# Sign Regulations in Havana, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Havana, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/havana
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/IL/Havana/codes/Municipal_Code?nodeId=TIT17ZO_CH17.68SIRE)

## At a glance

Havana, Illinois regulates 20 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Parking Area Entrance/Exit Signs in the Residence Districts (R-1, R-2) zoning district are capped at 7 ft tall and 2 sq ft (Sec. 17.68.060). Most commercial signs in Havana require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |
| Residence Districts (R-1, R-2) | 7 | 20 ft | 25 sq ft | — |
| Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2) | 8 | 75 ft | 500 sq ft or 5 × street frontage (ft), whichever is greater | — |
| Industrial Districts (M-1, M-2) | 6 | 75 ft | — | — |
| W-1 | 1 | — | — | — |

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

### Residence Districts (R-1, R-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate - One-Family / Two-Family Residential | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | 1 per dwelling or rooming unit | Each dwelling unit or rooming unit | — | 17.68.040(A) |
| Identification Sign - Multiple Dwellings / Nonresidential | — | 24 sq ft | — | — | 1 | For multiple dwellings, apartments, hotels, permitted nonresidential buildings/structures | — | 17.68.040(B) |
| Bulletin Board - Community Facility Use | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | 1 | For community facility uses | — | 17.68.040(C) |
| "For Sale" or "For Rent" Sign | — | 12 sq ft per lot; 200 sq ft per group of lots under single ownership | — | 15 ft from street line; 6 ft from other lot line (if vacant land) | — | On property for sale/rent | — | 17.68.050 |
| Parking Area Entrance/Exit Sign | 7 ft | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance or exit | At entrance/exit of off-street parking area | — | 17.68.060 |
| Illuminated Sign - Office/Clinic/Funeral Home | — | 25 sq ft | — | — | 1 | For business, professional or government office, clinic, office service establishment, or funeral home | — | 17.68.070 |
| General Residence District Sign Regulations | 20 ft | — | — | — | See requirements | — | — | 17.68.080 |

### Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Accessory Business Sign - Nonilluminated (C-1) | — | 100 sq ft or 2 × street frontage (ft), whichever is greater | — | — | — | On the zoning lot | — | 17.68.110 |
| Accessory Business Sign - Nonilluminated (C-2) | — | 500 sq ft or 5 × street frontage (ft), whichever is greater | — | — | — | On the zoning lot | — | 17.68.110 |
| Accessory Business Sign - Illuminated (C-2) | 50 ft (standard), up to 75 ft by conditional use permit | 50 sq ft (per illuminated sign) | — | — | — | On the zoning lot | — | 17.68.120(A), 17.68.140(C) |
| Accessory Business Sign - Illuminated or Flashing (C-1) | 35 ft | 100 sq ft or 2 × frontage (ft), whichever is greater (cumulative including flashing signs) | — | — | — | On the zoning lot | — | 17.68.120(B); 17.68.140 |
| Ground Sign (C-1) | 35 ft | — | — | — | — | At grade | — | 17.68.140(A) |
| Ground Sign (C-2, Nonilluminated) | 75 ft | — | — | — | — | At grade | — | 17.68.140(A) |
| Ground Sign (C-2, Illuminated) | 50 ft (standard), up to 75 ft by conditional use | — | — | — | — | At grade | — | 17.68.120(A); 17.68.140(A), (C) |
| Building-Attached Sign | Not to exceed applicable maximum building height for district | — | — | — | — | On buildings | — | 17.68.140(B) |

### Industrial Districts (M-1, M-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.68.160 |
| Advertising Sign | — | — | — | 100 ft from nearest wall of any residence in Residence District | — | — | — | 17.68.160(A) |
| Illuminated Sign | — | — | — | 200 ft from any residence wall (special illumination direction) | — | — | — | 17.68.160(A) |
| Ground Sign (Nonilluminated) | 75 ft | — | — | — | — | At grade | — | 17.68.160(B) |
| Ground Sign (Illuminated) | 50 ft (standard), up to 75 ft by conditional use | — | — | — | — | At grade | — | 17.68.160(B) |
| Building-Attached Sign | Not to exceed maximum building height permitted for use | — | — | — | — | On buildings | — | 17.68.160(C) |

## Prohibited signs in Havana

- Advertising signs are not permitted in any zoning district.
- No sign shall extend more than twenty feet above the level of the ground (in residence districts).
- No sign shall project over any public easement for pedestrian or vehicular traffic (in residence districts).
- No sign attached to a building shall extend above grade at a height greater than the applicable maximum building height prescribed in this title (all districts).
- Nonconforming signs must be removed after fifteen years, unless they conform to current regulations and are not more than one hundred fifty percent of the permitted size.

## Signs exempt from permit in Havana

- Signs may remain nonconforming for up to fifteen years after the effective date of the ordinance or the date the sign becomes nonconforming.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The City Council may, following a hearing by the Planning Commission, permit illuminated ground signs in the C-2 commercial district with a height exceeding fifty feet but not exceeding seventy-five feet; procedure is the same as for conditional permitted uses (Chapter 17.24).
- In industrial districts, the Council, following a hearing by the Planning Commission, shall permit illuminated ground signs with a height greater than fifty feet but not exceeding seventy-five feet if certain findings are made; procedure is the same as for conditional permitted uses (Chapter 17.24).

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

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