# Virginia HOA Flag and Political Sign Rules > Under Code of Virginia 55.1-1820 (HOAs) and 55.1-1951 (condos), an association cannot prohibit you from displaying the flag of the United States on property you own or have the exclusive right to use, as long as the display follows the federal flag code or flag custom. The association can set reasonable limits on size, place, duration, and manner, but only limits needed to protect a substantial interest, and if it takes you to court it has to prove that. It can restrict flags on common areas. Political signs are different. No Virginia statute gives HOA or condo owners a right to post them, so your community's own documents set the rules. What the law does require is disclosure: the resale certificate must state any restriction on flags and on political signs. _Source: https://hoanotes.com/hoa/virginia/flags-and-political-signs/ | Last reviewed 2026-10-07_ ## What the flag statutes say The two statutes match. Section 55.1-1820 covers lot owners in a property owners' association, and 55.1-1951 covers unit owners in a condominium. Each says the association cannot prohibit display of the US flag on property where you have a separate ownership interest or a right to exclusive possession or use. Think of your yard, your porch, or a balcony assigned to your unit. The condo version goes a step further and also bars the association from adopting or enforcing any policy restricting that display. The protection covers the US flag only. A Virginia state flag, a military branch flag, or a sports banner gets no protection from these sections, so the community's rules control those. The association keeps some control. It can set reasonable restrictions on the size, place, duration, and manner of display, as long as each one is needed to protect a substantial interest of the association. If the association sues over a flag violation, it carries the burden of proving that. It can also restrict flags on the common areas or common elements. Flagpoles are not spelled out. Neither section says the association must allow a pole. What they do say is that if the resale certificate left out the community's limits on flags or on a flagpole or similar structure, you can raise that as a defense if the association later tries to enforce them. ## Political signs: no state protection Virginia's HOA and condo statutes say nothing that gives owners a right to post campaign or ballot signs. There is no election-season window and no minimum size or number. If the declaration bans yard signs, no Virginia statute overrides that ban. You may have heard that Virginia localities cannot ban political signs on private property. That rule, Code of Virginia 15.2-109, is written for localities. It says no locality has that power. It does not mention associations. The protection you do get is notice. The resale certificate has to include a statement of any restriction on the size, placement, or duration of political, for sale, or any other signs. So before you close, you should be able to see exactly what the community allows. ## What to check in the resale certificate Read these together before your cancellation period runs out: - The flag statement the certificate must include, and whether it covers flagpoles. - The sign statement, which should say whether political signs are allowed and for how long. - The declaration and the rules, to see if they match what the certificate says. - Any flag rule with no stated reason, like flags only on federal holidays. - Board minutes from the last six months for flag or sign complaints. ## Why this matters to your offer If you plan to fly the flag every day or put out signs at election time, find out now. No state statute overrides a Virginia sign ban, and a flag rule can stand if the association shows it protects a substantial interest. An HOA Notes brief reads the resale certificate, the declaration, and the rules together, points out a flag rule that goes further than the statute allows, and cites the page behind every finding. ## What the statute says **Virginia Code section 55.1-1820 and section 55.1-1951** (US flag display rights). An association cannot prohibit a lot owner (55.1-1820) or unit owner (55.1-1951) from displaying the flag of the United States on property the owner separately owns or has a right to exclusively possess or use, if the display complies with 4 U.S.C. chapter 1 or flag rule or custom; if the resale certificate omitted flag or flagpole limits, the owner may raise that as an affirmative defense. The association may set reasonable restrictions on the size, place, duration, and manner of display that are necessary to protect a substantial interest, and bears the burden of proving that in an enforcement action; it may restrict the flag in the common areas or common elements. The statute protects only the US flag and does not expressly require that a flagpole be allowed. ## Virginia HOA flag and sign rules: common questions ### Can a Virginia HOA ban the American flag? No. Under 55.1-1820 (HOAs) and 55.1-1951 (condos), an association cannot prohibit the US flag on property you own or have the exclusive right to use, if you display it properly. It can set reasonable size, place, duration, and manner limits needed to protect a substantial interest. ### Can a Virginia HOA ban political signs? No Virginia statute stops it. The HOA and condo acts give owners no right to post political signs, so the community's documents control. The resale certificate must tell you what the sign rules are. ### Does Virginia law protect a flagpole? Not in so many words. The statutes do not say a pole must be allowed. If the resale certificate left out the community's flagpole limits, you can raise that as a defense if the association tries to enforce them. ### What about the Virginia state flag or a military flag? These sections protect only the flag of the United States. Other flags are governed by the community's rules. ## Sources (verified 2026-10-07) 1. 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/ 2. Code of Virginia section 55.1-1951 (display of the flag of the United States, condominiums), Virginia General Assembly. Verified 2026-10-07. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/55.1-1951/ 3. Code of Virginia section 55.1-2310 (resale certificate; flag and sign statements), Virginia General Assembly. Verified 2026-10-07. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/55.1-2310/ 4. Code of Virginia section 15.2-109 (local regulation of political campaign signs), Virginia General Assembly. Verified 2026-10-07. https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/15.2-109/ HOA Notes is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.