# Sign Regulations in Decatur, Alabama

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Decatur, Alabama, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Decatur, Alabama (AL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/alabama/decatur
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/AL/Decatur/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CO_CH22TR_ARTIISISIMA)

## At a glance

Decatur, Alabama regulates 30 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Off-Premise Signs in the Business District (B-2, B-3), Manufacturing District (M-1, M-2), Expressway Commercial District (M-1A) zoning district are capped at 30 ft tall, 400 sq ft per side, and 40 ft wide, with a See Sec 25-78(a), (d) setback (Sec. Sec. 25-77(e)(5)). Most commercial signs in Decatur require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 30 inches (if within 10 ft of ROW); 3.5 ft (if 10+ ft from ROW); 20 ft (if not in setback) | 50 sq ft (lots < 100 ft road frontage), 100 sq ft (lots >= 100 ft road frontage) | — |
| Residential Districts (including PRD) | 8 | 6 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| Medical Center District (M-C) | 4 | Shall not extend above building (Roof-mounted sign: max height = 10% of building height) | 100 sq ft (base); up to 200 sq ft (with frontage) | — |
| Central Business District (B-5) | 6 | Shall not extend above building (exception for marquee/projecting signs) | 200 sq ft per wall face | — |
| Business District (B-1, B-4, B-6), Agricultural District (AG-1, AG-2), Institutional District (I-D) | 4 | Not above building (roof mounted max = 10% building height) | 150 sq ft per side | — |
| Business District (B-2, B-3), Manufacturing District (M-1, M-2), Expressway Commercial District (M-1A) | 8 | 30 ft | 400 sq ft per side | — |
| Redevelopment District-2 (RD-2) | 9 | 20 ft | 150 sq ft per side | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### Residential Districts (including PRD)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Residential use) | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | — | Customarily associated with residential use (mailbox, property, etc.) | — | Sec. 25-77(a)(1) |
| Home Occupation Sign | — | — | — | — | — | At the residence | — | Sec. 25-77(a)(2) |
| Institutional Sign (Detached) | — | 36 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | One per street frontage | — | Sec. 25-77(a)(3) |
| Institutional Sign (Attached) | — | 36 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | One per street frontage | — | Sec. 25-77(a)(3) |
| Condominium and Apartment Identification Sign (Attached) | — | 36 sq ft (total per complex for all attached); none to extend above building | — | — | Any number (aggregated area restriction) | On development or complex | — | Sec. 25-76(m), 25-77(a)(4) |
| Condominium and Apartment Identification Sign (Detached) | 6 ft | 40 sq ft | — | Min 10 ft from ROW | One per public street frontage | On each public street frontage, min 10 ft from ROW | — | Sec. 25-76(n), 25-77(a)(4) |
| Subdivision Entrance Sign (Detached) | 3.5 ft (within 10 ft of ROW); 6 ft (if 10+ ft from ROW) | Up to 40 sq ft (if within 10 ft of ROW) per entrance; up to 80 sq ft (if 10+ ft from ROW) | — | See area/height for location | One per entrance | At each entrance to residential subdivision | — | Sec. 25-76(l), 25-77(a)(5) |
| Temporary Signs (Residential) | 6 ft (for certain temp signs, e.g., award/historic) | 6 sq ft (real estate, construction, election, garage/yard sale, award/historic, etc.) | — | Can be placed up to public ROW (Sec. 25-78(c)) | One per street frontage (some types) | Typically per street frontage | — | Sec. 25-74(a), Sec. 25-77(a)(6) |

### Business District (B-2, B-3), Manufacturing District (M-1, M-2), Expressway Commercial District (M-1A)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Single Occupant) | Not above building (roof-mounted: max 10% of building height) | 100 sq ft (base); up to 200 sq ft | — | — | Any number (aggregate area applies) | On-premise, attached | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(1) |
| Wall Sign (Multiple Occupants) | Not above building; roof-mounted max 10% of building height | 100 sq ft per occupant (base); up to 200 sq ft | — | — | Any number per occupant (aggregate area applies) | On-premise, attached per occupant | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(2) |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 15 to <22 ft setback) | 15 ft | 80 sq ft per side | — | 15 to <22 ft from street right-of-way | 1 per 250 ft plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft apart) | 15 ft to <22 ft from street ROW | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(3) |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 22 to <30 ft setback) | 22 ft | 120 sq ft per side | — | 22 to <30 ft from street right-of-way | 1 per 250 ft plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft apart) | 22 ft to <30 ft from street ROW | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(3) |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 30+ ft setback) | 30 ft | 160 sq ft per side | — | 30 ft or more from street right-of-way | 1 per 250 ft plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft apart) | 30 ft or more from street ROW | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(3) |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, Option: 3.5 ft/25 sq ft/10 ft from ROW) | 3.5 ft | 25 sq ft per side | — | Within 10 ft of ROW | 1 per 250 ft plus per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft apart) | Up to 10 ft from abutting public ROW | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(3) |
| Business Center Sign (Multiple Occupants, Detached) | — | 150 sq ft per side | — | — | 1 per 250 ft plus per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft apart) | Multi-tenant; per 250 ft street frontage; min 100 ft separation; 1 per qualifying extra abutting street | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(4) |
| Off-Premise Sign | 30 ft | 400 sq ft per side | 40 ft | See Sec 25-78(a), (d) | One per pole/support | Not allowed in all zones (see additional requirements) | — | Sec. 25-77(e)(5) |

### Redevelopment District-2 (RD-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Single Occupant) | None above building | 100 sq ft (base); up to 200 sq ft | — | — | Any number (aggregate area applies) | Front or side elevations only; not on rear; attached | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(1) |
| Wall Sign (Multiple Occupants) | None above building | 100 sq ft per occupant (base); up to 200 sq ft | — | — | Any number per occupant (aggregate area applies) | Front or side elevations only; not on rear; attached | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(2) |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 5 to <10 ft setback) | 3.5 ft | 25 sq ft per side | — | 5 to <10 ft from ROW | 1 per 250 ft frontage plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft between signs) | 5 ft to <10 ft from ROW; in front of building only; not on side streets | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(3) Table |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 10 to <15 ft setback) | 8 ft | 80 sq ft per side | — | 10 to <15 ft from ROW | 1 per 250 ft frontage plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft between signs) | 10 ft to <15 ft from ROW; in front of building only; not on side streets | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(3) Table |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 15 to <20 ft setback) | 15 ft | 100 sq ft per side | — | 15 to <20 ft from ROW | 1 per 250 ft frontage plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft between signs) | 15 ft to <20 ft from ROW; in front of building only; not on side streets | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(3) Table |
| Detached Sign (Single Occupant, 20+ ft setback) | 20 ft | 120 sq ft per side | — | 20 or more ft from ROW | 1 per 250 ft frontage plus one per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft between signs) | 20 ft or more from ROW; in front of building only; not on side streets | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(3) Table |
| Business Center Sign (Multiple Occupants, Detached) | 20 ft | 150 sq ft per side | — | Min 25 ft from street ROW | 1 per 250 ft frontage plus per qualifying abutting street (min 100 ft between signs) | Front of building only; not on side streets; min 25 ft from ROW | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(4) |
| Monument Sign (Side Streets, Entrance/Exit only) | — | — | — | — | — | On side streets for entrance/exit signs only | — | Sec. 25-77(f)(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Decatur

- No sign, nor any part thereof, shall be erected or located in or project over any public right-of-way, except as otherwise provided by this article.
- No sign shall display flashing, intermittent, rotating, or moving lights, or lights of changing degrees of intensity, which are visible from the right-of-way of a public street or highway, or from any other vehicular travel way open to the public, except changeable copy signs which may utilize electronic message signs.
- No permanent sign shall revolve or be animated, or utilize movement or apparent movement in order to attract the attention of the public, which is visible from the right-of-way of a public street or highway, or from any other vehicular travel way open to the public.
- No streamers, pennants, or ribbons shall be permitted in any districts.
- Signs which copy, imitate, or in any way approximate an official traffic sign or device, designed to cause the public to focus attention on the sign, where the ultimate purpose is to draw attention to the service or product being offered, and not to warn the public of a real and genuine danger, are prohibited.
- Signs which hide from the view of street traffic, or interfere with, any sign displayed by public authority for the purpose of giving traffic instruction or direction or other public information, are prohibited.
- Signs which display flashing, intermittent, rotating, or moving lights, or lights of changing degrees of intensity which are visible from the right-of-way of a public street or highway, or from any other vehicular travel way open to the public, and which are located within the setback abutting a public street or highway, are prohibited.
- Signs which permit focused light, such as beams or rays of light, to be directed onto a public street, highway, road, sidewalk, or premise of another owner or tenant when such light is of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or reflection and impair vision, or constitute a traffic hazard or nuisance, are prohibited.
- Signs on public property that are attached to or maintained upon trees, or painted or drawn upon rocks or other natural features, are prohibited.
- Signs incorporating any noisy mechanical device which emits sound of such a volume as to be heard over the normal road noise by an average motorist on a highway or street, are prohibited.
- Signs which fail to meet the standards set out by the Standard Building Code, National Electrical Code, or any other applicable codes enforced by the City of Decatur, including wind load and electrical requirements, are prohibited.
- Signs, or any parts or appurtenances or supporting members thereof, which obstruct or interfere with any door, fire escape, ventilation opening, or other means of ingress and egress or ventilation, are prohibited.
- Signs which interfere with the view necessary for vehicular or pedestrian traffic to proceed safely or to enter onto or exit from public or private streets, roads, or highways, are prohibited.
- Signs which violate any provision of this article and which are not nonconforming signs are prohibited.
- New off-premise signs (except for directional signs as defined in subparagraph (10) of section 25-72) shall not be permitted within the city limits.
- Any activity that causes an increase in the extent of nonconformity of a nonconforming sign is prohibited.
- No nonconforming sign may be enlarged, altered to aggravate its nonconforming condition, or have illumination added.
- A nonconforming sign may not be moved or replaced except to bring it into complete conformity with the ordinance.
- No detached sign shall be erected on the same lot with an existing nonconforming detached sign until the nonconforming sign has been removed or made to conform, except for off-premise detached signs nonconforming solely due to spacing requirements.
- No person shall place or erect a temporary sign within any street right-of-way, or attach it to any utility pole.
- No person shall place or erect a sign on a building, wall, tree, fence, or other property of another person or business without first obtaining the consent of the owner of such property.

## Signs exempt from permit in Decatur

- Signs not exceeding two (2) square feet in area which denote the name, address, or business hours only of the occupant of the premises.
- On-premise directional signs not exceeding four (4) square feet in area and complying with height and location limits.
- Signs fully located within the interior of any building or stadium or within an enclosed lobby or court of any building.
- Publicly owned memorial tablets or signs.
- Signs painted on or otherwise attached to currently licensed motor vehicles, provided the primary function of such vehicle is not advertising or identification as a sign by itself would.
- Directional signs as defined in subparagraph (10) of section 25-72, other than those regulated by section 25-74, that do not exceed one (1) per abutting street, do not exceed sixteen (16) square feet in area, and are not internally illuminated.
- Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings or works of art, so long as such features do not contain moving parts or moving or flashing lights.
- Signs fixed or mounted directly on or in windows which do not cover more than twenty (20) percent of the total window area; such signs do not require a permit and do not count against signage allocation.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- There is no explicit requirement for a master sign plan or sign plan in the general regulations; however, individual sign permits are required for all non-exempt signs (Sec. 25-75).
- Plans and specifications must be submitted to the building director for awnings and projecting signs in the Central Business District B-5 (Sec. 25-77(c)(8) and (9)).
- Where plans/specifications are required for approval (e.g., awnings, projecting signs), approval is contingent on submittal and review by the building director and/or the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority (for B-5 projecting signs).
- Variance or appeal of decisions may be made to the board of zoning adjustment, per Sec. 25-82.
- Permit applications for temporary signs must include beginning/ending dates, sign size, survey/plot plan showing proposed location, statement regarding erection/removal dates, and permit fee (Sec. 25-74(d)(2)).

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 7 zoning districts in Decatur — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Decatur+AL&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-decatur

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