# Sign Regulations in Coal City, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Coal City, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/coal-city
- **Data last verified:** 2026-01-22
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/26952709)

## At a glance

Coal City, Illinois regulates 26 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Real Estate Sign (Developed Property - Residential Districts)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at Top ≤4 ft tall and 4 sq ft, with a Placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall (developed property). setback (Sec. §154-5(A)(1)-(2),(4),(6)-(7)). Most commercial signs in Coal City 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 | 21 | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | ≤250 sq ft surface area per sign (general limit; see advertising sign exception in §154-17(C)) | — |
| Residential Districts (RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RA-1, RA-2, RM-1, RM-2, RM-3, RB) | 15 | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 32 sq ft | — |
| Agricultural District (A), Agricultural-Residential District (A-R) | 19 | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | Overall display surface ≤1,600 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign - Street Banner (Public Entertainment/Event) | — | 32 sq ft per face (overall temporary sign maximum applies) | — | — | — | Only at locations designated by the Village Board. | — | §154-14(A)(1), §154-14(B) |
| Temporary Sign - Pennants/Streamers (Product/Event Promotion) | — | 32 sq ft per face (if applicable to sign faces) | — | — | — | Only at locations designated by the Village Board. | — | §154-14(A)(2), §154-14(B) |
| Memorial Sign or Tablet | — | 4 sq ft | — | Minimum 5 ft from property line. | — | On building; carved into masonry or constructed materials; contains name of building and date of erection. | — | §154-5(E) |
| Institutional Sign (Ground-Mounted) | Top ≤6 ft above ground | 24 sq ft | — | — | — | Entirely within premises of public, charitable, educational, or religious institution. | — | §154-5(K) |
| Real Estate Sign (Developed Property - Residential Districts) | Top ≤4 ft | 4 sq ft | — | Placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall (developed property). | Not more than one per premises; corner lot may have one additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to front side of building; placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | — | §154-5(A)(1)-(2),(4),(6)-(7) |
| Real Estate Sign (Developed Property - All Other Districts) | Top ≤6 ft above existing grade at point of erection | 32 sq ft | — | Placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall (developed property). | Not more than one per premises; corner lot may have one additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to front side of building; placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | — | §154-5(A)(1),(3)-(4),(6)-(7) |
| Real Estate Sign (Vacant Property - Residential Districts) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 4 sq ft | — | Placed ≥10 ft from property line. | Not more than one per premises; corner lot may have one additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to right-of-way. | — | §154-5(A)(1)-(2),(5)-(7) |
| Real Estate Sign (Vacant Property - All Other Districts) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 32 sq ft | — | Placed ≥10 ft from property line. | Not more than one per premises; corner lot may have one additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to right-of-way. | — | §154-5(A)(1),(3),(5)-(7) |

### Residential Districts (RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RA-1, RA-2, RM-1, RM-2, RM-3, RB)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Real Estate Sign (Developed Property - Residential Districts) | Top ≤4 ft | 4 sq ft | — | Placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | 1 per premises; corner lot may have 1 additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to front side of building; placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | — | §154-5(A)(1)-(2),(4),(6)-(7); §154-4(A) (residential districts limited to exempt signs) |
| Real Estate Sign (Vacant Property - Residential Districts) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 4 sq ft | — | Placed ≥10 ft from property line. | 1 per premises; corner lot may have 1 additional (one facing each street). | Perpendicular to right-of-way. | — | §154-5(A)(1)-(2),(5)-(7); §154-4(A) |
| Bulletin Board (Institutional) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises of public, charitable, or religious institution. | — | §154-5(C); §154-4(A) |
| Institutional Sign (Building-Mounted Flat Wall) | — | 24 sq ft | — | — | — | Entirely within premises of institution. | — | §154-5(K); §154-4(A) |
| Institutional Sign (Ground-Mounted) | Top ≤6 ft above ground | 24 sq ft | — | — | — | Entirely within premises of institution. | — | §154-5(K); §154-4(A) |
| Professional Name Plate | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises of professional occupant. | — | §154-5(B); §154-4(A) |
| Occupational Sign (Commercial or Public Institutional Buildings) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | Inside commercial or public institutional building (including RB uses where applicable). | — | §154-5(D); §154-4(A) |
| Memorial Sign or Tablet | — | 4 sq ft | — | ≥5 ft from property line. | — | On building. | — | §154-5(E); §154-4(A) |

### Agricultural District (A), Agricultural-Residential District (A-R)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate Sign (Agricultural Use) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 10 sq ft | — | No projection beyond front lot line. | No more than one per principal farm dwelling (corner lots may have two, one per street). | At principal farm dwelling; on corner lots, one facing each street is permitted. | — | §154-16(A)(1),(3)-(4) |
| Identification Sign (Nonagricultural Uses) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 16 sq ft | — | No projection beyond front lot line. | Single identification sign; on corner lots, two signs (one per street) permitted. | On premises; corner lots may have one facing each street. | — | §154-16(A)(2)-(4) |
| Advertising Sign (Interstate Highways) | — | Overall display surface ≤1,600 sq ft | — | ≥50 ft to side lot line; ≥150 ft to residence district boundary line. | No more than two display surfaces per structure. | On tracts of land where principal use is agriculture; along interstate highways. | — | §154-17(A)-(C); §154-17(B)(1) |
| Advertising Sign (Other Thoroughfares) | — | Two standardized poster panels 15 ft x 25 ft each (total 2 faces, 750 sq ft), or one standardized painted bulletin 15 ft x 55 ft (825 sq ft) | — | ≥50 ft to side lot line; ≥150 ft to residence district boundary line. | No more than two display surfaces per structure. | On tracts of land where principal use is agriculture; along all other thoroughfares. | — | §154-17(A)-(C); §154-17(B)(2) |
| Real Estate Sign (Developed Property - All Other Districts) | Top ≤6 ft above existing grade at point of erection | 32 sq ft | — | Placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | 1 per premises; corner lot may have 1 additional. | Perpendicular to front side of building; placed ≤10 ft from front foundation wall. | — | §154-5(A)(1),(3)-(4),(6)-(7) |
| Real Estate Sign (Vacant Property - All Other Districts) | Top ≤15 ft above grade at near edge of roadway pavement | 32 sq ft | — | Placed ≥10 ft from property line. | 1 per premises; corner lot may have 1 additional. | Perpendicular to right-of-way. | — | §154-5(A)(1),(3),(5)-(7) |
| Memorial Sign or Tablet | — | 4 sq ft | — | ≥5 ft from property line. | — | On building; ≥5 ft from property line. | — | §154-5(E) |
| Institutional Sign (Ground-Mounted) | Top ≤6 ft above ground | 24 sq ft | — | — | — | Entirely within premises of institution. | — | §154-5(K) |

## Prohibited signs in Coal City

- Erecting or maintaining any sign without first obtaining a construction permit is prohibited (§154-2).
- Signs not accessory to a lawfully established use are prohibited (§154-3.A).
- Signs that are not erected, constructed, and displayed in conformance with this chapter and other applicable ordinances (including Commercial and Industrial Design Standards) are prohibited (§154-3.B, §154-2).
- Erecting a sign without written authorization from the property owner or their agent is prohibited (§154-3.C).
- No sign may exceed 250 square feet in surface area (§154-4.B).
- Only one building sign is allowed in addition to one sign that is not affixed to the building (§154-4.B).
- Pole signs are prohibited (§154-4.C).
- Signs or displays painted directly onto a building facade are prohibited (§154-4.D).
- Signs may not project above a building’s cornice line, or project outward above a public right-of-way or egress way (§154-4.E).
- Use of exposed reflective bulbs or incandescent lamps exceeding 225 lumens on the exterior of any sign, where the bulb face is exposed to a public street or adjacent property, is prohibited (§154-8.A).
- Projecting sign illumination toward or onto other properties, or illumination that is objectionably intense or bright to surrounding areas, is prohibited (§154-8.A).
- Blinking, flashing, or fluttering lights, or illumination with changing intensity, brightness, or color, are prohibited; rotating beams, beacons, or flashing illumination resembling emergency lights are prohibited (§154-8.B).
- Erecting, relocating, or maintaining a sign so as to block free ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape is prohibited (§154-10).
- Attaching any sign to a standpipe or fire escape is prohibited (§154-10).
- Placing a sign so as to obstruct a police officer’s or other public safety designee’s view of cash registers or other valuables accessible to the public is prohibited (§154-10).
- Leaving in place an obsolete sign that no longer identifies a bona fide business conducted or a product sold on the premises more than 30 days after termination is prohibited (§154-12).

## Signs exempt from permit in Coal City

- General conditions for exempt signs: Exempt signs do not require a permit and must not be placed within the public right-of-way or be located so as to obstruct the view of traffic; exception: the public right-of-way limitation does not apply to address signs under Subsection F (§154-5, lead-in).
- Real estate signs (“for sale,” “for rent,” “sold”) with conditions: at most one per premises (two on corner lots); size limits—4 sq ft in residential districts, 32 sq ft in other districts; placement standards for developed and vacant properties; non-illuminated; removal within 7 days after closing of sale or lease (§154-5.A(1)-(7)).
- Professional name plates not exceeding 2 square feet (§154-5.B).
- Bulletin boards for public, charitable, or religious institutions located on the institution premises, not over 15 square feet (§154-5.C).
- Occupational signs denoting only name and profession in a commercial or public institutional building, not exceeding 2 square feet (§154-5.D).
- Memorial signs or tablets (up to 4 sq ft, at least 5 ft from property line) constructed of compatible noncombustible materials or cut into masonry (§154-5.E).
- Address signs not over 1 square foot (§154-5.F).
- Temporary window signs covering no more than 50% of total window area (exclusive of doors) (§154-5.G).
- Bus shelter signs that do not include alcohol/tobacco advertising or obscene/indecent/immoral content (§154-5.H).
- Political campaign signs (non-illuminated, not exceeding 32 sq ft) confined to private property with owner permission (§154-5.I).
- Public noncommercial signs in the public interest erected by or at the direction of a public officer in the performance of duty (e.g., safety, danger, no trespassing, traffic signs, legal notices, memorial/historic plaques, railroad crossing, temporary emergency or nonadvertising signs as approved by the President and Board of Trustees) (§154-5.J).
- Institutional identification signs for public/charitable/educational/religious institutions on their premises, not exceeding 24 sq ft; may be illuminated per regulations; building-mounted must be flat wall and not project above roof; ground-mounted top no more than 6 ft above grade (§154-5.K).
- Integral signs (names, dates, commemorative tablets) carved into or made integral to the structure (stone, concrete, similar materials) (§154-5.L).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A construction permit is required before erecting or maintaining any sign; the Building and Zoning Official issues permits and designates the sign location (§154-2).
- Sign permits require compliance with this chapter and the Commercial and Industrial Design Standards (inside and outside the Core Area) (§154-2).
- Temporary signs require a permit; maximum 32 sq ft per face; non-illuminated; permits valid up to 3 months and may be renewed at the Building Inspector’s discretion (§154-14.B).
- Street banners and pennants/streamers require specific approval by the Village Board of Trustees, including designated locations and limited time windows (§154-14.A).
- Construction signs require a permit and must be removed within 14 days after the start of the intended use; size limits: 12 sq ft in residential districts, 32 sq ft in other districts (§154-15).
- For development/redevelopment, compliance with adopted commercial/industrial/residential design guidelines and their design review processes is required as applicable; sign permits are tied to compliance with these standards via §154-2 (see §156-53).
- Preexisting signs projecting into the public right-of-way (prior to the effective date) require a bond or indemnification filed with the Village Clerk (§154-13).
- No master sign plan or multi-tenant sign plan requirement is specified in the provided text, and no sign-specific variance hearing process is described in the provided sections.

## Full detail

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