# HOA Flag and Political Sign Rules by State > Federal law already stops an HOA, condo or co-op from banning the US flag on property you own or exclusively use, though the association can set reasonable limits on time, place and manner. State law goes further, and how far depends on where you live. Arizona protects nine kinds of flags, Florida HOAs let you fly two from a set list plus a 20-foot flagpole, and Colorado protects any flag at all, with no rules based on what it says. Political signs split the states more. Colorado protects them all year; Texas, Arizona and North Carolina protect them in a window around each election; California and Nevada protect them with size limits; and Florida and Virginia have no statute protecting them, so the community's rules decide. _Source: https://hoanotes.com/hoa/topics/hoa-flag-and-sign-rules/ | Last reviewed 2026-10-07_ ## Flag and political sign rules by state | State | What the law does | Political signs | Statute | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [California](/hoa/california/flags-and-political-signs/) | The US flag cannot be limited in your unit, lot or exclusive use area except to protect public health or safety; other noncommercial flags can be capped at 15 square feet. | Protected on your own property, but the HOA can ban signs over 9 square feet. No election window. | Civil Code section 4705 | | [Texas](/hoa/texas/flags-and-political-signs/) | The HOA must allow the US, Texas and armed forces flags and at least one flagpole: up to 20 feet in the front yard, or attached to a home the HOA does not maintain. | Protected from the 90th day before an election to the 10th day after; the HOA can require ground-mounting, one sign per candidate or measure, and a 4-by-6-foot maximum. | Texas Property Code section 202.012 | | [Florida](/hoa/florida/flags-and-political-signs/) | HOA owners can fly two portable flags up to 4 1/2 by 6 feet from a set list and put up a 20-foot flagpole; condo owners get one US flag, plus military flags on six holidays. | No statute protects them; the community's own rules decide. | Florida Statutes section 720.304(2) | | [Arizona](/hoa/arizona/flags-and-political-signs/) | Nine kinds of flags are protected in planned communities and condos, and the association cannot ban a flagpole. | Protected from 71 days before a primary to 15 days after the general election; with no local sign ordinance, no limit on how many, but a 9-square-foot total. | Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1808 | | [Colorado](/hoa/colorado/flags-and-political-signs/) | Any flag on your property, in a window or on an adjoining balcony; the association cannot regulate a flag by its message, except a commercial one, and cannot ban a flag or flagpole. | Any sign on your property or in a window, with no election window; only content-neutral limits on number, placement and size. | Colorado Revised Statutes section 38-33.3-106.5(1)(a) | | [Virginia](/hoa/virginia/flags-and-political-signs/) | The US flag is protected on property you own or exclusively use; any limit must be necessary to protect a substantial interest, and the association has to prove that. | No statute protects them, but the resale certificate must disclose any sign restriction. | Virginia Code section 55.1-1820 and section 55.1-1951 | | [Washington](/hoa/washington/flags-and-political-signs/) | Communities created after mid-2018 or opted in must allow the US and Washington flags and a flagpole; older HOAs protect the US flag; older condos have no state rule until 2028. | Newer and opted-in communities: protected with no election window, subject only to placement and manner rules. Older HOAs: yard signs before an election. | Washington Revised Code 64.38.033 and 64.90.510(1) | | [North Carolina](/hoa/north-carolina/flags-and-political-signs/) | The US and North Carolina flags up to 4 by 6 feet are protected, and a restriction recorded after October 1, 2005 counts only if it is on the first page in bold capitals. | Protected, but the HOA may ban them earlier than 45 days before an election and later than 7 days after; at least one 24-by-24-inch sign if the locality does not regulate signs. | North Carolina General Statutes section 47F-3-121 and section 47C-3-121 | | [Nevada](/hoa/nevada/political-signs/) | The US and Nevada flags are protected where you have exclusive use (NRS 116.320), with reasonable placement and manner rules allowed. | Protected where you have exclusive use, up to 24 by 36 inches and one per candidate, party or ballot question; a tenant must consent in writing. | Nevada Revised Statutes section 116.325 | | [Illinois](/hoa/illinois/flag-display/) | The board cannot ban the US flag or a US military flag, or a flagpole, in your limited common areas or on the adjacent exterior of the building. | No statute addresses political signs; condo rules cannot impair First Amendment rights (765 ILCS 605/18.4(h)). | 765 ILCS 605/18.6 and 765 ILCS 160/1-70 | ## Which flags the HOA has to allow Every state in this table protects the US flag, and the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 covers it everywhere. What changes from state to state is the rest of the list. Texas adds the Texas flag and armed forces flags. Florida adds the state, military branch, POW-MIA and first responder flags for HOA homes. Arizona's list runs to nine, including the Gadsden flag and Arizona Indian nations flags. Colorado protects any flag and only lets the association set content-neutral limits on number, location and size. Flagpoles are a separate right. Texas must allow at least one, up to 20 feet in the front yard or attached to a home the HOA does not maintain, and Florida allows a freestanding pole up to 20 feet for HOA homes. Arizona and Colorado bar an outright flagpole ban. Virginia's statute protects the flag but does not expressly require a pole. ## When political signs are protected Three patterns show up. Colorado protects any sign on your property or in your window all year, and since 2021 the association cannot regulate one by its message. Texas, Arizona and North Carolina protect campaign signs in a window around each election: from 90 days before to 10 days after in Texas, from 71 days before the primary to 15 days after the general election in Arizona, and in North Carolina the HOA may ban them earlier than 45 days before and later than 7 days after. California and Nevada protect them with size limits instead of a calendar: 9 square feet in California, 24 by 36 inches in Nevada. Florida and Virginia have no statute protecting political signs in an HOA or condo, so the community's own rules control. In Virginia, the resale certificate still has to tell you what those rules are. ## What to check before you buy Read these together in the disclosure package: - The CC&Rs and rules for any flag, flagpole or sign restriction. - Whether a restriction goes further than your state allows, for example a flat ban on campaign signs in Colorado. - In North Carolina, whether a restriction recorded after October 1, 2005 is on the first page in bold capitals. - Recent board minutes for flag or sign disputes and fines. ## HOA flag and sign rules: common questions ### Can an HOA ban the American flag? No. The federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act bars an HOA, condo or co-op from stopping you from displaying the US flag on property you own or exclusively use, though it can set reasonable time, place and manner limits. Most states add their own protection on top. ### Can my HOA stop me from putting up a flagpole? It depends on the state. Texas must allow at least one flagpole, Florida HOA owners can put up a freestanding pole up to 20 feet, and Arizona and Colorado bar an outright ban. Other states let the association set rules on location and size. ### Can an HOA ban political signs? Not completely in most of these states. Colorado protects them all year, California and Nevada protect them with size limits, and Texas, Arizona and North Carolina protect them around elections. Florida and Virginia have no statute on point, so the community's rules decide. ### Can an HOA limit the size of my flag or sign? Usually, within limits the statute sets. Texas allows a 4-by-6-foot cap on campaign signs, California allows bans on signs over 9 square feet and flags over 15 square feet, and Nevada caps political signs at 24 by 36 inches. Colorado allows only content-neutral size rules. ## Sources (verified 2026-10-07) 1. California Civil Code section 4705 (display of the US flag), California Legislative Information. Verified 2026-10-07. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV§ionNum=4705 2. Texas Property Code section 202.012 (flag display), Texas Legislature. Verified 2026-10-07. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.202.htm#202.012 3. Florida Statutes section 720.304 (flags and flagpoles in HOAs), Florida Legislature. Verified 2026-10-07. http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0720/Sections/0720.304.html 4. Arizona Revised Statutes section 33-1808 (flag display; political signs), Arizona State Legislature. Verified 2026-10-07. https://www.azleg.gov/ars/33/01808.htm 5. Colorado Revised Statutes Title 38 (section 38-33.3-106.5 at pp. 416-423), Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. Verified 2026-10-07. https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-38.pdf 6. Code of Virginia section 55.1-1820 (display of the flag of the United States, property owners' associations), Virginia General Assembly. Verified 2026-10-07. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/55.1-1820/ 7. Revised Code of Washington 64.90.510 (flags, flagpoles, and political signs in WUCIOA communities), Washington State Legislature. Verified 2026-10-07. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.90.510 8. North Carolina General Statutes section 47F-3-121 (flags and political signs), North Carolina General Assembly. Verified 2026-06-03. https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_47F/GS_47F-3-121.html 9. Nevada Revised Statutes section 116.325 (right to exhibit political signs), Nevada Legislature. Verified 2026-10-05. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-116.html#NRS116Sec325 10. 765 ILCS 605/18.6 (Illinois Condominium Property Act; flag display), Illinois General Assembly. Verified 2026-06-03. https://www.ilga.gov/Documents/legislation/ilcs/documents/076506050K18.6.htm HOA Notes is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.