Regulations on sign content must consider protections under which constitutional amendment?

• A. First Amendment
• B. Second Amendment
• C. Fourth Amendment
• D. Fifth Amendment

Answer: (A)

Sign content is protected as free speech under the First Amendment, which covers what people can display and express through signs. This means local regulations cannot target a sign’s message or viewpoint, except in narrow, well-defined exceptions. When enforcing sign codes, authorities assess whether a rule is content-based (tacing First Amendment scrutiny) or content-neutral (permissible if it reasonably regulates time, place, or manner without suppressing the message). The other amendments address different rights—arms, searches and seizures, and self-incrimination—so they don’t govern sign content.