owner should ask the landlord or the strata council first.

Signs on City property

The City's Engineering Services letter on election signs, dated January 20, 2025, is the most recent version we could read. It says election signs are banned on City property, including:

• the strip between the sidewalk and the street,
• boulevards and street centre medians, including on Boundary Road,
• poles,
• utility boxes and post boxes, and
• sidewalks and roadways.

There are two exceptions:

1. The strip behind the sidewalk. A sign may stand between the back of the sidewalk and the private property next to it, if the property owner agrees.
2. Poster cylinders. Election material may be posted on the City's poster cylinders, which are fixed to certain lamp posts. The City publishes a map of them on its page about posters and signs on City property.

What happens to a sign in the wrong place

The City impounds it. The letter says signs are stored at Engineering Services, 5th Floor, 507 West Broadway, "at the expense of the party/candidate involved". An owner can collect a sign there between 9am and 5pm on weekdays, by appointment.

Under the City's Impounding By-law, the minimum charge is $100 per sign, according to the letter. The charge can rise with the staff and equipment needed to remove it.

The 100-metre rule at voting places

Section 125(4) of the Vancouver Charter makes it an offence to post or display election advertising, or material that identifies a candidate or elector organization, "at or within 100 metres" of a place where voting is taking place at the time. The same subsection bans campaign badges and flags in that zone.

The rule applies whenever voting is under way, so it covers the advance voting days (October 3, 7, 10 and 13) as well as October 17. The province's 2026 Candidate's Guide to Local Elections says it includes bumper stickers on cars parked outside a voting place.

Section 16(2)(b) gives the presiding election official, the person in charge of a voting place, the power to go onto the property where such material is, and remove it or cover it. The official can also ask someone else to do this.

Our where to vote page lists every voting place.

Signs on election day

Section 45 of LECFA bans most election advertising on general voting day. It exempts signs, posters and banners, so a lawn sign placed legally can stay up on October 17. The exemption is stated to be subject to section 125(4) of the Charter, so the 100-metre rule still applies.

What every sign must say

Section 44 of LECFA requires election advertising to carry sponsorship information, which Elections BC calls an authorization statement. For a candidate or elector organization (a local political party), the sign must:

• name the financial agent, the person responsible for the campaign's money,
• say that the financial agent authorized it, and
• give a BC phone number, a BC mailing address or an email address.

Elections BC gives this example: "Authorized by John Doe, 555-555-5555". A sign paid for by someone outside a campaign must name the sponsor and add the words "registered sponsor under LECFA".

Section 44(3) matters in a city with many languages. If an ad is in a language other than English, the sponsorship information must also appear in that language.

Elections BC lists election signs among the items that need the statement. It exempts clothing, novelty items such as buttons and mugs, and small personal items such as business cards.

When a sign counts as election advertising

Section 7 of LECFA defines election advertising by date. During the pre-campaign period, which began on July 20, 2026 according to Elections BC, it is a message that promotes or opposes a candidate or an elector organization. During the campaign period, which began on September 19, it also includes a message that takes a position on an issue linked to a candidate or elector organization.

So a sign about an issue, with no candidate's name on it, can still be election advertising from September 19 to October 17.

Signs from people who are not running

A person or group outside the campaigns who pays for signs is a third party sponsor. Section 37 of LECFA says a sponsor that is not registered "must not sponsor third party advertising", and registration is made with the BC Chief Electoral Officer, the head of Elections BC. The sponsor's own name then goes on the sign, as described above, with the words "registered sponsor under LECFA".

Penalties for a missing statement

The penalty is set in section 68.25. After a finding by the BC Chief Electoral Officer, an individual can be charged up to $5,000 and an organization up to $10,000. Our guide to donations and spending limits covers the rest of the money rules.

How to report a sign

Where you report depends on the problem.

• A sign on a boulevard, median or pole. The City's letter gives 3-1-1 (604-873-7000 from outside Vancouver) and the street activities email address in the letter as its contacts.
• A sign within 100 metres of an open voting place. Tell the election officials at that voting place. The province's Candidate's Guide says the chief election officer can deal with this at once, for example by covering the sign.
• A sign with no "authorized by" line. Elections BC handles this. Its complaints page asks for a written complaint by email, with the facts, the dates and a photo or copy where you have one.

The City of Vancouver's Sign By-law and Elections BC are the final word on these rules. If anything here disagrees with their published text, theirs is correct.