Voting posters do not require a permit in Nidwalden
In Nidwalden, a permit is still not required for referendum posters. This is provided for in the draft of the completely revised Advertising Ordinance, which the cantonal government submitted for public comment before Christmas.
The State Chancellery announced on Friday that the basic obligation to obtain a permit for temporary billboards should be maintained. This is primarily intended to prevent billboards from endangering traffic or disfiguring the townscape and landscape.
Illuminated and moving advertisements, advertisements on roads and advertisements on natural or cultural monuments are therefore generally subject to approval, according to the press release. The approval procedure is a simplified procedure without a public requirement.
However, according to the government council, anyone wishing to erect a permanent advertisement must go through the building permit procedure. This applies, for example, to fixed advertising signs at the entrance to a town or free-standing advertising signs.
Time restrictions for permit-free posters
Election, voting and event posters are to be exempt from the permit requirement. The prerequisite is that they are rectangular and their surface area does not exceed 3.5 square meters.
There are time restrictions for advertisements that do not require a permit. According to the government council, they should be erected at the earliest seven weeks before the date and must be removed within a week afterwards.
The totally revised ordinance is also to include a ban on advertisements that violate public order, decency, morality or human dignity.
The current Advertising Ordinance dates back to 1989 and the aim of the revision is to clarify which advertisements are subject to a permit requirement. In addition, new forms of moving and illuminated advertising are to be regulated. The consultation period will last until March 28, 2025. (SDA)
