Candidates will have 10 days after an election to remove campaign signs from street corners and other public property in Ross.

If they fail to do so, they will lose the $100 they now are required to post under an ordinance approved earlier this month by township commissioners.

"Commissioners realized we had a problem," zoning officer Dan Hankins said. "We get huge numbers of signs put up. Too many candidates who don't win just leave their signs up."

The new rules were passed at the commissioners' July 14 meeting.

Voting in favor were President Daniel DeMarco and Commissioners Chris Eyster, Peter Ferraro, Lana Mazur and Grace Stanko.

Commissioner Daniel Kinross was the lone vote against the changes.

Commissioners Grant Montgomery, Gerald O'Brien and David Mikec were absent.

The regulations took effect July 24 and will cover candidates running in the November election.

The new rules say candidates may not place more than two temporary signs at any location. Additional signs must be at least 600 feet away.

Each sign can be no larger than four square feet and cannot be mounted higher than four feet from the ground to the top of the sign.

Signs can be erected no more than 31 days before an election and must be removed within 10 days after the voting.

They cannot be illuminated and cannot be placed where they would obstruct traffic sight lines.

Candidates or their campaign committees must provide a $100 cash bond and provide information on who will remove the signs. Candidates who don't remove their signs would lose both their bonds and face fines of up to $300.

Mr. Kinross said he opposed the new rules, in part because he believes they would be difficult to enforce.

Overzealous campaign workers are likely to violate provisions of the ordinance without even knowing they have done so, Mr. Kinross predicted.

Enforcing the ordinance is likely to cost more than the bonds, he said. "Signs will go up, and we'll have to try to track down the candidates to collect their hundred bucks."

Mr. DeMarco predicted the township would not have problems identifying violators.

"Campaign committees have to register with the county and that filing contains contact information," he said. "If signs go up and bonds haven't been posted, our zoning officer can easily locate the contact people and send them a copy of the ordinance."

Mr. Kinross's position got some support from Cranberry officials who did away with their ordinance regulating political signs.

"It was difficult and time consuming to enforce," said Ron Henshaw, the township's director of community development.

"We had every kind of problem with it, from candidates complaining that they didn't have an extra $100 for the bond to saying that we were picking on them."

Cranberry always contacts candidates after the election, Mr. Henshaw said, asking them to take down their signs. "If they don't remove them, we'll just pick them up," he said.

The township still enforces rules that say political signs cannot be placed on median strips and cannot block traffic sight lines.

Mr. Kinross also opposed another provision of the ordinance that requires a $25 payment and approval from the zoning administrator for banners, sandwich boards and inflatable signs.

Those nonpermanent signs cannot be illuminated and can be displayed for no more than 30 days.

"Who is going to keep track of how long they have been up?" Mr. Kinross asked. "This provision is ill-conceived and will not work effectively."

"We have some aesthetic standards we'd like to maintain," Mr. DeMarco said. "And temporary signs can detract from them."

Just as is the case with political advertising, the township needs to know who is putting up temporary signs and who will be responsible for removing them when the special event or promotion has ended, he said.

"My real desire with this section of the ordinance is to make sure we know what individuals, companies and organizations are putting up signs," Mr. DeMarco said. "That way we can pick up the phone or send a letter if there are any problems."