(CNN) A group of registered sex offenders has sued a Georgia sheriff over signs planted in their yards to warn trick-or-treaters not to visit their doorsteps on Halloween.

The federal suit claims Butts County Sheriff's Office employees trespassed onto the registered offenders' private property and "had no legal authority" to place the signs last October, causing them anxiety and humiliation.

Georgia displays all registered sex offenders' names, photos and addresses in a public online directory . But, the suit argues, the offenders had "no legal obligation" to display the warning signs without compensation.

Georgia is not among states that have instituted "no-candy laws" that prohibit sex offenders on parole and probation from handing out candy on the holiday and require them to display signs revealing their status in their yards. In Missouri , registered sex offenders must remain inside their home between 5 and 10:30 p.m., unless they have to be somewhere, like their jobs, or for medical emergencies.

With Halloween coming around again next week, the Butts County Sheriff's office plans to continue placing "no trick-or-treat" signs in sex offenders' yards unless a judge rules it can't, Sheriff's Assistant Amanda Bone told CNN on Thursday.

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