# Sign Regulations in Beardstown, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Beardstown, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/beardstown
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/IL/Beardstown/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CICO_APXAZO_ARTXISIRE)

## At a glance

Beardstown, Illinois regulates 13 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Business and Advertising Signs in the Industrial District zoning district are capped at 75 ft (ground sign); illuminated ground sign: 50 ft (can be increased to 75 ft by permit) tall and No explicit restriction, with a 100 ft from residence district, 200 ft for illuminated unless illumination is shielded as described setback (Sec. Section 5.A). Most commercial signs in Beardstown require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residence District, Residential District | 6 | 7 ft | 25 sq ft | — |
| Residence District, Residential District (General Additional Regulations) | 1 | 20 ft above ground | — | — |
| Commercial District (C-1, C-2, S-1 [C-1]), C-1, C-2, S-1 [C-1] | 4 | 75 ft (ground sign) | Max(500 sq ft, 5 x street frontage in ft) | — |
| Industrial District | 1 | 75 ft (ground sign); illuminated ground sign: 50 ft (can be increased to 75 ft by permit) | No explicit restriction | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | Up to 150% of permitted size if type allowed in zone | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### Residence District, Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate (Single-family or Rooming Unit) | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit or rooming unit | On building for each dwelling unit or rooming unit | — | Section 3.B.1 |
| Identification Sign (Multiple Dwellings, Nonresidential Buildings) | — | 24 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On building for multiple dwellings/apartments/hotels/permitted nonresidential buildings/other structures | — | Section 3.B.2 |
| Bulletin Board (Community Facility) | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | Not specified | Community facility uses | — | Section 3.B.3 |
| For Sale/For Rent Sign | — | 12 sq ft per lot, up to 200 sq ft for group of lots in single ownership | — | 15 ft from street line and 6 ft from other lot lines on vacant land | Not specified | On property for sale or rent | — | Section 3.C |
| Parking Area Sign | 7 ft | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance/exit | At each entrance/exit of off-street parking area | — | Section 3.D |
| Illuminated Business/Professional/Government/Funeral Home Sign | — | 25 sq ft | — | — | 1 per establishment | On-site (business/professional/government office, clinic, office service establishment, funeral home) | — | Section 3.E |

### Commercial District (C-1, C-2, S-1 [C-1]), C-1, C-2, S-1 [C-1]

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nonilluminated Business Signs (C-1) | 35 ft (ground sign) | Max(100 sq ft, 2 x street frontage in ft) | — | — | Aggregate area applies | Zoning lot frontage | — | Section 4.B, 4.E |
| Nonilluminated Business Signs (C-2) | 75 ft (ground sign) | Max(500 sq ft, 5 x street frontage in ft) | — | — | Aggregate area applies | Zoning lot frontage | — | Section 4.B, 4.E |
| Illuminated Signs (C-2, Flashing Allowed) | 50 ft (ground sign); on approval, up to 75 ft | Max(500 sq ft, 5 x street frontage in ft) | — | — | Aggregate area applies | Zoning lot frontage | — | Section 4.C, 4.E |
| Illuminated Signs (S-1 [C-1], Nonflashing) | — | 50 sq ft | — | — | Aggregate area applies | Zoning lot | — | Section 4.C |

### Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business and Advertising Signs | 75 ft (ground sign); illuminated ground sign: 50 ft (can be increased to 75 ft by permit) | No explicit restriction | — | Advertising/illuminated signs: 100 ft from residence district, 200 ft for illuminated unless illumination is shielded as described | Not specified | On premises | — | Section 5.A |

## Prohibited signs in Beardstown

- Except as authorized with respect to nonconforming signs, all signs must comply with the provisions of this article.
- No sign shall project over any public easement for pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Advertising signs are not permitted in any residence district.
- No sign shall extend more than twenty (20) feet above the level of the ground in residence districts.
- Advertising signs are not permitted in the C-1 commercial district.
- No advertising sign shall be located within one hundred (100) feet of the nearest wall of a residence district (in C-2 and industrial districts).
- No illuminated sign (business or advertising) shall be located within two hundred (200) feet of the wall of a residence in a residential district, unless all illuminated portions of the sign face at an angle of at least ninety (90) degrees from the wall of such residence (in industrial districts).
- No ground sign shall extend above prescribed height limits for each district.
- No sign attached to a building shall extend above grade at a height greater than the maximum building height prescribed in this ordinance.
- Flashing signs are not permitted in S-1 [C-1] commercial district.

## Signs exempt from permit in Beardstown

- Nonconforming signs may continue for fifteen (15) years after the effective date of the ordinance or the date the sign becomes nonconforming.
- A nonconforming sign may continue after fifteen (15) years if it is a type permitted by the applicable district regulations and is not more than one hundred fifty (150) percent of the permitted size.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The city council may permit illuminated ground signs above the maximum height limit in the C-2 commercial district or industrial districts following a hearing by the planning commission, with the same procedure as for conditional permitted uses as prescribed in Article XIV.
- There is no explicit mention of a required master sign plan, sign plan, or general variance meeting for all signs, but variances for oversized or over-height signs require a hearing and council approval via the procedures for conditional uses.

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

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