Common Ownership Communities – Candidate or Proposition Signs – Display Period

HB 855 amends Maryland law to standardize minimum display periods for candidate and proposition signs in common ownership communities (condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners associations). It requires these communities to allow signs for at least 45 days before elections or votes on propositions, plus 7 days after, unless state law specifies otherwise. The bill directly affects residents and community governing bodies by limiting their ability to restrict political signage duration in common areas. It updates existing provisions in Maryland’s Corporations and Associations, Real Property, and HOA laws (Sections 5-6B-23, 11-111.2, and 11B-111.2) to establish these minimum timeframes. The change aims to balance community rules with voters’ rights to display election-related signage.