With a high-stakes presidential election less than three months away, voters are expressing their enthusiasm for Team Trump or Team Harris with political signs, flags and banners of all sizes in their front yards.
But many are learning the hard way that showing your political leanings can backfire — badly.
Paul Wood Bonilla of Lodi, CA, was recently told by his homeowners association to remove three Trump signs on his property.
According to CBS News Sacramento, the HOA claimed Bonilla’s signs exceeded the maximum size limits set by the Davis-Stirling Act.
Bonilla eventually (and reluctantly) agreed to remove two of the three signs, but argued, “Would they do that if Kamala Harris wrote here?”
And even in cases where HOAs aren’t cracking down, you can create ill will with your neighbors.
After Birmingham, MI resident Nikki Sapiro Vinckier planted signs in her yard promoting Harris for president, she received a critical but anonymous note from a neighbor.
Vinckier responded by plastering him in all yard in signs — in pink, no less, to promote reproductive rights — telling the Detroit Free Press, “my goal is to start a conversation” and “stay calm.”
Sometimes these neighbor-on-neighbor feuds can garner national headlines, as happened with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann.
Around the time of the 2020 presidential election and the attack on the Capitol in January. 6, 2021, their neighbor Emily Baden in Alexandria, VA, had posted anti-Trump signs on her lawn.
In response, Martha-Ann erected an upside-down American flag in front of her home, a symbol often embraced by 2020 election deniers.
“My wife is fond of waving flags,” the justice wrote in a statement to explain his wife’s actions. “I’m not.”
“It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever experienced in my life,” recalls Baden, who has since moved to San Francisco.
All of this begs the question: What are the rules for placing signs, flags and other forms of political expression on your property?
Rules for Placing Political Flags and Signs in Your Yard
While homeowners may have a constitutional right to place a sign supporting their primary political candidate in their yard, that freedom may conflict with your neighborhood’s rules.
“Many HOAs have strict guidelines for displaying political signs and flags,” says real estate investor Jerry O’Reilly, of Cash Buyers Home Crew in Houston.
O’Reilly knows what he’s talking about: He himself lives in a neighborhood governed by an HOA.
“I’m not allowed to have flags without a home-mounted flag that meets certain requirements,” he explains.
Although his HOA has no sign size restrictions, he says many others do.
In many subdivisions across the U.S., “you may have contractually agreed to give up some of your rights, one of which may be to put up signs in your yard,” says Bruce Ailion of Re/Max Town & Country in Atlanta. “You can be fined if you break that covenant.”
While such rules may seem redundant, in today’s politically polarized environment, keeping your political opinions out of your yard can be an easy way to avoid unnecessarily rubbing your neighbors the wrong way.
“I’ve specifically had clients want to move out of their recently purchased homes because of flags in the neighborhood that they found offensive,” says Sam Fitz-Simon, a real estate agent with Compass in Danville, CA.
That’s because buyers aren’t just buying a house — they’re buying a neighborhood, Fitz-Simon says.
“Even a sign can make someone feel uncomfortable,” he adds.
What Home Sellers Should Consider
If you’re trying to sell your home before the election, remember that political signs can quickly turn off potential buyers.
That’s why most real estate agents tell their clients to remove them—especially in pictures and ads.
“Political signs can absolutely have a negative impact on selling a home,” says Fitz-Simon. “I always advise my clients to keep everything inside and outside the house as neutral as possible. Political affiliations tend to do the opposite.”
Your neighbor’s political views can also kill a deal.
One of O’Reilly’s building lots has been on the market for months, and he thinks he knows why.
“The house next door holds a massive political party flag every day,” he says. “I’m sure this has dampened the interest of many potential buyers.”
Steps to take before placing a sign or flag
If you live in a neighborhood with an HOA, read the bylaws carefully before you fly your flag or put up a sign in your yard.
Want to keep an American flag on your property? Take a look first at the US Department of Defense’s Do’s and Don’ts to Display Old Glory.
If you have a neighbor whose sign bothers you, you can report it to your HOA (if you have one), talk to your neighbor civilly, or look the other way when you pull into your driveway.
Before you put up a flag or put up a sign in your yard, consider whether or not it’s worth the trouble or headache.
For some, it certainly will be – but for others, the answer will be a resounding no.
“I’ve never had a political sign in my yard and I don’t see a time when I will,” Ailion says.
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