# Sign Regulations in Elsmere Town, Delaware

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Elsmere Town, Delaware (DE)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/delaware/elsmere-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/8867924#8867924)

## At a glance

Elsmere Town, Delaware regulates 18 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Business Sign (Freestanding or Wall)s in the General Industrial District, Highway Development District, Community Commercial District zoning district are capped at 20 ft (per general restriction §225-38A) tall and 24 sq ft on one side, plus 10 sq ft for each additional 10 ft of setback beyond 10 ft, with a Minimum 20 ft from street. If >10 ft, may increase area. setback (Sec. §225-37B(3); §225-37B(3)(a), (b), (c); §225-38A, F, G). Most commercial signs in Elsmere Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Industrial District, Highway Development District, Community Commercial District | 6 | 20 ft (per general restriction §225-38A) | 24 sq ft on one side, plus 10 sq ft for each additional 10 ft of setback beyond 10 ft | — |
| R-GA Community Commercial | 2 | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 20 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 12 | — | 24 sq ft plus 3 sq ft for each 10 extra lots (on one side, all signs) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Industrial District, Highway Development District, Community Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Sign (Freestanding or Wall) | 20 ft (per general restriction §225-38A) | 24 sq ft on one side, plus 10 sq ft for each additional 10 ft of setback beyond 10 ft | — | Minimum 20 ft from street. If >10 ft, may increase area. | Max 2 per road frontage | Must be on property of business. No sign within 20 ft of street line; extra area for additional setback | — | §225-37B(3); §225-37B(3)(a), (b), (c); §225-38A, F, G |
| Building Identification Sign | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 5% of face of building per frontage | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Attached to building on face | — | §225-37B(3)(a) |
| Combined Occupant Sign | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 24 sq ft on one side + 10 sq ft for each additional occupant | — | — | — | On property; typically freestanding or wall | — | §225-37B(3)(b) |
| Tenant Building Identification Sign | 20 ft (§225-38A) | See formula | — | — | — | On face/portion occupied by each tenant | — | §225-37B(3)(c) |
| Banner (Wall-Attached) | 20 ft (§225-38A) | See formula: 10% max (or 7.5% per face if multiple frontages) | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Attached to wall/building facade; calculation on specific facade | — | §225-37B(11)(a)[2]; §225-37B(11)(b)[1-4] |
| Freestanding Banner/Noninstitutional Flag | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 20 sq ft | — | 5 ft minimum | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding, pole-mounted, 5 ft minimum setback | — | §225-37B(11)(b)[5] |

### R-GA Community Commercial

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Banner (Wall-Attached) | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 10% of building face (or 7.5% if multi-frontage) | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On wall/building face | — | §225-37B(11)(a)[2]; §225-37B(11)(b)[1-4] |
| Freestanding Banner/Noninstitutional Flag | 20 ft (§225-38A) | 20 sq ft | — | 5 ft minimum | 1 per street frontage | Pole-mounted, must be setback at least 5 ft from property line | — | §225-37B(11)(b)[5] |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Professional/Accessory Use/Name Sign | — | 2 sq ft (total for both signs on one frontage) | — | — | 2 per road frontage | Along one road frontage, freestanding type | — | §225-37B(1) |
| Identification, Announcement, or Bulletin Board Sign (Institutional Uses) | — | 12 sq ft (freestanding), 5% of building face (wall) | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On lot of the institution | — | §225-37B(2) |
| Warning Sign | — | 1 sq ft (on any one side) | — | — | — | — | — | §225-37B(5) |
| Real Estate Sign (Individual Sale/Rent) | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On property being advertised | — | §225-37B(6) |
| Real Estate Sign (Development Advertising) | — | 24 sq ft plus 3 sq ft for each 10 extra lots (on one side, all signs) | — | — | — | On property being developed | — | §225-37B(6) |
| Directional Sign (On-premises) | — | 2 sq ft (on one side) | — | — | 2 per activity | Off-property of use | — | §225-37B(7) |
| Directional Sign (Real Estate Development) | — | 2 sq ft (on one side) | — | — | 2 per road, 10 total per development | For developments w/10 or more lots; off the development property | — | §225-37B(7)(a)-(b) |
| Farmers' Sign | — | 6 sq ft (on one side) | — | — | 2 | — | — | §225-37B(10) |

## Prohibited signs in Elsmere Town

- No sign shall be erected so that the top of the sign is more than 20 feet above the ground.
- No sign shall be attached to trees, fence posts, stumps, utility poles, bridges, culverts or other signs, but shall be freestanding or attached to buildings in an approved manner. Exception: This does not apply to legal notices and public announcements as defined in § 225-37B(8) and (9).
- No sign shall be exhibited in the Town which is portable, i.e., fixed on a movable stand, or is self-supporting without being firmly embedded in the ground or which is supported by other objects or is mounted on wheels or movable vehicles or made easily movable in some other manner.
- No sign shall be displayed which basically directs attention to a product or group of products or service or group of services rather than primary attention to the identity of the business operation. This restriction includes billboards.
- No signs shall be placed in such position along a highway or street or at an intersection so as to cause danger to traffic by obscuring the view.
- Signs may be illuminated, but such illumination shall be of white light, either direct or diffused. Other forms of illumination are not permitted.
- No sign shall be a flashing, moving, rotating, oscillating or similar type. Buildings or structures may not be outlined by tubing or strings of lights for advertising purposes.
- All signs must be constructed of durable materials and kept in good condition. Dilapidated, faded, torn or structurally unsound signs, or signs that loosen from their mountings or endanger public safety or property must be removed or repaired within five days of notification.
- No sign, pennant, banner or flag that is harmful to minors shall be permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Elsmere Town

- Legal notices, such as but not limited to signs used to 'post' property to prevent trespassing, hunting, trapping, etc., are permitted.
- Public announcements to advertise public benefits of churches, fire companies, other public charitable or religious events and also public sales of an individual's household goods, farm equipment, stock or property are permitted, provided the event is held within the Town, the notices are not posted for more than three weeks prior to the event and are removed within 48 hours following the event.
- Official signs, erected by a public authority or public utility, such as highway signs, railroad crossings, warning signs, and any sign required by governmental or utility authority in connection with the identification, operation or protection of property or activity are permitted.
- Professional, accessory use or name signs indicating the profession or activity of the occupant of a dwelling, or signs indicating the private nature of a driveway or property, subject to specific size and number limits.
- Identification signs, announcement signs, or bulletin boards for churches, schools, hospitals, municipal buildings, clubs, or similar public, charitable, or religious institutions, subject to specific size and location restrictions.
- Warning signs may be placed by property owners to warn of dangers such as hidden driveways, cattle crossings, or traffic directions on private drives, subject to size restrictions.
- Real estate signs advertising individual properties for sale or rent are permitted, subject to specific size and quantity limitations, as long as signs are removed promptly after the property is sold.
- Farmers' signs advertising the sale of farm products produced within the Town may be erected under specific conditions.
- Directional signs relating to uses located in the Town may be erected off the property of use, subject to limitations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No explicit indication in the provided ordinance text of requirements for a master sign plan, sign plan, or variance meeting. Permitting, size, and other requirements are listed for individual sign types and permit conditions, but no requirement for a 'sign plan' or similar document is stated in the text provided.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Elsmere Town, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Elsmere+Town+DE&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-elsmere-town

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/delaware/elsmere-town