Resident reports illegal Philip Sarnecki signs on public property in Lawrence

A Lawrence resident says Philip Sarnecki campaign signs are turning up on public property and easements across Lawrence and Douglas County, and the complaint is forcing a familiar question into the open: where does political speech end and public-space misuse begin?

Kansas law protects political signs on private property during the 45 days before an election and the two days after, but it does not give campaigns a free pass to use streets, medians or other public ground. Lawrence draws that line in its sign code, which says political signs are exempt from a permit only if they are campaign-related, no larger than 16 square feet, not placed in the public right-of-way and not erected on private property without the owner or occupant’s permission.

The city’s sign code is explicit on the key point residents keep raising: no political sign may be placed in or on the public right-of-way. Douglas County uses a broad definition for that space, covering real property used for travel lanes and related road features, including ditches, culverts, bridges and signage. Taken together, the city and county rules leave Lawrence code officials and Douglas County public-works staff with the tools to act when signs appear where they do not belong.

That matters in a city where campaign signs are a predictable part of election season, but also a recurring source of conflict when they spill off private lawns and onto public land. Lawrence adopted a new sign code in 2017 and made minor amendments in 2018, keeping in place a dedicated sign-code and permit process for temporary and permanent signs. The current complaint suggests the issue is not about whether political signs can exist at all, but whether campaigns and supporters are respecting the property lines that local law still protects.

Sarnecki is running as a 2026 Republican candidate for Kansas governor. His campaign launched on Sept. 2, 2025, and describes him as a Kansas businessman, family man and job creator whose companies employ about 1,000 people across multiple industries. News coverage has placed him among several Republicans competing for the nomination, making the signs in Lawrence part of a broader and increasingly visible statewide race. For residents, the rules are clear: political signs may stand on private property with permission, but the public right-of-way is off limits.