# Sign Regulations in Blue Island, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Blue Island, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/blue-island
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Blue Island, Illinois regulates 33 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Projecting Sign (includes Hanging and Blade)s in the Commercial Sign Overlay District zoning district are capped at Top no higher than 20 ft above sidewalk or thoroughfare, nor above building height tall and 24 sq. ft., with a Outer edge min 1 ft from curb line setback (Sec. § 165.117(E)). Most commercial signs in Blue Island require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Sign Overlay District | 5 | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Commercial Sign Overlay District | 11 | Top no higher than 20 ft above sidewalk or thoroughfare, nor above building height | 48 sq. ft. | — |
| Uptown-Transit Oriented Development Sign Overlay District (U-TOD) | 9 | Top max 20 ft above sidewalk/thoroughfare, or top of building height | 48 sq. ft. | — |
| Industrial Sign Overlay District | 4 | 50 ft. | 672 sq. ft. (I-57 only) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | Ground: 6 ft. (directory sign, if freestanding) | 16 sq. ft. | — |

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

### Commercial Sign Overlay District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Commercial) | Two-story building: below second floor window sill; One-story: no more than 5 ft above top of main display window | 40 sq. ft. per building wall | — | — | Unspecified—limited by wall frontage | On wall, above first floor window and below second floor window sill; on sign band | — | § 165.117(B) |
| Awning or Canopy Sign | — | 32 sq. ft. combined for wall+awning sign | — | No closer than 5 ft from curb line | Unspecified; limitations per awning/corner | On awning or canopy | — | § 165.117(C) |
| Window Sign (Permanent) | — | Max 40% of window area | — | — | Unspecified | Affixed to interior of ground floor window; for upper floors, only for business in that room | — | § 165.117(D) |
| Projecting Sign (includes Hanging and Blade) | Top no higher than 20 ft above sidewalk or thoroughfare, nor above building height | 24 sq. ft. | — | Outer edge min 1 ft from curb line | 1 per ground floor establishment; 1 additional for multi-tenant | One per ground floor establishment with street frontage; additional allowed for multi-tenant | — | § 165.117(E) |
| Ground Sign - Monument | 10 ft. | 48 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | In landscaped area, per § 165.112(E) | — | § 165.117(F) |
| Ground Sign - Pole | 10 ft. | 36 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | Landscaped base per § 165.112(E); pole/pylon must be covered/concealed | — | § 165.117(F) |
| Menu Board for Drive-Through | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per drive-through establishment | Drive-through establishments only | — | § 165.117(F)(3) |
| Sidewalk Sign (Freestanding / Sandwich Board) | 4 ft. | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per business | Public way; within 15 ft of primary entrance | — | § 165.121(A) |

### Uptown-Transit Oriented Development Sign Overlay District (U-TOD)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (U-TOD) | Two-story: below second floor sill; One-story: no more than 5 ft above main display window | 40 sq. ft. per building wall | — | — | Unspecified; limited by wall frontage | On sign band | — | § 165.117(B); § 165.112(D)(2) |
| Awning or Canopy Sign (U-TOD) | — | 32 sq. ft. (if combined with wall) | — | No closer than 5 ft from curb line | — | On awning/canopy above business entry | — | § 165.117(C); § 165.112(D)(2) |
| Window Sign (Permanent, U-TOD) | — | Not more than 40% of window area | — | — | Unspecified | Interior face of ground floor window; upper floors only for business in that room | — | § 165.117(D) |
| Projecting Sign (U-TOD: Includes Hanging/Blade) | Top max 20 ft above sidewalk/thoroughfare, or top of building height | 24 sq. ft. | — | Outer edge min 1 ft from curb | 1 per ground floor establishment; 1 additional for multi-tenant | Pinned away ≥6 in from wall; extend ≤6.5 ft from building; min vertical clearance 8 ft. | — | § 165.117(E); § 165.112(D)(2) |
| Ground Sign - Monument (U-TOD) | 10 ft. | 48 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | In landscape area per code | — | § 165.117(F) |
| Ground Sign - Pole (U-TOD) | 10 ft. | 36 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | Landscaped base per § 165.112(E) | — | § 165.117(F) |
| Sidewalk Sign (Freestanding / Sandwich Board, U-TOD) | 4 ft. | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per business | Public way, within 15 ft of primary entrance | — | § 165.121(A) |
| Temporary Banner (U-TOD) | — | 24 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 165.121(C) |

### Industrial Sign Overlay District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Industrial) | — | 50 sq. ft. + 1 sq. ft./ft. over 50 ft. of wall frontage | — | — | 1 per zoning lot frontage | On building wall | — | § 165.119(A) |
| Ground Sign - Monument/Pole (Industrial) | 15 ft. | Max 72 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per lot | Ground sign, monument or pole | — | § 165.119(B) |
| Projecting Sign (Industrial) | Top at max 20 ft above sidewalk or thoroughfare, or height of building | Max 32 sq. ft. | — | Outer edge min 2 ft from curb | 1 per zoning lot, in lieu of ground sign | Pinned min 6 in from wall; extends max 6.5 ft from building face | — | § 165.119(C) |
| Billboard (Industrial Only, I-57 frontage) | 50 ft. | 672 sq. ft. (I-57 only) | — | 200 ft from residential; 200 ft from parks; 20 ft from property line; 500 ft from other billboards | Based on spacing requirements | Freestanding; on I-57 only; 200 ft from residential, parks, and property line; 500 ft from other billboards | — | § 165.120 |

## Prohibited signs in Blue Island

- It is unlawful for any person to construct, maintain, display or alter a sign within the city, except in conformance with this subchapter.
- Signs not expressly allowed by the ordinance or exempted are prohibited.
- Animated signs are prohibited.
- Moving signs or signs that give the illusion of movement, including signs with moving, revolving, or rotating parts or visible mechanical movement or wind-activated, are prohibited.
- Flashing, blinking, mechanically moving, twinkling, scrolling, full-motion video elements, strobe lights, moving or fixed spotlights and floodlights, or other lighting that does not provide constant illumination are prohibited.
- Wind-blown signs (e.g., feather flags), balloon signs, and signs painted on or attached to balloons or other inflatable devices are prohibited.
- Handwritten signs, pictures, symbols, or lettering on window signs or displays are prohibited.
- Banners or pennant flags intended to be temporary but left up indefinitely are prohibited.
- Signs that cover architectural elements or obstruct ingress/egress (e.g., doors, windows, fire escapes) are prohibited.
- Roof signs, except as allowed by special use permit in the U-TOD Sign Overlay District, are prohibited.
- Signs that interfere with, obstruct, or may be confused with any traffic sign, signal, or device are prohibited.
- Signs illuminated in red, green, or amber color to resemble a traffic signal are prohibited.
- Signs using words such as stop, look, one way, danger, yield, or similar to interfere with or confuse pedestrian or vehicular traffic are prohibited.
- Signs displaying obscene, indecent, or immoral matter are prohibited.
- Signs on benches that advertise a business, product, or service or contain any message are prohibited.
- Signs on trees are prohibited.
- Signs on utility poles, other than those installed by a city or government agency or utility provider, are prohibited.
- Portable signs, including mobile advertising signs or signs on trailers, or commercial vehicles displaying business identification or advertising that is viewable from the public right-of-way and not regularly used in everyday business, are prohibited.
- Signs in the public right-of-way, unless otherwise specifically allowed, are prohibited.
- Obsolete or abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Off-premises signs advertising a business or product not located or sold on the premises are prohibited except where otherwise allowed.
- Signs placed or painted on a vehicle parked such that the primary purpose is advertising are prohibited; business vehicles used in normal business operations are exempt under certain conditions.
- Trailer and portable signs attached to vehicles or trailers (temporary or permanent) are prohibited.
- Any sign not exempt in §165.109, not a lawful nonconforming sign per §165.127, or not expressly allowed elsewhere in the subchapter is prohibited.
- Signs in violation of other city codes or ordinances are prohibited; the more restrictive provision prevails in case of conflict.
- No sign illumination shall exceed one footcandle at the property line, except as otherwise permitted.
- Any sign illumination must be turned off when the business is closed.
- LED light strips are prohibited to outline business signs, buildings, or elements.
- Temporary window signs that are substantially tattered, discolored, frayed, ripped, or in visible disrepair (as determined by the Zoning Administrator) are prohibited.
- Handwritten window signs or displays are prohibited.
- Placement, maintenance, or display of any device that imitates official warning or direction/traffic signs or signals is prohibited (per §70.006).
- Erecting, permitting, or maintaining any sign, billboard, post, or structure on any portion of a public street, alley, parkway or sidewalk is prohibited (with some exceptions for overhead signs at required height and utility/traffic control signs) (§51.090).

## Signs exempt from permit in Blue Island

- Public notices, warning, or temporary signs posted by valid federal, state, or local law or by public agency in accordance with law or court order are exempt.
- Public utility signs and safety signs required by law are exempt.
- Signs inside a building, not attached to a window or door, that are not legible from more than three feet beyond the property line, or that the Zoning Administrator determines are not intended to be legible from any street right-of-way or beyond the property line, are exempt.
- Traffic-control signs on private property that meet Illinois Manual on Uniform Traffic-Control Devices standards and contain no commercial message are exempt.
- Ghost signs are deemed conforming; may be maintained and repainted but no new information or images may be added, and no new wall signs may be painted over a ghost sign.
- Signs installed or placed by city staff, with consent and approval of City Council, for the benefit of the city and residents, are exempt.
- Signs installed by government agencies and directly related to public right-of-way or public property use (for traffic control, etc.) are allowed.
- Honorary signs acknowledging maintenance efforts, installed per written city/state policy, are exempt.
- Signs in public right-of-way not described above are unlawful and subject to removal.
- Address and nameplate signs on all buildings, not exceeding four square feet in area, are allowed without a permit.
- Directional signs (up to 6 per lot/business, none exceeding six square feet, and with commercial messages up to 50% of sign area) are allowed without a permit.
- Directory signs (one per building entrance, up to 16 square feet and 6 feet high if ground sign) are allowed without a permit.
- Temporary signs as listed in §165.114(D): garage/yard sale signs; property for sale/lease/rent signs; contractor, developer or construction-project signs; artisan/trade signs during work; political signs on private property; signs protecting private property or identifying hazards; seasonal and holiday decorations for the customary duration; incidental signs no larger than two square feet (e.g., 'No Trespassing', 'Beware of Dog'); signs on private property but not visible from public right-of-way or public lands; and signs no larger than four square feet not requiring a building/electrical permit and not legible from more than three feet beyond the property line, unless otherwise regulated.
- National, state, or local governmental signs required by law or by the city (such as traffic signs, parking signs, public park hours, or public safety signs) are exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A master sign plan is required for any new commercial development where multiple signs of varying types are being proposed; the applicant must submit the master sign plan for review and approval by the Zoning Administrator (§165.123).
- A master sign plan must include criteria and specifications for general appearance, location, lighting, construction materials, and must demonstrate a consistent pattern of signage within the development (§165.123).
- All signs for nonresidential uses in residential districts that require special use approval must be established during the special use review and approval process, and a master sign plan must be reviewed and approved as part of the process (§165.116(E)).
- Electronic message boards in commercial overlay districts may be allowed as a special use, and a master sign plan must be reviewed and approved as part of the special use approval process (§165.117(G)).
- The Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals holds meetings for any sign permit application requiring a variance, and may require exterior design features, site plans, and renderings to be presented (§165.129).
- Preliminary conferences may be held with the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals for applicants seeking sign variances; notification to nearby tenants is required (§165.129(B)).
- Any applicant for a sign permit that requires a variance must submit supporting documentation and present plans at a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals (§165.129(C)).
- Amendments to approved sign variations require application in the same manner as the original variation approval (§165.129(G)).

## 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 Blue Island — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Blue+Island+IL&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-blue-island

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