Election Sign Guidelines

Municipal Election Signs

General Guidelines:

• Signs cannot be placed until the Tuesday after Nomination Day which is August 25th and must be removed 72 hours after Election Day.
• There is no restriction on size; however, Billboard and Mobile Signs require a permit.
• There is no restriction on the number of signs on a property that is permitted under the by-law.
• Signs can be placed on boulevards in front of private property with the property owner’s permission.
• Signs can be placed outside of the ward a candidate is running in.
• Signs cannot be placed:
• In City Parks
• At or around Municipal Facilities
• Where it impedes safety and / or accessibility including but not limited to, traffic islands, medians, and emergency service access
• Signs can be placed on private property with the consent of the property owner or occupant.
• Signs can be placed on public property not restricted in the by-law (ex. City Parks) with permission. 

An unofficial consolidated version of the Election Sign By-law is available for ease of reference.  For the official Election Sign By-law (56-2022) and Amendment (100-2026), please contact the Office of the City Clerk. 

By-law compliance issues can be reported through Municipal Enforcement Services either by phone 807-577-6536 or online: Report A By-law Compliance Issue - City of Thunder Bay   

Request for Election Sign on City Property

Please note that the guidelines and process are subject to change and may be updated as needed.

• This process is not required for placement on Boulevards. As per section 7.6 Boulevard placement requires the permission of the adjacent property owner.
• Once a decision has been granted for a property, the property and decision will be listed on the website.
• Permission for placement on City Property does not supersede other sections within the by-law, including but not limited to:

• No Election Sign shall be located where it will interfere with the safe movement or visibility of any vehicle or pedestrian traffic or where it is a general hazard to public safety.
• No Election Sign shall be located so as to obstruct or impede any fire escape, fire exit, door, window, scuttle, skylight, flue, air intake or air exhaust, nor so as to prevent or impede the free access of emergency personnel to any part of a building, including any emergency water connection or fire hydrant.
• The City, a public utility, or their agents may remove or relocate Election Signs in order to exercise any power authorized by law, including but not limited to carrying out municipal maintenance practices, or the construction and maintenance of a public utility, as determined by the City or in a public utility’s sole discretion. In all circumstances the costs or losses associated with the replacement of an Election Sign shall be the responsibility of the Candidate.
• No person shall Place or permit to be placed an Election Sign that obstructs the City from entering the highway or any portion of it for the purposes of snow removal or any maintenance, installation or repair.

• Permission may be denied for the following reasons:
• The location is not City property;
• The location is a City Park or Municipal Building;
• Placement of the sign will impede the City’s ability to remain fair and non-biased;
• Placement of the sign will impede City operations;
• Placement of the sign will create safety or visibility barriers for vehicles or pedestrians;
• Placement of the sign will impede community use of public spaces;
• Placement of the sign will have an adverse effect on business or community partnerships.
• Requests may take up to 10 business days to process.

The completed Request for Election Sign on City Property Form can be submitted to ThunderBayVotes@thunderbay.ca