State crews to pull and discard campaign signs from Fairbanks highway rights-of-way

Crews with the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities will start removing campaign signs from state highway rights-of-way in the Fairbanks District later this week, the department said Thursday.

Signs the crews take down "will not be stored for retrieval," the department said. They will be thrown away.

Most signs should be gone before Thanksgiving, the department said, with crews fitting the work around winter maintenance. Clearing the signs reduces debris that can be buried or damaged during snow removal, according to the department.

The cleanup follows a Nov. 4 notice in which DOT&PF asked legislators, candidates and ballot measure organizers to pull their signs. The department is urging owners to remove any that remain "as soon as possible."

Alaska law and regulations prohibit political signs within state highway rights-of-way, whatever their message, and the department may remove them without notice, according to its 2026 letter to candidates. The letter says crews give priority to signs that affect safety near intersections, driveways, sidewalks and pathways, where they can block visibility or access.

Owners of unauthorized signs may be charged for the cost of removal, at least $50 per sign plus associated costs, within limits set by a 2018 Alaska Superior Court order, the department said.

The cleanup does not affect signs on private property outside the right-of-way. Temporary campaign signs there can stay up if they are smaller than 32 square feet and the property owner has authorized them, the department said.

Residents with questions about the removals can contact the department's Northern Region Right-of-Way Office in Fairbanks, according to the letter.