Placement and Installation of Election Signs within the City of Surrey

The City of Surrey understands the need for candidates to reach voters through signage during the election campaign. The temporary placement and installation of election signs is regulated by the City under its Bylaws.

Conditions

• Election Signs have been permitted to be installed beginning at 12:01 a.m. September 21, 2024.
• All signs must be removed by the candidate within 14 days following General Voting Day of October 19, 2024 (no later than 11:59 p.m. November 2, 2024).
• Failure to comply may result in financial penalties along with removal of the sign(s) by the City. See penalties for non compliance below.

As per Section 7.1 of the City of Surrey Sign Bylaw, 1999, No. 13656, as amended:

(1) Neither a sign permit nor an inspection is required for a political sign located on private property provided that:

• the sign owner obtains consent from the private property owner(s) to erect a political sign on their property;
• the sign area does not exceed 3 sq. m [32 sq. ft.];
• the sign is removed within 14 (fourteen) days after the election; and
• the sign does not restrict sightlines of vehicle drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians in the vicinity of the sign.

(2) Notwithstanding Section 7.1(1), the sign owner and the owner of the lot or premises upon which the sign is located shall ensure that the sign is in compliance with all applicable provisions of this By-law.

(3) No political signs shall be erected or placed on any public property.

For example, no political signs are permitted anywhere within the City’s road rights‑of‑way, including medians, sidewalks, boulevards, nor on any City property including, but not limited to, City parks, all City facilities or City-owned lots.

In addition to the above, on the General Voting Day of October 19, 2024 election signs must not be placed or installed within a 100-meter radius of a voting location.

Penalties for non-compliance

It is the sole responsibility of each Candidate and/or their Political Party to comply with the above noted requirements. Penalties for non-compliance include the issuance of fine(s) to the candidate and/or the property owner hosting the sign.  In addition, the City reserves the right to remove any signs that do not comply with the City bylaw.

Please be advised that, should the City exercise its right to remove a non-compliant election sign, the Candidate and/or their respective Political Party will not be notified that their sign has been removed.  Subsequent to removal, the signs will be disposed of by the City.  To this end, the City is not obligated to store any signs it retrieves nor is it responsible for maintaining an inventory of election signs it retrieves, or otherwise.  In addition, the City’s full costs associated with sign removal and disposal may be charged to the Candidate and/or to their Political Party responsible for the placement of the sign.

Any election sign that is not removed by 11:59 p.m. on November 2, 2024 (14 days following the October 19, 2024 election) will be removed by the City and promptly disposed of. The City’s full costs associated with sign removal and disposal in this regard will be charged to the Candidate and/or to their Political Party and/or the property owner hosting the sign.

Removal of signs following the election

The City supports the recycling of election sign materials, and as such has partnered with Metro Vancouver to accept these materials at no cost.  Various components of the signs including clean wood, plastic (including coroplast), and metals can be dropped off at the Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre located at 6711 – 154 Street.

The recycling and waste centre will be accessible from October 20, 2024 to November 2, 2024 to drop-off election sign material. Hours of operation and a site map (Visitor Guide) can be found at https://metrovancouver.org/services/solid-waste/solid-waste-facilities.

Please be advised that a completed disposal authorization form will need to accompany each load of clean wood waste brought to the recycling and waste centre.  Clean wood loads without a form will not be accepted without payment.

City contacts

If you have questions regarding the above, please contact the following:

• For questions regarding the City’s bylaws pertaining to the placement of election signs, please contact the office of the City Clerk at 604-591-4132 or by email at Clerks@surrey.ca
• For questions regarding the recycling of your election signs, please contact Harry Janda at 604-590-7208 or via email at HSJanda@surrey.ca