A bill

to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 27-30-180 so as to authorize a homeowner or tenant to display a political sign within a certain timeframe and to allow a homeowners ASSOCIATION to establish certain rules for political signs.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1.   Article 1, Chapter 30, Title 27 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

   Section 27-30-180.      (A)   Regardless of a restrictive covenant, declaration, rule, contractual provision, or other requirement found in a deed, contract, lease, rental agreement, or homeowners association document, a homeowner or tenant may display a political sign on the premises of the property he is entitled to use during the period beginning thirty days before and ending five days after the date of the election to which the sign relates.

   (B)(1)   A homeowners association may adopt and enforce rules relating to a political sign that restricts the:

         (a)   size of the sign so long as the sign is at least as large as signs commonly displayed during election campaigns;

         (b)   number of sign that may be displayed so long as the rule permits a homeowner to display a reasonably number of signs;

         (c)   locations where a sign may be displayed, however the restriction may not prohibit the display of a sign in a window on the homeowner's property or on the ground that is part of the homeowner's property; and

         (d)   placement of a political sign outside of the period beginning thirty days before and ending five days after the date of the election to which the sign relates.

      (2)   A homeowners association may remove a sign that violates the rules permitted by this section.

   (C)   For purposes of this section, "political sign" means a sign advocating:

      (1)   the election or defeat of one or more candidates for nomination or election;

      (2)   support for or opposition to a political party or a political party's candidate; and

      (3)   the approval or disapproval of a public question.

SECTION 2.   This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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