# Sign Regulations in Justice, Illinois

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

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

## At a glance

Justice, Illinois regulates 13 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the R-1, R-2, R-3 zoning district are capped at 30 feet (maximum building height for the district) tall and Requires board approval if over 100 square feet, with a Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way property line setback (Sec. Sec. 8-169(a)-(d), (g)). Most commercial signs in Justice 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 | 7 | 30 feet (maximum building height for the district) | Requires board approval if over 100 square feet | — |
| B-1, C-1 | 7 | 35 feet (maximum building height for the district) | Subject to Highway Advertising Control Act 1971, as amended | — |
| I-1, I-1-R, I-2 | 7 | 35 feet for I-1 and I-1-R, 45 feet for I-2 (max building height for zone) | Requires Board approval if over 100 sq ft; must comply with Highway Advertising Control Act if within 300 ft of Tollway | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | — | 16 square feet (4' x 4') | — |

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

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

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 30 feet (maximum building height for the district) | — | — | Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way; not permitted in parkways or in a sight triangle; not within 10 feet of power lines | — | Attached to or erected against a wall of a building or structure, face parallel to wall | — | Sec. 8-167; Sec. 8-169(c); Sec. 8-168 |
| Freestanding Sign | 30 feet (maximum building height for the district) | Requires board approval if over 100 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way property line | — | On private property, not in parkway, not in a sight triangle | — | Sec. 8-169(a)-(d), (g) |
| Political Sign | — | 32 square feet per zoning lot | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(a) |
| Garage Sale Sign | — | — | — | — | Must be specified in permit application | Private property and, with restriction, in village right-of-way from midnight Thursday to midnight Sunday | — | Sec. 8-171(b); Sec. 3-457; Sec. 3-458 |
| Real Estate Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(c) |
| Banner Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Secured or mounted to existing structures on private property in Residential districts | — | Sec. 8-171(d) |
| Portable Sign (includes A-Frame, Sandwich Board, Tent Sign) | — | — | — | Must not block public street or right-of-way | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(e) |

### B-1, C-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 35 feet (maximum building height for the district) | — | — | Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way | — | Attached to or erected against building/structure wall, face parallel to the wall | — | Sec. 8-167; Sec. 8-169 |
| Freestanding Sign | 35 feet (maximum building height for the district) | Requires Board approval if over 100 sq ft; must comply with Illinois Toll Highway provisions if within 300 feet of Tollway | — | 5 feet minimum from right-of-way property line | — | On private property; not in parkway or sight triangle | — | Sec. 8-169(a)-(d), (e) |
| Billboard Sign (Toll Highway Proximity) | — | Subject to Highway Advertising Control Act 1971, as amended | — | — | — | Within 300 ft of Illinois Toll Highway in B-1, C-1 | — | Sec. 8-169(e) |
| Banner Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Secured to an existing structure or post | — | Sec. 8-171(d) |
| Portable Sign (includes A-Frame, Sandwich Board, Tent Sign) | — | — | — | Cannot obstruct street or right-of-way | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(e) |
| Political Sign | — | 32 square feet per zoning lot | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(a) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(c) |

### I-1, I-1-R, I-2

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 35 feet for I-1 and I-1-R, 45 feet for I-2 (max building height for zone) | — | — | 5 feet from right-of-way | — | Attached to or erected against wall of a building/structure, face parallel to wall | — | Sec. 8-167, Sec. 8-169(c), Sec. 8-168 |
| Freestanding Sign | 35 feet (I-1, I-1-R); 45 feet (I-2) | Requires Board approval if over 100 sq ft; must comply with Highway Advertising Control Act if within 300 ft of Tollway | — | 5 feet from right-of-way property line | — | Private property only, not in parkways nor sight triangle | — | Sec. 8-169(a)-(d), (e) |
| Billboard Sign (Toll Highway Proximity) | — | Subject to Highway Advertising Control Act | — | — | — | Within 300 ft of Illinois Toll Highway: I-1, I-1-R, I-2 | — | Sec. 8-169(e) |
| Banner Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property, secured to structure/post | — | Sec. 8-171(d) |
| Portable Sign (includes A-Frame, Sandwich Board, Tent Sign) | — | — | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(e) |
| Political Sign | — | 32 square feet per zoning lot | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(a) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property only | — | Sec. 8-171(c) |

## Prohibited signs in Justice

- No person shall erect, construct or maintain any sign upon any property, structure, or building without the prior written consent of the owner or authorized representative.
- No person shall erect, maintain, or remove any sign or rigid canopy over a street, alley, sidewalk or other public way, or on any building, or on any property within the village without having first obtained a permit from the electrical inspector unless exempted.
- No sign shall be located within ten feet below or ten feet closer to any electrical transmission lines and must conform to all O.S.H.A. and Com Ed standards.
- Signs shall not be permitted in parkways.
- No signs may be permitted within a sight triangle except for public safety-related or safety-related signs.
- No person shall park any vehicle or trailer on a public right-of-way, which has attached thereto or located thereon any sign or advertising device for the basic purpose of providing advertisement of products or directing people to a business or activity.
- Portable signs are prohibited except where allowed by permit for a maximum of thirty (30) days.
- Signs in public rights-of-way which are not public signs or as authorized within this code are prohibited.
- Streamers, posters, ribbons, light strings, light bulbs, light bands, spinners, attention-getting devices that move (including inflatable devices or balloons which expand when filled with a gas or air), blinking, electronic or flashing signs (except time, temperature, and date signs), signs which exhibit changing natural or artificial light or color effects, and signs (other than neon signs) which contain bare, unshielded light or tubes visible from a public street or private residence are prohibited.
- Signs attached to trees, fences, public utility poles, hydrants, standpipes, gutter drains or fire escapes (other than warning signs issued by government officials or public utilities) are prohibited.
- Abandoned or defunct signs, including the posts or other supports attached thereto, must be removed by the property owner within sixty (60) days of notification by the building department.
- Signs that move, rotate, change position, have moving parts, or create the illusion of movement, whether the movement is caused by the wind or mechanically, are prohibited except for the rotation of barber poles and permissible changeable copy signs.
- Signs which prevent free ingress or access from any door, window, fire escape, driveway or utility lines are prohibited.
- Signs which contain advertising matter which is untruthful are prohibited.
- Signs which emit an audible sound are prohibited.
- Signs which by reason of their size, location, movement, content, coloring or manner of illumination may be confused with or construed to be a traffic-control sign, signal or device, or the light of an emergency or road equipment vehicle, are prohibited.
- Off-site signs that identify a business, person, activity, goods, products, services or facilities not conducted on the premises upon which such sign is maintained are prohibited.
- Signs which hide or interfere with traffic flow or any street sign, signal, or device are prohibited.
- Signs which do not meet the standards of, or otherwise violate, the Highway Advertising Control Act of 1971 (225 ILCS 440/1 et seq.) are prohibited.
- Signs which contain radio or microwave transmitters are prohibited.
- Signs painted directly on any building surface are prohibited.
- Temporary signs are prohibited except where allowed by permit.
- No sign shall be maintained over any public way used by vehicles if the lowest part is less than fifteen feet (15') above the level of the public way, or over a sidewalk if less than ten feet (10') above the level of the public way.

## Signs exempt from permit in Justice

- Public signs or official signs and notices of any public or governmental agency, or signs required by law, ordinance or other governmental regulation, are exempt from prohibition in public rights-of-way.
- Political signs may be posted on private property without a permit. Political campaign signs may be posted on residential property for an indefinite period of time.
- Real estate signs may be placed on private property at any time and do not require a permit. They may only be placed on the property to which the sign pertains.
- Banner signs located in residential (R-1, R-2, or R-3) zoning districts do not require a permit.
- Signs informing the public of age of sale restrictions for tobacco products required by law (Sec. 3-656) are exempt when posted by licensees as specified.
- Memorial signs, municipal signs, public signs, and warning signs issued by government officials or public utilities are specifically allowed in some settings.
- Signs of an informational nature bearing no advertising are generally excluded from the definition of 'sign'.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The installation of a freestanding sign requires submission of a copy of the plat of survey for the property where the sign shall be located.
- Any freestanding sign located in a residential zoning district, or any sign over one hundred (100) square feet in size, shall not be erected until the size and height are approved by the board of trustees.
- Billboard signs along village streets are prohibited unless approved by the board of trustees.
- Permits are required for most sign types (exceptions: real estate and political signs on private property, residential banners) prior to erection, maintenance, or removal.
- Subdivision, rezoning, variance or special use applications require posting of a sign with specific information on the subject property prior to hearings, and the sign wording/format must be approved by the chairman of the zoning board of appeals.

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

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