Election signs in the Huon Valley municipal area are regulated under two separate sets of rules. Both apply, and breaching either can result in an infringement notice. Contact Council on (03) 6264 0300 before you place signs if you’re unsure whether a location is Council property.
No signs on Council property
Clause 29 of the Huon Valley Municipal Area By-law 2026 prohibits erecting or displaying an election sign on or in any Council property. Council property includes any land Council owns or manages, including Council roads.
An infringement notice may be issued for 1 penalty unit. Council’s Authorised Officers may remove signs from Council property, and signs will only be returned on payment of Council’s removal and storage costs.
Everywhere else: the planning scheme
Election signs are also regulated under the Tasmanian Planning Scheme — Huon Valley Local Provisions Schedule, which defines an election sign as an impermanent sign identifying candidates or promoting a political party for local, state or federal elections.
A sign is exempt from requiring a planning permit only if all of the following apply:
- it is not erected more than 8 weeks before the polling date — for the 2026 election, not before 10 August 2026
- it does not encroach on any road or other public land, meaning land owned or managed by the Crown, a State Authority or a Council
- it has a maximum area of 1.5m²
- it is removed within 7 days after the polling date — for the 2026 election, before 4 November 2026
Signs that don’t meet all four requirements need planning approval from Council. Breaching the planning scheme may result in an infringement notice of 15 penalty units for an individual or 75 penalty units for a corporation.
Council may also give notice to the person who placed a sign, or to the owner of the land it’s on, requiring its removal, and may remove the sign and recover the costs of doing so. See section 48 of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993.