# Sign Regulations in Hudson, Illinois

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

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

## At a glance

Hudson, Illinois regulates 33 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Election Sign (Residential Building Lot)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 3 ft tall and 9 sq ft (Sec. 9-11-1(S)). Most commercial signs in Hudson 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 | 19 | 3 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Residential District, 9-7A District, 9-7B District | 1 | — | 2 sq ft | — |
| Agricultural District | 3 | 15 ft | 6 sq ft per farm dwelling | — |
| C-1 commercial district, 9-8A District | 4 | — | 300 sq ft (any one sign); Total all signs on a lot: 6 x linear street frontage (per frontage) | — |
| C-2 general commercial district, 9-8B District, 9-9-6 District, Commercial District (C-2 general commercial district) | 6 | 30 ft above average ground grade; up to 70 ft above ground if within 3,000 ft of an interstate highway interchange | — | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Sign | — | 9 sq ft (in residential districts) | — | — | 1 per construction project | On the site of construction | — | 9-11-1(A) |
| Directional or Instructional Sign | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | Entirely on the property to which they pertain | — | 9-11-1(B) |
| Notice Bulletin Board | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises of medical, public, charitable or religious institution | — | 9-11-1(H) |
| No Trespassing or No Dumping Sign | — | 1.5 sq ft per sign | — | — | 4 per lot unless special permission granted | — | — | 9-11-1(I) |
| Occupant Sign / Nameplate | — | 2 sq ft per dwelling unit or mobile home | — | — | 1 per unit | — | — | 9-11-1(J) |
| Real Estate Sign (Residential Lot) | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | Entirely within the property to which it applies | — | 9-11-1(M) |
| Religious/Historic Symbol or Insignia | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | Placed flat against a building | — | 9-11-1(N) |
| Election Sign (Residential Building Lot) | 3 ft | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building or lot | Yard of any building/building lot (not in right-of-way or in sight lines creating traffic hazard) | — | 9-11-1(S) |

### C-1 commercial district, 9-8A District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On awnings | — | 9-8A-6(A) |
| Lot Sign (C-1, 9-8A) | — | 300 sq ft (any one sign); Total all signs on a lot: 6 x linear street frontage (per frontage) | — | — | — | — | — | 9-8A-6(B)-(C) |
| Wall Sign or Freestanding Sign (Projection Limit) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9-8A-6(D) |
| Roof Sign Prohibition | — | — | — | — | — | Wall or freestanding sign may not project higher than point where wall joins roof | — | 9-8A-6(E) |

### C-2 general commercial district, 9-8B District, 9-9-6 District, Commercial District (C-2 general commercial district)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sign (Building Affixed, Painted, or Freestanding) (≤75' frontage) | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot (≤75' frontage) | On building or freestanding | — | 9-8B-6(A) |
| Sign (Building Affixed, Painted, or Freestanding) (>75' frontage) | — | — | — | — | Per 9-8B-6(B): 1 + floor(frontage/75') | On building or freestanding | — | 9-8B-6(B) |
| Wall Sign or Freestanding Sign (Projection Limit) (C-2, 9-8B, 9-9-6) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9-8B-6(C) |
| Freestanding Sign Minimum Setbacks | — | — | — | 10 ft from lot line abutting street; 5 ft from rear/side lot line | — | Not attached to a building | — | 9-8B-6(D) |
| Wall or Freestanding Sign Height (C-2, 9-8B, 9-9-6) | 30 ft above average ground grade; up to 70 ft above ground if within 3,000 ft of an interstate highway interchange | — | — | — | — | On building or freestanding | — | 9-8B-6(E) |
| Vision Clearance Height (Sign in Required Yards, C-2, 9-8B, 9-9-6) | — | — | — | — | — | Within 50 ft of intersection of two streets, or within 3 ft of sidewalk, driveway, or parking lot entrance/exit | — | 9-8B-6(F) |

## Prohibited signs in Hudson

- No sign shall display exposed incandescent lamps with ratings in excess of forty (40) watts.
- No sign shall display exposed incandescent lamps with internal or external metallic reflectors.
- No sign shall display revolving beacon lights.
- No sign shall display any continuous or sequential flashing operation in which more than two-thirds (2/3) of the lights are turned on or off at one time.
- Tacking, pasting or otherwise affixing signs visible from a public way to walls of buildings, barns, sheds, trees, poles, posts, fences or other structures is prohibited unless otherwise permitted by the ordinance.
- No sign shall be permitted which is placed on any curb, sidewalk, post, pole, electrolier, hydrant, bridge, tree or other surface located on public property or over or across any street or public thoroughfare except as expressly authorized by the ordinance or written agreement by the village board of trustees.
- Banners, pennants, searchlights, twirling signs, sandwich board signs, balloons or other gas filled figures are prohibited except as noted for temporary exceptions.
- Flags, other than those of any nation, state or political subdivision, religious flags, and corporate flags are prohibited except as set forth in the permitted signs section.
- Signs bearing or containing statements, words or pictures of an obscene, pornographic, immoral character, or which contain untruthful advertising matter are prohibited.
- Signs painted on or attached to any fence or any wall not structurally a part of a building are prohibited, except for identification of residences by occupant name and street address.
- Signs operating or employing stereopticon or motion picture projection/media in conjunction with advertisements, or with visible moving parts or any portion that moves or gives the illusion of motion (except at licensed drive-in theaters), are prohibited.
- Signs that emit audible sound, odor, or visible matter are prohibited.
- Signs that purport to be or resemble official traffic signs/signals or bear words such as “Stop”, “Go Slow”, “Caution”, “Danger”, “Warning”, etc. are prohibited.
- Signs which by size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination may be confused with or construed as a traffic control sign, signal or device; or which obstruct a motorist’s or pedestrian’s view of traffic/street signs or signals, are prohibited.
- Signs declared to be unsafe or unlawful under the ordinance are prohibited.
- No sign shall project into the public right of way.

## Signs exempt from permit in Hudson

- Construction signs (one per project, not exceeding nine square feet in residential districts, time limits apply).
- Directional or instructional signs entirely on the property, not exceeding four square feet and not advertising goods or services.
- Flags of any nation, political subdivision, or corporate flag.
- Governmental signs for traffic control, regulatory, or public service, erected by or for a public officer in their official duties.
- Holiday decorations of a primarily decorative nature, associated with holidays, for no more than 60 consecutive days or 60 days in any one year, with additional setback and visibility requirements.
- House numbers not exceeding two square feet per dwelling unit.
- Memorial signs/tablets, names of buildings, or date of erection cut into masonry or constructed of bronze or other incombustible material.
- Notice bulletin boards (not over thirty-two square feet) for medical, public, charitable or religious institutions, located on the premises.
- No trespassing/no dumping signs (not exceeding 1.5 square feet, limit of 4 per lot unless special permission granted by zoning enforcement officer).
- One occupant nameplate per dwelling unit or mobile home (not exceeding two square feet) for occupant name or legal home professional office.
- Official public notices posted by officers or employees in the performance of their duties.
- Public signs required or authorized for public purpose by any law, statute, or ordinance.
- One real estate sign per residential lot (not exceeding nine square feet, not illuminated, to be removed within 10 days after sale/lease).
- Religious symbols, commemorative plaques, or identification emblems of religious or historical agencies (not exceeding four square feet, placed flat on building).
- Temporary signs (not exceeding four square feet) for civic, philanthropic, educational or religious events, only during event/drive, and removed promptly after.
- Warning signs regarding existence of danger, containing no advertising, to be removed upon end of danger.
- Neighborhood identification signs: only neighborhood/tract name; may combine with wall, landscaping, etc.
- Miscellaneous signs not in another category may be approved by the ordinance and zoning committee, with category determination by the zoning enforcement officer.
- Election signs (with specific size, location, type limits, owner consent, and prohibitions on affixing to benches, hydrants, utility poles, etc.).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Miscellaneous signs not fitting other listed categories (9-11-1 subsection R) must be approved by the ordinance and zoning committee, and the zoning enforcement officer determines the proper category.
- No explicit mention of master sign plans, required sign plans, or variance hearings in the provided ordinance sections.

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

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