# Sign Regulations in Greenville, Georgia

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Greenville, Georgia (GA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/georgia/greenville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/GA/Greenville/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_APXAZO_ART9SI)

## At a glance

Greenville, Georgia regulates 24 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Billboards in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 25 ft max (from grade at sign or adjacent street) tall, 300 sq ft (12' × 25'), and 25 ft wide, with a 10 ft from R.O.W.; minimum 100 ft from residential zone; 300 ft from school/park/church/etc. setback (Sec. 9.7). Most commercial signs in Greenville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 24 | 25 ft max (from grade at sign or adjacent street) | 300 sq ft (12' × 25') | — |
| General Commercial District (GC), Industrial District (I) | 1 | 25 ft (measured from adjacent street grade or sign grade if higher) | 300 sq ft (12' × 25') | — |
| Rural Residential (RR), Single-Family Residential (R-20), Multi-Family Residential (R-40) | 2 | — | 64 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pole Sign | 20 ft (commercial/industrial districts); See 9.4-1 | — | — | Signs with lower edge less than 10 ft above ground must be set back 10 ft from R.O.W. | See Table 9.1: up to 3 per individual establishment | Must not extend over public right-of-way, setbacks depend on sign height from ground. | — | 9.4-1, 9.3-2, 9.8-2 |
| Ground Sign | Less than 3 ft: any; Otherwise, must comply with setbacks. | 40 sq ft (9.4-2) | — | 3 ft from R.O.W. (if under 3 ft in height), 10 ft from R.O.W. otherwise | See Table 9.1 | 3 ft setback from R.O.W. if under 3 ft in height. Otherwise, 10 ft setback from R.O.W. | — | 9.4-2, 9.3-2, 9.8-2 |
| Wall Sign | May not extend more than 4 ft above parapet wall; If projecting more than 4" from wall, must be 8 ft above ground. | 200 sq ft per wall (individual business); 10% of facade (multi-business/shopping center) | — | — | Table 9.1: 3 total per establishment | Fastened flat to building, may project up to 12"; if over 4" projection, bottom must be 8 ft above ground. | — | 9.4-3 |
| Roof Sign | May not exceed ridge line of roof; not on flat roofs. | 64 sq ft | — | — | See Table 9.1 | On roof; must not extend beyond wall face; not permitted on flat roofs. | — | 9.4-5 |
| Billboard | 25 ft max (from grade at sign or adjacent street) | 300 sq ft (12' × 25') | 25 ft | 10 ft from R.O.W.; minimum 100 ft from residential zone; 300 ft from school/park/church/etc. | One per structure per direction; must be 1,000 ft apart on same side | Only in General Commercial (GC) and Industrial (I) districts; Not within 100 ft of residential, or 300 ft to certain uses | — | 9.7 |
| Temporary Political Sign | 8 ft | 16 sq ft | — | 10 ft from right-of-way | — | Ground or pole sign only; setback 10 ft from R.O.W. | — | 9.5-3(b), 9.8-2(b) |
| Announcing Sign (Nonbusiness) | — | 10 sq ft | — | 10 ft from right-of-way | 1 per lot | Ground or wall sign; 10 ft setback from R.O.W. | — | 9.5-2(a), Table 9.2 |
| Commemorative Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | 10 ft from R.O.W. | 1 per lot | Ground or wall sign; 10 ft setback from R.O.W. | — | 9.5-2(b), Table 9.2 |

### General Commercial District (GC), Industrial District (I)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Billboard | 25 ft (measured from adjacent street grade or sign grade if higher) | 300 sq ft (12' × 25') | 25 ft | 10 ft from right-of-way; 100 ft from residential; 300 ft from certain public uses. | One per structure per direction; billboards must be 1,000 ft apart (same side) | Permitted only in General Commercial and Industrial Districts; Must be minimum 100 ft from residential district and 300 ft from parks, schools, churches, etc. | — | 9.7 |

### Rural Residential (RR), Single-Family Residential (R-20), Multi-Family Residential (R-40)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Residential Dwelling) | — | 2 sq ft | — | 3 ft from right-of-way | 1 per family | 3 ft setback from R.O.W.; 1 per family | — | Table 9.2 |
| Identification Sign (Residential Subdivision / MHP) | — | 64 sq ft | — | 10 ft from R.O.W. | — | 10 ft setback from R.O.W. | — | Table 9.2 |

## Prohibited signs in Greenville

- No sign or sign structure (above a height of three (3') feet) shall be maintained within fifteen (15') feet of the intersection of the right-of-way lines of two (2) streets, or of a street with a railroad right-of-way, except as specifically allowed.
- Lighted, neon or luminous signs giving off light resulting in glare, blinding or any other adverse effect on traffic shall not be erected.
- Light from illuminated signs shall not adversely affect adjacent properties and roadways and no direct light is to be cast upon adjacent properties and roadways.
- No internally illuminated ground or pole signs shall be erected within fifty (50') feet of any dwelling within a residential district.
- No sign shall be erected if it contains, or is illuminated by, any flashing, intermittent or moving light or lights except an electronic message board sign.
- No sign shall be erected which simulates an official traffic control or warning sign so as to confuse or mislead the traffic or hide from view any traffic or street sign or signal.
- No sign shall be erected, attached, or maintained which obstructs any fire escape, any means of egress or ventilation or which prevents free passage from one part of a roof to any other part thereof.
- No sign shall be erected, attached, painted or drawn on any tree, rock or other natural feature, retaining wall or utility post along the public right-of-way.
- Signs that will pose public safety hazards are prohibited.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited and must be removed upon notification by the Codes Enforcement officer.
- Animated signs (including series, lines or rows or electric, neon signs involving motion) are prohibited.
- Bench signs (benches, trash cans, and devices with advertising) are prohibited.
- Projecting signs that project more than twelve (12") inches from the building surface are prohibited.
- Portable signs, including hot air balloons and gas/air inflatable signs, are prohibited.
- Temporary signs are prohibited except as otherwise permitted or exempted from these regulations.
- Moving signs are prohibited.
- Pendants and streamers are prohibited.
- Banners are prohibited except as permitted for special events.
- Billboards are prohibited outside General Commercial (GC) and Industrial (I) districts.
- Billboards may not be located within 300 feet of public parks, playgrounds, schools, recreational areas, historic sites, churches, or similar institutions, nor within 100 feet of a residential district.
- No billboard shall be erected within 1,000 feet of another billboard on the same side of the street.
- No sign shall be erected without a permit unless specifically exempted.
- All signs must be located on private property except government signs as allowed by state law.
- Signs must comply with state law regarding location.
- Any sign that obstructs corner visibility or causes hazard to traffic is prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Greenville

- Official court or government notices or the flag emblem or insignia of a nation, political unit, or school are not considered 'signs' under this ordinance.
- The provisions and regulations of the Ordinance do not apply to the ordinary servicing, repairing, cleaning, or changing of the message of a sign without a change in structure.
- Signs for which a permit is not required: the ordinance does not specify a list of fully exempted sign types, but changing the message of an existing sign without alteration of structure is generally exempt.
- Direction signs erected only by churches, government agencies, and non-profit organizations for the purpose of providing direction to such entities are permitted as non-business signs.
- Maintenance of signs is allowed without a permit provided the structure is not altered.
- The installation of certain signs by city, state, or government agencies as permitted by state law and not regulated by the city zoning ordinance.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No permit shall be issued until an application accompanied with a sign plan is approved by the City Clerk and fees paid as posted in City Hall.
- A sign permit is required before a sign may be erected, attached to, suspended from or supported on a building or structure, and before an existing sign may be enlarged, relocated or materially improved to an extent of sixty (60%) percent of its total replacement value.
- All applications for building permits for new construction must be accompanied by plans drawn to scale that show the location of all signs.
- Site plan approval, which includes sign locations, is required for manufactured home park developments and for non-residential/commercial developments as specified elsewhere in the zoning ordinance. The application for signage in such developments must be included in the larger site plan application process.
- A sign permit application must include plans that identify the locations of signs and other applicable information that the City Clerk may require.
- Temporary sign permits (for special event signs and political signs) must be applied for, accompanied by a sign plan and a cash bond.

## Full detail

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

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