Amherst, Virginia: Town limits number, size, and duration of display of personal expression signs

The town of Amherst, Virginia, placed numerous restrictions on residents placing signs in their yards. Specifically, Amherst limited residents to two signs and 16 or 40 square feet of signage depending on the part of town. The town also banned any single sign from being displayed for more than 60 days continuously and banned signs from being up for more than 120 days total a year.

On June 5 and July 1, FIRE wrote to the town council outlining the constitutional problems with its sign ordinance. On July 22, FIRE sent a letter to the Amherst Planning Commission after the town council remanded the sign ordinance to them. We wrote back to the commission on October 2 because its proposed amendment fixed some issues but still contained unconstitutional provisions.