# Sign Regulations in Bartow, Florida

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bartow, Florida (FL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/florida/bartow
- **Data last verified:** 2026-04-27
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us/api/ordinanceDownload/12765/1399446/pdf#page=187)

## At a glance

Bartow, Florida regulates 71 sign types across 10 zoning districts. Drive‑Thru Restaurant Menu Boards in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 6 ft structure height max tall and 32 sq ft sign face per menu board, with a At least as far back from right‑of‑way as the front of the restaurant; must also respect visibility triangle rules. setback (Sec. 4.07.08). Most commercial signs in Bartow require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (10 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 13 | 6 ft structure height max | 32 sq ft sign face per menu board | — |
| Existing Commercial Corridor District | 5 | 16 ft max overall height; 10 ft minimum clearance from ground to bottom of sign | 120 sq ft total signage per development site (all permitted signs combined) | — |
| Historic Downtown District | 9 | — | Varies by Gross Leasable Area (GLA): 40–200 sq ft per business | — |
| Historic Neighborhood District | 5 | 5 ft maximum structure height | 56 sq ft per development site | — |
| General Sign District (All areas zoned P-1, P-2, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, I-1, I-2, PI, PR, CN not in Corridor/Downtown/Historic Neighborhood) | 5 | 5 ft maximum structure height | 100 sq ft per development site | — |
| Center Signs (Centers and New Auto Dealerships – applicable in commercial/General/ Corridor type districts) | 9 | 30 ft max height; 10 ft min clearance | 220 sq ft max sign face area | — |
| Service Centers (e.g., Wal‑Mart Super Centers, Target) | 4 | 20 ft max height; 10 ft min clearance | Per‑service‑center building‑mounted max varies by GLA: 150–250 sq ft | — |
| Churches (All Zones) | 2 | 8 ft maximum height | 64 sq ft maximum | — |
| Residential Zoning Districts (R-1-5A, R-1-4A, R-1-3A, R-1-2A, R-1A, R-1B, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, M where rezoned/residential context) | 12 | 8 ft maximum height | 48 sq ft maximum sign face and structure as seen from one side | — |
| General Prohibited and Exempt Signs (Applies to All Zones) | 13 | 6 ft maximum | 16 sq ft maximum | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 10 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All Signs - General Permit Requirement | — | — | — | — | — | All zoning districts, all sign types unless specifically exempted | — | 4.01.00(A) |
| Street Address Numbers | Not less than 3 inches in character height | — | — | — | — | On buildings; visible from a public thoroughfare | — | 4.01.00(B) |
| Historic Signs / Landmark Signs | — | — | — | — | — | As approved by City Commission | — | 4.01.00(C) |
| All Signs - Maintenance | — | — | — | — | — | All signs citywide | — | 4.01.00(D), 4.09.00 |
| All Signs - Location / Visibility Triangle | — | — | — | Out of any visibility triangle formed by public or private ingress/egress, as determined by Building Official, where referenced. | — | All districts | — | 4.01.00(G); repeated in multiple specific sign provisions |
| Master Sign Plan | — | Must not exceed maximum permitted total sign area otherwise allowed under regulations for entire development; plan must clearly set forth this maximum | — | Must comply with underlying district/setback rules; no additional flexibility granted for setbacks unless via variance process, not Master Sign Plan. | — | Planned developments, shopping centers, office/industrial parks, universities, colleges, medical centers, institutional campuses, community heritage facilities, or merchant associations within a specified area | — | 4.01.00(I) |
| Drive‑Thru Restaurant Menu Board | 6 ft structure height max | 32 sq ft sign face per menu board | — | At least as far back from right‑of‑way as the front of the restaurant; must also respect visibility triangle rules. | 1 per drive‑thru lane | Per drive‑thru lane; setback at least as far as the front of the restaurant building | — | 4.07.08 |
| Entrance / Exit / Private Parking Directional Sign (Small) | < 2 ft | 4 sq ft sign face max | — | — | — | Only on private property of professional, commercial and industrial development sites | — | 4.07.09 |

### Center Signs (Centers and New Auto Dealerships – applicable in commercial/General/ Corridor type districts)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Center Pole Sign (≤5 Businesses) | 20 ft max height; 10 ft min clearance | 110 sq ft max sign face area | — | No setback required if no structural element extends beyond property line and visibility is maintained. | 1 per frontage on arterial/collector | One per frontage on arterial or collector highway for centers with up to and including 5 businesses | — | 4.07.06(A)(1)(a) and Figure 4 table (rightmost column) |
| Center Pole Sign (≥6 Businesses or New Auto Dealership) | 30 ft max height; 10 ft min clearance | 220 sq ft max sign face area | — | No setback required if no structural element extends beyond property line and visibility maintained. | 1 per frontage on arterial/collector | Centers with 6 or more businesses and new auto dealerships, one per frontage on arterial or collector highway | — | 4.07.06(A)(1)(b) and Figure 4 |
| Center Ground Mounted Sign (≤5 Businesses) | 8 ft max height | 64 sq ft sign face/structure as measured from one side | — | At property line if ≤2 ft high; otherwise outside visibility triangle per Building Official. | Max 2 per center overall | Centers with up to and including 5 businesses; one ground sign per arterial/collector frontage | — | 4.07.06(A)(2)(a) |
| Center Ground Mounted Sign (≥6 Businesses or New Auto Dealership) | 10 ft max height | 96 sq ft sign face/structure as measured from one side | — | At property line if ≤2 ft high; otherwise outside visibility triangle per Building Official. | Up to 3 per development site per arterial/collector frontage | Centers with 6+ businesses and new auto dealerships; 1 sign per first 400 ft of frontage with 1 additional per extra 300 ft, up to 3 per development site per arterial/collector frontage | — | 4.07.06(A)(2)(b) and Figure 5 |
| Theater Freestanding Pole Sign (in Center ≥5 Acres) - Option 1 | 20 ft max; 10 ft min clearance | 110 sq ft total sign face area | — | No setback from property line if no part extends beyond property line. | 1 per theater | Movie theatre in shopping center ≥5 acres | — | 4.07.06(A)(3)(a) |
| Theater Freestanding Ground Mounted Sign (in Center ≥5 Acres) - Option 2 | 10 ft max height | 96 sq ft sign face/structure as measured from one side | — | At property line if ≤2 ft high; otherwise outside visibility triangle per Building Official. | 1 per theater | Movie theatre in shopping center ≥5 acres | — | 4.07.06(A)(3)(b) |
| Directional Sign (Large Center/Internal Directional) | If pole‑mounted: 9.5 ft max height with 6.5 ft clearance; if ground‑mounted: 3 ft max height | 24 sq ft max area (inclusive of sign cabinet) | — | Minimum 7.5 ft setback from public right‑of‑way; must comply with all visibility requirements in code. | 1 per primary customer entrance | Centers with ≥6 businesses and new auto dealerships on parcels >10 acres; allowed only at entrances fronting on collector or local roads or on approved frontage/backage roads per Corridor Access Management Plan. | — | 4.07.06(A)(4) |
| Business Building‑Mounted Signs in Center | — | Per‑business maximum building‑mounted area varies by GLA: 50–250 sq ft | — | — | No numeric limit per business, constrained by per‑business max area | On individual businesses within a center (shopping, professional, medical, auto dealers) | — | 4.07.06(B) |

### Residential Zoning Districts (R-1-5A, R-1-4A, R-1-3A, R-1-2A, R-1A, R-1B, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, M where rezoned/residential context)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Approved Special Use Ground Mounted Sign | 4 ft maximum structure height | 16 sq ft maximum sign face/structure as seen from one side | — | Signs ≤2 ft high may be constructed at property line; others must be set back outside visibility triangle per Building Official. | 1 ground sign per special use site | On development sites with special uses approved by special exception in residential zoning districts (e.g., tearooms, bed & breakfast inns, churches, gift/antique shops) | — | 4.07.12.01 and 4.07.12.01(C) |
| Approved Special Use Building Mounted Sign | — | Counted within total 24 sq ft allowable signage per special‑use development site | — | — | 1 per development site | On buildings associated with approved special uses in residential districts | — | 4.07.12.01(B),(C) |
| Yard or Garage Sale Sign | 4 ft maximum | 4 sq ft maximum | — | — | — | On site of yard/garage sale (residential) | — | 4.07.12.02 |
| Development Sign (Residential/Mobile Home/Condo/Apartment/Campus Entrances) - Ground Mounted | 4 ft maximum height | 48 sq ft maximum sign face and structure as seen from one side | — | At property line if ≤2 ft high; otherwise outside visibility triangle per Building Official. | 2 per approved entrance | At entrances to subdivision, manufactured home community, condominium or apartment complex, or campus | — | 4.07.12.04(A),(B) |
| Model Home Center / Sales Office Flag | — | 15 sq ft maximum per flag | — | — | Up to 3 per model home lot plus 4 per development entrance | Within single‑family community model home centers and sales offices in approved Planned Development | — | 4.07.12.06(A) |
| Model Home Center / Sales Office Ground Mounted Sign | 8 ft maximum height | 24 sq ft maximum total area | — | — | 1 per model home lot and 1 per entrance | At each model home lot and at each entrance to the development | — | 4.07.12.06(B) |
| Model Home Center Temporary Weekend Signs | 3 ft maximum | 3 sq ft maximum | — | — | — | On site of model home center/sales office | — | 4.07.12.06(C) |
| Multi‑Family Community Ground Mounted Sign (Promotional) | 6 ft max height for 16 sq ft signs; height not explicitly restated for 24 sq ft entry signs (assumed similar or governed by general standards) | 16 sq ft max per sign along frontage; 24 sq ft max per sign at each entry | — | — | 1 per 75 ft frontage plus 1 per entry | Along collector roadway frontage and at each entry to multi‑family community | — | 4.07.12.07(B),(C) |

## Prohibited signs in Bartow

- No sign shall be constructed, erected, altered, or extended without first obtaining a City sign permit, except for exempt signs listed in Section 4.04.00.
- No sign may be located so as to block a Clear Visibility Triangle as established in the ULDC.
- Signs may not be in violation of the adopted building or electrical codes.
- Any sign that, in the opinion of the City Administration, constitutes a safety hazard is prohibited.
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic or government signs or signals are prohibited.
- Signs attached to trees, telephone poles, power poles, public benches, streetlights, or placed on any public property or public right‑of‑way are prohibited.
- Signs placed on vehicles or trailers that advertise and are permanently parked or located off premises for the primary purpose of displaying the sign are prohibited (except lettering on buses, taxis, or vehicles operating during the normal course of business).
- Signs with the optical illusion of movement by means of a design that presents a pattern capable of giving the illusion of motion or changing of copy are prohibited.
- Any sign obstructing traffic visibility is prohibited.
- Signs with moving, revolving, or rotating parts are prohibited.
- Signs with lights or illumination that flash, move, rotate, blink, flicker, or vary in intensity or color are prohibited, except on theater marquees and electronic message boards that display community messages and time‑temperature‑date information.
- Illuminated signs of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair the vision of motorists, cyclists, or pedestrians using or entering a public right‑of‑way, or that are a hazard or nuisance to occupants of any property because of glare or other characteristics, are prohibited.
- Signs emitting sound, odors, smoke, or steam are prohibited.
- Billboards and all other off‑premises signs are prohibited.
- Temporary signs (as a general category) are prohibited, except where specifically allowed elsewhere in Article 4 (e.g., grand opening signs, garage sale signs, certain promotional signs).
- Portable signs are prohibited.
- Inflatable signs and advertising balloons are prohibited.
- Signs consisting of one or more banners, flags, pennants, ribbons, spinners, streamers or captive balloons, or other objects or material fastened in such a manner as to move in the wind, and searchlights, lasers, skyjectors, equipment and other paraphernalia used to advertise or promote a business or to attract customers to a property are prohibited, except as permitted in Section 4.07.08 and 4.07.10.
- Roof‑mounted signs are prohibited.
- Pendant signs are prohibited.
- All signs must be maintained in a safe, clean, and legible condition and in accordance with adopted building and electrical codes; failure to maintain is treated as noncompliance.
- Nonconforming sign structures that become damaged and are deemed by the Building Official not to comply with building code must be removed within 30 days and replaced only with conforming signs.
- All nonconforming on‑premises signs must be brought into compliance or removed within 20 years of the effective date of the Article, and nonconforming temporary, portable, banner‑type and similar “illegal” signs must be removed within one month of the effective date.
- Within the City, no billboard or other off‑premise sign shall be permitted after the effective date of the Article, except as allowed for compensation under state law and for specified amortization periods.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bartow

- Signs that are not designed or located so as to be visible from any street or adjoining property are exempt from these sign regulations and from the permit requirement, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Signs necessary to promote health, safety and welfare, and other regulatory, statutory, traffic control or directional signs erected on public property are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Legal notices and official instruments are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Holiday lights and decorations are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Memorial signs or tablets containing names of buildings, dates of erection and other information when inscribed in a masonry surface or metal plaque and permanently affixed to the side of a building are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Public warning signs to indicate the dangers of trespassing, swimming, animals or similar hazards are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Signs carried by a person are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Religious displays erected on church grounds are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Construction signs not exceeding 16 square feet in size are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Real estate yard signs not exceeding six square feet in size and six feet in height, advertising that the premises is for sale, rent or lease, located on the front property line but not within the visibility triangle, are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Political signs for candidates qualified for office, displayed on private property only, during the time periods specified in Section 4.04.00(K) and removed within 10 days after the applicable election, are exempt, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- The American, State, or City flag, when displayed properly, is not a sign under these regulations and is exempt regardless of number, provided it is not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.
- Water towers are exempt signs, provided they are not placed or constructed so as to create a hazard of any kind.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is required for the construction, erection, alteration, or extension of any sign unless the sign is specifically listed as exempt in Section 4.04.00. The City reviews every such permit application and issues a permit only when the sign complies with Article 4 and other applicable City codes.
- Engineering plans for a sign may be required at the discretion of the Building Official for any sign.
- Variances for sign structure setback, height, sign face size, or total signage for a development site are considered by the City’s Board of Adjustment pursuant to Section 7.11.00 (variance process required for relief from these standards).
- A Master Sign Plan is an optional alternative to the standard sign regulations for larger‑scale developments and/or shopping districts; it is intended to provide flexibility in the types, number, and sign area of individual signs while keeping the overall maximum sign area for the development at or below what Article 4 would otherwise permit. A Master Sign Plan cannot be used to authorize prohibited sign types, additional sign height, or greater total sign area than would otherwise be allowed on the development site.
- For a Master Sign Plan, the applicant must submit a coordinated sign plan and associated regulations/standards, plus any additional material requested, to the Planning Director; the plan must clearly state the maximum total sign area permitted under the code for the entire development, and how that area is allocated among individual signs.
- A Master Sign Plan must be reviewed and approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission; public comment on a proposed Master Sign Plan is allowed at that hearing.
- Community Heritage Signs must be approved through the Master Sign Plan approval process, and the application must include documentation and justification regarding number and type of signs, copy area, height, location, and materials; if located in the Historic District, a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Architectural Review Board is also required.
- Development signs for subdivisions, manufactured home communities, condominiums, apartment complexes, or campuses are to be addressed and may be approved during development review, rezoning, subdivision, conditional use, planned unit development, or DRI processes, and may depart from standard regulations in that context (functioning as project‑level sign plan approvals).

## 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 10 zoning districts in Bartow — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Bartow+FL&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-bartow

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