# Sign Regulations in Parma, Idaho

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Parma, Idaho (ID)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/idaho/parma
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Parma, Idaho regulates 24 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Billboard (Off-Premises)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 12 feet (height above ground to top of sign) tall, 312 square feet, and 26 feet (length) wide (Sec. 5-10-6 B). Most commercial signs in Parma require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1, R-2 | 4 | — | 16 square feet | — |
| R-3 | 5 | — | 24 square feet | — |
| C-1, C-2, M-1, M-2 | 2 | — | Maximum 140 square feet; minimum 64 square feet | — |
| Residential use districts, Agricultural use districts | 1 | — | 32 square feet | — |
| Commercially zoned districts | 1 | 3 feet | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 15 | 12 feet (height above ground to top of sign) | 312 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### R-1, R-2

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Family Name) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per premises | Flush on a building structure | — | 5-10-5 |
| Wall Sign (Home Occupation) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per premises | Flush on a building structure | — | 5-10-5 |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign (Sale or Rental) | — | 8 square feet | — | 5 feet or more from any property line | 1 per premises | 5 feet or more from any property line | — | 5-10-5 |
| Freestanding Sign (Conditional Use) | — | 16 square feet | — | 10 feet or more from any property line | 1 per conditional use | 10 feet or more from any property line | — | 5-10-5 |

### R-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Family Name) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per premises | Flush on a building structure | — | 5-10-5 |
| Wall Sign (Home Occupation) | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per premises | Flush on a building structure | — | 5-10-5 |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign (Sale or Rental) | — | 8 square feet | — | 5 feet or more from any property line | 1 per premises | 5 feet or more from any property line | — | 5-10-5 |
| Freestanding Sign (Special Use) | — | 16 square feet | — | 10 feet or more from any property line | 1 per special use | 10 feet or more from any property line | — | 5-10-5 |
| Freestanding Sign (Permitted Use: Multi-Family, Convalescent, Nursing, Quasi-Commercial) (Option 1) | — | 24 square feet | — | 10 feet or more from any property line | 1 per permitted use | 10 feet or more from any property line | — | 5-10-5 |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | — | On site of construction | — | 5-10-3 A |
| Holiday or Decorative Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Must be outside of vision triangle. | — | 5-10-3 D |
| Memorial Tablet / Historic Tablet | — | — | — | — | — | Built into the walls of buildings | — | 5-10-3 F |
| Window Sign (Commercial Zones) | — | 25% of total window area | — | — | — | Within window | — | 5-10-3 G |
| Political Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Not in public right of way or on utility pole; must maintain vision triangle | — | 5-10-3 H |
| Temporary Business Sign | 3 feet | — | 3 feet | — | 1 per business | Only during business hours; not on sidewalks, streets, or public rights-of-way (except as allowed in commercially zoned districts). | — | 5-10-3 L |
| Portable Sign | 4 feet | — | 8 feet | — | 1 per street frontage | On private commercial property | — | 5-10-6 A |
| Billboard (Off-Premises) | 12 feet (height above ground to top of sign) | 312 square feet | 26 feet (length) | — | 1 per parcel | Freestanding only; single or dual pole | — | 5-10-6 B |

## Prohibited signs in Parma

- Banners, yard sale signs or advertisements, portable temporary signs, or posters which are visible from a public right of way and are tacked, nailed, pasted, posted, painted, chained or attached in any way to any curb, telephone pole, newspaper or similar stand, mailbox, traffic sign, bus bench (except as specifically allowed), electric light or power pole, traffic signal pole, wall, fence, post, fire hydrant, or tree.
- Permits for new billboards, whether poster panels or painted bulletins, proposed to be emplaced after the effective date are not allowed. (Existing billboards may be relocated per specified procedures.)
- Any sign, in the reasonable opinion of city officials (building official, planning director, engineer, or police officer), that creates a hazard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic or the public in general.
- Signs located on property which becomes vacant and unoccupied for thirty days or more, or signs which pertain to a time, event, or purpose which no longer applies.
- Nonconforming signs shall not be replaced, relocated or be structurally altered unless brought into full compliance.
- It is unlawful to mutilate or deface any city street sign.
- Signs imitating or similar to official traffic signs or other official signs which may be confused with official signs or reasonably confuse the public are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Parma

- Construction signs not exceeding fifty square feet, erected no more than sixty days before construction, confined to the site, and removed within thirty days after completion and prior to occupancy.
- Direction or instructional signs that do not advertise a business, but identify restrooms, public telephones, walkways, or provide directions such as parking lot entrance/exit signs.
- Governmental signs for traffic control, direction to public facilities, or regulatory notice, warning, or other public purposes.
- Holiday decorations and decorative signs incidental and commonly associated with any national, local, or religious holiday, provided such signs are outside the vision triangle.
- House numbers, nameplates, home occupation signs, 'no trespassing', 'beware of dog', or 'no dumping' signs.
- Memorial tablets containing the name, date erected, and use of buildings, when built into walls and constructed of bronze, brass, marble, stone, or other noncombustible materials.
- Window signs (except in residential zones), provided total sign area occupies no more than 25% of total window area.
- Political signs, provided they are posted no more than sixty days before an election, removed within two weeks after election day, not destructive to public property upon posting/removal, not posted in public right of way or on utility poles, and vision triangles are maintained. No electric political signs in residential use districts.
- Religious, charitable, educational, institutional or similar signs not exceeding one square foot per three linear feet of main building street frontage, max 32 square feet, allowed within residential or agricultural districts. Such signs may be illuminated, require a permit, and must comply with location requirements.
- Picket signs, provided they are hand carried.
- Temporary signs pertaining to drives or events of civic, philanthropic, educational, or religious organizations, provided signs are not placed more than thirty days before and are removed within seven days after the event.
- Other temporary business signs not exceeding three feet in height or width, one per business, displayed only during business hours, not located on sidewalks, streets, or public rights of way (with exceptions for commercial zoning and subject to specific requirements).
- Signs permitted or required by other provisions of law.
- Searchlights, hot air or helium balloons greater than ten feet in width, or similar devices, if not used to advertise but provide direction or attraction, subject to duration, frequency, and operational limitations.
- Bus stop benches may have securely fastened flat, poster, or painted signs attached to back supports/rests; portable signs may not be chained, tied, propped, or affixed to benches.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Billboards seeking relocation must apply to the planning and zoning division and must meet requirements in section 5-10-5 and 5-10-6B as applicable.
- Any variation from maximum sign size and location as per use district schedules requires issuance of a conditional use permit.
- Signs exempted under 5-10-3(I) (religious, charitable, educational, institutional, or similar signs) require a sign permit.
- No blanket requirement for a master sign plan is stated in provided sections, but specific plans and permits are required for certain sign types (e.g., billboard relocation, conditional use permit for size/location variations, some exempt signs require permits).

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

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