# Sign Regulations in Carol Stream, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Carol Stream, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/carol-stream
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Carol Stream, Illinois regulates 15 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Monument Signs in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 72 sq ft, with a General minimum setback 5 ft from lot line; must not be in vision triangle unless ≤30 in high setback (Sec. § 16-6-4(A)(2) and Table 16-6-4(B)). Most commercial signs in Carol Stream require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 | 11 | 12 ft | 72 sq ft | — |
| B-1, B-2, B-3, O-S, I | 14 | 25 ft | 160 sq ft | — |
| Gary Avenue Corridor Overlay District, North Avenue Corridor Overlay District | 2 | Up to 10 ft | 72 sq ft (unless B-3, O-S, I: 96 sq ft) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | No wall sign shall protrude above the highest roof line or above the top of the parapet wall or mansard roof | 5% of wall face or 300 sq ft | — | — | Single-tenant: one per lot frontage; multi-tenant: one per unit per frontage; up to 4 secondary wall signs with conditions | Wall of principal building on site | — | § 16-6-4(A)(1) and Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Monument Sign | 6 ft | 72 sq ft | — | General minimum setback 5 ft from lot line; must not be in vision triangle unless ≤30 in high | One per lot frontage | At-grade on property (entrances for subdivisions/multiunit complexes; not for single-unit detached) | — | § 16-6-4(A)(2) and Table 16-6-4(B) |
| On-Site Traffic Directional Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | On-site as determined by Engineering Services Director; not in required landscape areas | — | § 16-6-5(A)(1), Table 16-6-5(B) |
| Wall Mounted Banner Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | Shall not protrude above roof/parapet | 2.5% of wall face area | — | — | 1 per frontage | Flat against building; attached to building | — | § 16-6-6(A)(1), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| Ground Mounted Banner Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | 6 ft | 60 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On lot; not in required landscape area | — | § 16-6-6(A)(2), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| Feather Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | 12 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On lot; not within any required landscape area | — | § 16-6-6(A)(3), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| A-frame/Sandwich Board Sign | 3.5 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building or unit | On property (not on public property); placed 3-6 ft from building entrance and <1 ft from wall | — | § 16-6-7(A)(1), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| Yard Sign (Temporary, No Permit) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 3 per lot frontage | On lot (not in required landscape area) | — | § 16-6-7(A)(2), Table 16-6-7(B) |

### B-1, B-2, B-3, O-S, I

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | No wall sign shall protrude above the highest roof line or above the top of the parapet wall or mansard roof | 10% of wall face or 500 sq ft | — | — | Single-tenant: one per lot frontage; multi-tenant: one per unit per frontage; up to 4 secondary wall signs with conditions | Wall of principal building on site | — | § 16-6-4(A)(1), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Monument Sign | 6 ft (unless in B-3, O-S, I, Gary/North Ave Corridors, then 10 ft) | 72 sq ft (B-1, B-2, B-3, OS); 96 sq ft (I) | — | General setback 5 ft from lot line; for B-3 multi-tenant on large parcels see below | One per lot frontage | At-grade on property (not for single-unit detached uses) | — | § 16-6-4(A)(2), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Multitenant Monument Sign (B-1, B-2, O-S, I) | 6 ft (B-1 & B-2); 10 ft (O-S & I); 10 ft (B-3 under 5ac/25k bldg); 25 ft (B-3 5ac+/25k SF+) | 96 sq ft (B-1, B-2, O-S, I) | — | General setback 5 ft from lot line except B-3 >=5ac/25kSF, 40 ft; not in vision triangle >30" high | One per lot frontage | At grade; see notes for B-3 | — | § 16-6-4(A)(3), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Multitenant Monument Sign (B-3, 5+ ac/25kSF) | 25 ft | 160 sq ft | — | 40 ft min from property line | One per lot frontage | At grade | — | § 16-6-4(A)(3), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Projecting/Blade Sign | 12 ft or no higher than roofline; bottom of sign min 8 ft above grade | 6 sq ft | — | — | One per structure/unit | Projecting from building wall (encroach/protrude ≤4 ft from wall); allowed on B-1 only | — | § 16-6-4(A)(5), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Wall Mounted Banner Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | Shall not protrude above roof/parapet | 5% of wall face area or 200 sq ft max | — | — | 1 per frontage | Flat against building | — | § 16-6-6(A)(1), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| Ground Mounted Banner Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | 6 ft | 60 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On lot; not in required landscape area | — | § 16-6-6(A)(2), Table 16-6-7(B) |
| Feather Sign (Temporary; permit req.) | 12 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | On lot; not in required landscape area | — | § 16-6-6(A)(3), Table 16-6-7(B) |

### Gary Avenue Corridor Overlay District, North Avenue Corridor Overlay District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign | Up to 10 ft | 72 sq ft (unless B-3, O-S, I: 96 sq ft) | — | — | One per lot frontage | At grade on property within Overlay District | — | § 16-6-2 & § 16-6-4(A)(2), Table 16-6-4(B) |
| Wall Sign | — | Per underlying district (see above for B/I districts) | — | — | — | On building wall, within overlay district | — | § 16-6-2(C) |

## Prohibited signs in Carol Stream

- No sign shall be located in any area or in any manner so as to create a nuisance or a threat to public health, safety, or welfare.
- When a sign type is not specifically listed in the sections devoted to permitted signs, it shall be assumed such signs are expressly prohibited unless determined similar and not more objectionable by the Community Development Director.
- Any sign which constitutes a traffic hazard by reason of size, location, design or illumination or which is likely to interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device.
- Any sign which is located in the public right-of-way or extends into the public right-of-way except as permitted under these regulations.
- Off-premises signs or billboards.
- Moving, rotating or animated signs.
- Searchlights.
- Signs with flashing lights.
- Trailer-type portable signs, excluding signs placed by the village, county, or state for public health or safety purposes.
- Pennants, streamers, spinners, propellors, balloons, inflatable shapes.
- Triangular, cube or 'V' shaped signs.
- Signs which emit sounds including but not limited to voice, music and similar attention getting methods.
- Signs painted on the surface of any building or structure.
- Signs containing obscene matter.
- Signs which obstruct in any manner the use of a driveway, door, window, fire escape, or access or ingress from any building or structure.
- Vehicle signs, permanent: no vehicles bearing permanently affixed signs shall be parked on public right-of-way, public property or private property for a period which exceeds three days. All vehicles displaying permanently affixed signs shall be currently licensed, operable, parked on the property of the business owning or leasing the vehicle, and in the parking area furthest from any street right-of-way, so as to minimize the effects of additional signage on the property, except for vehicles actively in transport, or in the specific act of receiving or delivering merchandise or rendering a service.
- Roof signs.
- Snipe signs.
- Outline lighting.
- Box signs.
- Signs not listed in §§ 16-6-5 through 16-6-8 shall be deemed to be prohibited, even though such signs are not specifically listed.
- It shall be unlawful for any person to display upon any sign or other advertising structure any matter in writing or in picture, which, considered as a whole, predominantly appeals to prurient interest, that is, a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sex or excretion, and goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in description or representation of such matters.

## Signs exempt from permit in Carol Stream

- The regulations contained within this article shall not be applicable to signs erected and maintained by the Village of Carol Stream, DuPage County, or State of Illinois for regulatory purposes.
- Signs erected and maintained by governmental entities for regulatory purposes are exempt.
- Stop signs and traffic signs as authorized and erected by the Director of Public Works or by village/other governmental authorities under separate authority for public safety or regulatory purposes.
- Signs required by law or ordinance (e.g., tobacco age restriction signs as required for tobacco retailers).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signage for new development in the Gary Avenue or North Avenue Corridor Overlay Districts shall be included in the Gary Avenue or North Avenue Corridor Development Plans and shall be subject to review and approval by the Plan Commission.
- New or replacement monument signs on existing, developed properties in the Gary Avenue or North Avenue Corridor Overlay Districts shall be subject to review and approval by the Plan Commission.
- When a sign type is not specifically listed in the sections devoted to permitted signs, the Community Development Director may determine if the sign is similar and not more objectionable than listed signs and may permit it.
- Permanent and temporary signs in most cases require a permit issued in accordance with § 16-8-3 (not included in ordinance text). Refer to corresponding tables for which sign types require permits.
- Existing legal nonconforming signs may only be continued as provided within the ordinance, and alteration/relocation may require a sign plan or compliance review.

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/carol-stream