Is Taking a Campaign Yard Sign a Crime in Michigan?

Every fall before an election, yard signs go up across Plymouth, Canton, and Northville, and every fall some of them disappear overnight. The person who takes one usually thinks of it as politics, a small protest against a candidate they can't stand, and the person whose sign is gone thinks of it as theft. Michigan law sides with the second view, though not in the way most people expect. There's no special crime for stealing a campaign sign in this state, and the reason there isn't makes for a good story, but the absence of a special law doesn't leave a gap. It leaves the ordinary property laws, which treat a yard sign the way they treat anything else you don't own.

Key takeaways

Michigan's Election Law doesn't contain a campaign sign theft provision. The Legislature passed one in 2001, but voters rejected it by referendum in November 2002.
Taking a sign from someone's yard is larceny under MCL 750.356. Under $200 is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days and a fine of $500 or three times the value, whichever is greater.
Damaging or destroying a sign is malicious destruction of personal property under MCL 750.377a, with the same dollar tiers and penalties.
Walking onto someone's property after being told not to, or staying after being told to leave, can add a trespass charge with up to 30 days in jail.
Signs placed in a public right of way are different. Road agencies and local governments can remove them, and Plymouth and Canton both ban signs in the right of way.

Is there a law against stealing campaign signs in Michigan?

Not a specific one. Michigan's Election Law lists a long set of misdemeanors in MCL 168.931 and felonies in MCL 168.932, covering things like vote buying, ballot tampering, and electioneering near a polling place, and neither section addresses campaign signs. The official note attached to 168.931 explains why. In 2001 the Legislature passed an act that included penalties for stealing campaign signs, it was put to a referendum as Proposal 02-1, and voters rejected it at the November 2002 general election.

That history leads some people to conclude that taking a sign isn't a crime at all. It's an understandable reading and it's wrong. The referendum rejected a special election law penalty, not the general criminal law, and a yard sign is still someone's personal property. Taking it, wrecking it, or going onto private land to get to it falls under the same statutes that would apply to a garden ornament or a bicycle.

What charge does taking a yard sign lead to?

Usually larceny. MCL 750.356 makes it a crime to take another person's property with the intent to permanently deprive them of it, and the penalty depends on value. Most yard signs are worth well under $200, which makes it a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail, a fine of up to $500 or three times the value, whichever is greater, or both. A prior larceny conviction raises an under $200 theft to a one year misdemeanor.

Value can climb faster than people expect when signs are taken in bulk. The statute lets prosecutors add together the value of separate thefts that are part of a scheme or course of conduct within 12 months. A person who pulls a few dozen signs over several nights from different yards, or a run of large signs from a candidate's office lot, can push the total into the one year misdemeanor range at $200 or the felony range at $1,000. In the City of Plymouth there's also a local larceny ordinance, so a case can be charged under city code rather than state law.

Charged over a yard sign? It's a real misdemeanor with a real record attached. Handled early, it may not have to end in a conviction.

(734) 453-7806

What if the sign is damaged rather than taken?

Then it's malicious destruction of personal property under MCL 750.377a, which requires that the person willfully and maliciously destroyed or damaged someone else's property. The dollar tiers match larceny: under $200 is a 93 day misdemeanor with a fine of $500 or three times the damage, $200 to $1,000 is a one year misdemeanor, and $1,000 or more is a felony. The same 12 month aggregation rule applies. Spray painting over a candidate's name, slashing a vinyl sign, or snapping the stakes all fall here.

There's a separate wrinkle when the dispute is personal rather than political. Since 2024, the statute has had its own tiers for property damage between spouses, former spouses, dating partners, people who share a child, or members of the same household. A sign war between two people who live together, or used to, can end up in that category, which brings the case closer to the domestic violence side of the law than either person expects. We covered that side in our piece on whether a fight with a roommate is domestic violence.

Can you be charged with trespassing over a sign?

Yes, in some situations. Under MCL 750.552, it's a misdemeanor to enter someone's land after being told by the owner or occupant not to, or to stay after being told to leave, with up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. Walking across an open front yard at 2 a.m. to pull a sign doesn't automatically meet that definition, but a person who's been told to stay off a property, or who's caught and refuses to leave, can face the trespass charge alongside the larceny.

The more practical problem is evidence. Doorbell cameras can make sign cases much easier to prove, and a clear video of someone walking up a driveway, pulling a sign, and walking away answers most of the questions a prosecutor would otherwise have to work for.

What about signs on the roadside or a utility pole?

Those follow different rules, and it's the one area where removing a sign can be lawful. Michigan's Highway Advertising Act prohibits signs on property where the state transportation department holds a highway easement or similar interest, and lets the department remove them. Local codes go further. The City of Plymouth allows temporary signs only on private property with the owner's permission, at least one foot inside the property line, and never in the road right of way, on public land, or attached to trees, utility poles, or traffic signs. Canton Township's sign ordinance prohibits signs in the right of way unless the road agency permits them, bans signs on poles, fences, and trees, and allows the township to remove right of way signs without notice.

That authority belongs to the government, though, not to a private citizen who dislikes a candidate. Deciding on your own that a sign is in the right of way and taking it home isn't the same as a road crew removing it, and it isn't a defense a prosecutor has to accept. Plymouth's ordinance also gives temporary signs a larger size allowance from 60 days before until 3 days after an election, so a sign that looks oversized in October may be perfectly legal.

What does a sign theft conviction actually cost?

More than the sign. A larceny conviction is a theft offense on a criminal record, and theft convictions are the kind employers, landlords, and licensing boards look for, because they speak to honesty in a way a traffic ticket doesn't. For a student or a young professional, a misdemeanor larceny over a $15 sign can show up on background checks for years unless it's resolved carefully or set aside later.

These cases often have room for a better outcome than a conviction, especially for someone with no record, but that room depends on how the case is handled from the start. Statements made to police or posted online about why the sign was taken tend to make that harder, since they establish the intent the larceny statute requires.

What should you do if you're accused?

Don't post about it, don't contact the sign owner or the campaign to explain, and don't return the sign in a way that turns into an admission without talking to a lawyer first. If you received a citation or a call from an officer, note the date of your court appearance, which for Plymouth, Canton, and Northville will be in the 35th District Court.

Our theft and larceny defense practice handles misdemeanor larceny cases like these regularly, including ones where the facts started as politics. Call Boria Law at (734) 453-7806, and Attorney Aaron J. Boria will review the citation, the value involved, and any video before your first court date. There's no special law for campaign signs in Michigan, and that's exactly why the ordinary property laws are the ones that apply.

Quick answers

What's the penalty for stealing a yard sign in Michigan?

For a sign worth under $200, larceny is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500 or three times the sign's value, whichever is greater. A prior larceny conviction, or a total over $200 from several thefts in 12 months, raises the penalty.

How long can campaign signs stay up after an election in Plymouth?

Plymouth's code allows a larger total sign area from 60 days before until 3 days after an election, and temporary signs generally can be displayed for 60 days before a 30 day break. Rules differ in Canton and Northville, so check your local code.

Is taking a campaign sign a felony in Michigan?

Usually not. A single sign is almost always worth under $200, which makes larceny a misdemeanor. It can become a felony if the total value of signs taken in a course of conduct within 12 months reaches $1,000, or with enough prior convictions.