# Sign Regulations in Key West, Florida

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Key West, Florida (FL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/florida/key-west
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/FL/Key_West/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=SPBLADERE_CH114SI)

## At a glance

Key West, Florida regulates 22 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Vertical Projecting Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 18 feet vertical height tall and 40 sq ft horizontally projected area (any angle) (Sec. Sec. 114-38). Most commercial signs in Key West require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 18 feet vertical height | 224 sq ft horizontally projected area | — |
| Single-family districts | 4 | — | 8 sq ft per quarter acre, max 32 sq ft | — |
| Multiple-family residential districts | 2 | — | 8 sq ft per quarter acre, max 32 sq ft | — |
| Residential districts | 4 | — | 8 sq ft per quarter acre, max 32 sq ft | — |
| Historic zoning districts, Historic district, Entertainment Corridor zone, Traditional Commercial Corridor zone, Peripheral Commercial-Residential Corridor zone | 3 | — | 80 sq ft per frontage (maximum) | — |
| Boulevard safety zone | 2 | Max 20 ft above nearest curb elevation; minimum 8' above curb | No single face >32 sq ft, aggregate max 64 sq ft | — |
| Boulevard appearance zone | 3 | Max 20 ft above nearest curb elevation; minimum 8' above curb | No single face >32 sq ft, aggregate 64 sq ft | — |
| New Town commercial district (CL, CG, CT) | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Must not obstruct door, window, or fire escape; Not permitted on nonconforming buildings; Permission of property owner required. | — | Sec. 114-31; Sec. 114-32; Sec. 114-33; Sec. 114-34 |
| Flat Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Mounted on wall, typically as part of landscape feature. | — | Sec. 114-36 |
| Horizontal Projecting Sign | — | 24 sq ft horizontally projected area (any angle) | — | — | — | May project no more than 7' from building wall; 12" clear space adjacent to wall. | — | Sec. 114-37 |
| Vertical Projecting Sign | 18 feet vertical height | 40 sq ft horizontally projected area (any angle) | — | — | — | Projects up to 4' from wall; Cannot extend >5' above after top of parapet/eave. | — | Sec. 114-38 |
| Roof Sign | 14 feet above roof | 224 sq ft horizontally projected area | — | — | — | Erected on roof; must provide 6' vertical clear space above roof over 75% of length. | — | Sec. 114-39 |
| Pole Sign | — | 30 sq ft horizontally projected area (any angle) | — | — | — | On pole structure; must comply with clearance over city property. | — | Sec. 114-40 |
| Marquee Sign | 6 feet overall height | — | — | — | — | On marquee (projecting structure): intrinsic to marquee, contains business name/advertising. | — | Sec. 114-41 |
| Construction Sign (on construction wall) | — | 20% of wall area fronting public street | — | — | — | Construction walls required by city, fronting public street. | — | Sec. 114-42 |

### Single-family districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate or Professional Nameplate (Nonilluminated) | — | 2 sq ft | — | 12 ft setback from property and right-of-way lines | — | On premise; 12' minimum setback from all property and right-of-way lines. | — | Sec. 114-72, Sec. 114-71 |
| Projecting or Pole Sign (Nonilluminated, Public/Semipublic Use) | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | For permitted public and semipublic uses. | — | Sec. 114-73 |
| Construction Sign | — | — | — | — | — | In connection with new construction work. | — | Sec. 114-31(1) |
| Real Estate / For Sale / For Lease / Open for Inspection Sign | — | 8 sq ft per quarter acre, max 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On premises; only 1 per lot or parcel. | — | Sec. 114-75 |

### Residential districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate or Professional Nameplate (Nonilluminated) | — | 2 sq ft (Single-family), 6 sq ft (Multi-family) | — | 12 ft setback from property and right-of-way lines for single-family properties | — | On premise (see zone subtypes for multifamily) | — | Sec. 114-72, Sec. 114-74 |
| Projecting or Pole Sign (Nonilluminated, Public/Semipublic Use) | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | For permitted public and semipublic uses. | — | Sec. 114-73 |
| Construction Sign | — | — | — | — | — | In connection with new construction work. | — | Sec. 114-31(1) |
| Real Estate / For Sale / For Lease / Open for Inspection Sign | — | 8 sq ft per quarter acre, max 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On premises; only 1 per lot or parcel. | — | Sec. 114-75 |

## Prohibited signs in Key West

- No notice, sign or any advertising matter shall be posted on any tree or telephone pole on city streets, nor on the walls of any city building, nor on any city property, except legal, election and similar notices on bulletin boards (Sec. 114-2(1)).
- It is unlawful to post advertising matter on any unoccupied building or temporary structure in the city, except by the owner or someone acting under the owner's authority (Sec. 114-3).
- It is unlawful to stencil, write, paint, erect or place advertising signs or notes upon the surface of any street or sidewalk, except signs or decorations placed by the city (Sec. 114-4).
- It is unlawful to wrongfully and maliciously tear down, deface or cover up any lawfully posted advertisement or bill while it still has value (Sec. 114-5).
- No sign shall be constructed in such a manner as to obstruct any door, window or fire escape on any building (Sec. 114-31(3)).
- Signs having a structural framework will not be permitted on buildings which are nonconforming for any reason (Sec. 114-31(4)).
- No sign shall be erected closer than five feet to any overhead electrical conductor where the voltage between any two conductors or between one conductor and ground exceeds 750 volts (Sec. 114-31(5)).
- No sign of any kind shall be attached to any private wall, window, door, gate, fence or other private structure except with the written permission of the owner or lessee (Sec. 114-35).
- No sign of any character shall be suspended across any public street, avenue or alley, nor painted, pasted, printed or nailed on any curb or sidewalk or upon any tree, light standard, utility pole, hydrant, bridge, or any structures, other than awning, except with permission of the city commission (Sec. 114-35).
- Sign permits will not be issued if, in the opinion of the building official, the sign will constitute a hazard of any kind (Sec. 114-34).
- Projecting or pole-mounted signs over public right-of-way must be erected/repaired by a licensed sign erection contractor or general contractor; electrical work must be performed by a licensed electrical contractor (Sec. 114-31(6)).
- No signage is allowed within boulevard safety zones, except freestanding signs in compliance with section 114-137(a), and permitted facade signs (Sec. 114-137(a)).
- No mobile (movable) signs shall be displayed in the boulevard appearance zone (Sec. 114-138(a)(3)).

## Signs exempt from permit in Key West

- Legal, election, and similar notices may be posted on bulletin boards on city property (Sec. 114-2(1)).
- Charitable 501(c)(3) organizations may advertise local fundraising events on 3' by 5' banner signs attached to city-owned fencing and walls, subject to timing restrictions (Sec. 114-2(2)a).
- Locally licensed real estate agents, brokers, or property managers can place open house signage and flags on the city rights-of-way under defined conditions, with a hold harmless agreement (Sec. 114-2(2)b).
- Exemption from Sec. 114-3: Owners or persons acting under the authority of owners may post advertising on unoccupied buildings or temporary structures (Sec. 114-3).
- Historic markers are exempt from regulation in Article II and are not counted as a sign if only one per property placed by a private entity (Sec. 114-43).
- Temporary signs, political signs, and real estate signs no greater than 32 square feet in aggregate area are exempt from the limitation on number of freestanding signs in boulevard appearance zones (Sec. 114-138(a)(2)).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Permission of the owner or lessee for a sign must be indicated by letter or signature on the plans, which are to be filed with the building official (Sec. 114-32).
- All stress calculations for a sign may be required at the discretion of the building official (Sec. 114-33).
- A hold harmless agreement is required for open house signage/flags on city rights-of-way (Sec. 114-2(2)b).
- Permits for temporary real estate signs in residential zones must be applied for in person by the owner or lessee, with proof of ownership or tenancy, and all such permits expire in six months (Sec. 114-75(4)).
- Site plans for signs may be required under cross-referenced Sec. 108-285.
- Appeals from the building official's decision regarding sign safety/hazard are to the city commission, whose decision is final (Sec. 114-34).
- Variance from boulevard zone sign requirements may be granted by the planning board after notice and application (Sec. 114-140).

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

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