# Sign Regulations in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (DE)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/delaware/rehoboth-beach
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/7273082#7273082)

## At a glance

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware regulates 31 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Temporary Real Estate Signs in the R-1 Residence District, R-1(S) Residence District zoning district are capped at 10 feet tall and 6 square feet, with a No nearer than 5 feet to the front property line setback (Sec. § 270-58(B)(2)). Most commercial signs in Rehoboth Beach require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1 Residence District, R-1(S) Residence District | 6 | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| R-2 District, ER District | 7 | 10 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| Commercial District | 19 | 48 inches | 100 square feet on a side | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | — | 1 square foot | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### R-1 Residence District, R-1(S) Residence District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate Sign | — | 1.5 square feet | — | No sign shall be placed closer to the property line than five feet. | 1 per lot | — | — | § 270-61(A) |
| Announcing Sign | — | 16 square feet | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Per street frontage of a building under construction or alteration. | — | § 270-58(A) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | § 270-58(B)(1) |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | 10 feet | 6 square feet | — | No nearer than 5 feet to the front property line | 1 per street frontage, 2 if on corner lot | May be freestanding on posts or bracket from building | — | § 270-58(B)(2) |
| Yard Sale Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | § 270-58(D) |
| Subdivision Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 per street entrance | At entrance to subdivision on property to be subdivided | — | § 270-58(C) |

### R-2 District, ER District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate Sign | — | 1.5 square feet | — | No sign placed closer than five feet to the front property line | 1 per lot | — | — | § 270-63(A), § 270-61(A) |
| Identification Sign (Boarding, Rooming or Tourist Home, Apartment House) | — | 2 square feet | — | No sign placed closer than five feet to the front property line | 1 per use | — | — | § 270-63(B) |
| Announcing Sign | — | 16 square feet | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Per street frontage of a building under construction or alteration. | — | § 270-58(A), § 270-63(A) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | § 270-58(B)(1), § 270-63(A) |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | 10 feet | 6 square feet | — | No nearer than 5 feet to the front property line | 1 per street frontage, 2 if on corner lot | May be freestanding on posts or bracket from building | — | § 270-58(B)(2), § 270-63(A) |
| Yard Sale Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | § 270-58(D), § 270-63(A) |
| Subdivision Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 per street entrance | At entrance to subdivision on property to be subdivided | — | § 270-58(C), § 270-63(A) |

### Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Lower than 25 feet | 100 square feet on a side | — | — | Up to 3 wall signs per business (total signs per business: 5) | Affixed to the building; up to 3 signs on building | — | § 270-65(A), (C), (E)(1) |
| Ground / Pole Sign (Business) | — | — | — | At least 3 feet from public sidewalk or pedestrian way | — | Set back minimum 3 feet from public sidewalk/pedestrian way | — | § 270-65(A), (E)(2) |
| Ground / Pole Sign (Shopping Center/Office Complex Directory) | Not taller than eave of nearest building (except Route 1: up to 30 ft) | 4.5 square feet per face (except those w/ access from Delaware Route 1: up to 50 sq. ft. per face) | 3 feet (except Route 1: up to 10 ft) | — | 1 per group/center | One per group of stores or offices not all facing the street; does not count against business area/number limits | — | § 270-66(E)(2)(b) |
| Ground / Pole Sign (Menu Board for Restaurant Side w/o Main Entrance) | — | 3 sq. ft. (24 in x 18 in) | 24 inches | — | — | On side of restaurant other than side with main entrance | — | § 270-66(E)(2)(c) |
| Directory Sign (in front of Church or Multi-business Structure) | 7 feet | 4 square feet | — | — | — | Front of structure; must be parallel to building unless front yard/courtyard exists, then may be perpendicular. | — | § 270-66(E)(2)(d) |
| Freestanding Sign (Temporary) | 48 inches | 6 square feet per face | — | — | One on right-of-way per business | Private property/setback; if not feasible, may be on public right-of-way against building | — | § 270-66(E)(7)(d) |
| Projecting Sign | 15 feet above surface below | 4.5 square feet on each side | 3 feet | — | 1 per building side | On side of building where sign is permitted; not allowed for businesses with primary entrance on Boardwalk | — | § 270-66(E)(9) |
| Construction Sign | — | 6 square feet per face | — | — | 1 per front and back | On property of building under construction; one per front and rear | — | § 270-66(E)(7)(g) |

## Prohibited signs in Rehoboth Beach

- No person shall keep, maintain or post any private advertisement, poster or sign upon or on any beach or strand or public boardwalk, park, sidewalk, street or other public property or way within the limits of the City of Rehoboth Beach.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained in any district other than signs of the character, size and construction expressly authorized by the ordinance.
- Signs shall not be lighted in any manner which may constitute a traffic hazard, constitute a nuisance, interfere with pedestrian movements, or point directly into windows of adjacent or nearby properties.
- No sign shall be erected in any district that provides blinking, moving, animation, revolving, chaser lights, or moving spotlights.
- No sign shall be permitted to be maintained or used in the City contrary to the provisions of the ordinance.
- No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any street any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device which purports to be or is an imitation of or resembles an official traffic control device or railroad sign or signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic, or which hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic control device or any railroad sign or signal.
- No person shall place or maintain nor shall any lawful authority permit upon any street any traffic sign or signal bearing thereon any commercial advertising, and no person shall attach to any traffic sign or signal any other sign containing commercial advertising.
- No person shall maintain or permit to be maintained on any premises owned or controlled by him any sign which is in a dangerous or defective condition.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited and shall be removed by the owner of the sign or the owner of the premises.
- No sign that is constructed, erected, or being maintained in violation of the ordinance or that endangers public safety is permitted and shall be removed.
- Permanent signs applicable to a business temporarily suspended because of a change of ownership or management of such business shall not be deemed abandoned unless the property remains vacant for a period of six months or more.

## Signs exempt from permit in Rehoboth Beach

- Signs not exceeding one square foot in area and bearing only property numbers, post box numbers or names of occupants of the premises.
- Flags and insignia of any government, except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
- Legal notices, identification, information or directional signs erected by governmental bodies.
- Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, including murals and facade art, except letters, trademarks, moving parts or moving lights.
- Signs directing and guiding traffic and parking on private property, but bearing no advertising matter.
- This section (prohibiting posting of signs on public property) shall not apply to any private advertisement, poster or sign on public property or way as of May 1, 2006.
- The prohibition against unauthorized traffic signs does not prohibit the erection upon private property adjacent to streets of signs giving useful directional information and of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No express requirement for a master sign plan or comprehensive sign plan is found in the provided text.
- In commercial districts, a sign permit is required from the Building Inspector (other than real estate signs), per §270-65(A).
- Prior to the issuance of a permit that includes the construction or installation of a sign, the Building Inspector may require an engineering analysis to confirm compliance with building codes and regulations (§270-66(G)).
- For all sign permits, the City Manager shall provide a dated and numbered sticker for each authorized sign, which must be displayed on the sign (§270-68(C)).
- There is no mention of a required variance meeting or master sign plan for general sign approval in the provided ordinance text.

## 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 4 zoning districts in Rehoboth Beach — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Rehoboth+Beach+DE&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-rehoboth-beach

---

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