# Sign Regulations in Lake Barrington, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Lake Barrington, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/lake-barrington
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Lake Barrington, Illinois regulates 12 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Ground/Monument Signs in the Business District (B), Manufacturing District (M), Office District (O) zoning district are capped at 12 feet tall and 100 square feet (max per sign), with a Min 3 ft from right-of-way; min 6 ft from adjacent sign/building setback (Sec. 8-9-7.B). Most commercial signs in Lake Barrington require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-5) | 3 | 8 feet | 48 square feet | — |
| Business District (B), Manufacturing District (M), Office District (O) | 8 | 12 feet | 100 square feet (max per sign) | — |
| Conservation District (C) | 2 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |

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

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-5)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign | 6 feet | 16 square feet (single sign); 48 square feet (association property) | — | — | Max 3 signs (if each is ≤ 6 sq ft); larger temporary sign (≤16 or 48 sq ft) – see aggregate limits | On private property | — | 8-9-4.C |
| Permanent Ground/Monument Sign (Association Property) | 8 feet | 48 square feet | — | — | — | On property owned by residential condo or homeowners' association | — | 8-9-7.C |
| Permanent Directional/Wayfinding/Traffic Sign (Association Property) | — | — | — | — | — | On property owned by residential condo or homeowners' association | — | 8-9-7.C |

### Business District (B), Manufacturing District (M), Office District (O)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground/Monument Sign | 12 feet | 100 square feet (max per sign) | — | Min 3 ft from right-of-way; min 6 ft from adjacent sign/building | 1 per lot, 2 if frontage ≥350 ft and separated as above | On private lot, not in right-of-way | — | 8-9-7.B |
| Wall Sign | Not to extend above lowest point of roof | Up to 100 square feet but only if ground sign max for property allows; else proportionate | — | — | 1 per wall (up to 2 for corner/multi-frontage lots); one per occupant entity | On building facade, not over public right-of-way | — | 8-9-7.D |
| Temporary Banner/Flag (Freestanding) | 8 feet | 10 square feet per sign | — | — | Max 2 | On private lot, must comply with locations rules | — | 8-9-5.D1 |
| Temporary Banner/Flag (Wall-Mounted) | 8 feet | 10 square feet per sign | — | — | Max 1 | Affixed to wall, must comply with locations rules | — | 8-9-5.D2 |
| Sandwich Board Sign (Temporary) | 8 feet | 10 square feet per sign | — | — | Max 1 | On private lot, must comply with locations rules | — | 8-9-5.D3 |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of the window or door area | — | — | — | On exterior surface of window or glass door | — | 8-9-7.F |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | Perimeter outline considered as area (counts as wall sign area) | 2 feet from each side of entrance | — | — | Over entrance but not over public right-of-way | — | 8-9-7.H |
| Digital Sign (Special Use Only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8-9-7.G |

### Conservation District (C)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On private property | — | 8-9-1.C.3.c |
| Ground/Monument Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On private property | — | 8-9-1.C.3.c |

## Prohibited signs in Lake Barrington

- No signs, other than municipal signs, are permitted on any public property or within any public right-of-way.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained in a manner that obstructs free and clear vision or distracts the attention of drivers, bicyclists, or pedestrians.
- No sign shall interfere with, obstruct, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device, or cause glare on any public area or residential property.
- No sign shall use words like 'Stop', 'Go', 'Look', 'Slow', 'Danger', or similar, nor employ colored lights or lamps that might mislead or confuse traffic.
- No sign shall interfere with safe sight lines of drivers, bicyclists, or pedestrians using public right-of-way or public property.
- Any sign for a use, occupancy, or product no longer existing must be removed within thirty (30) days of written notification.
- Illegal and nonconforming signs must be removed or brought into compliance within ten (10) days of notice, unless a permit application, appeal, or variation is pending.
- If a sign is unsafe, unsecure, a danger, or violates code, it must be corrected or removed within thirty (30) days of notification, or immediately if an imminent peril.
- Signs are only allowed on the property of the sign owner or with property owner's consent.
- No freestanding sign may use overhead electrical lines; only underground supply is permitted.
- No nonconforming sign may be changed to another nonconforming sign, except for nonstructural replacement of letters, panels, or symbols.
- Prohibited sign types in all zoning districts: roof signs (with exceptions for certain mansard roofs), billboards or off-site signage unless expressly permitted, vehicle signs, tethered airborne signs and balloons, beacons, inflatables, signs on trailers and other portable signs.
- No temporary or permanent sign, whether exempt or non-exempt, shall block any wall opening, door, window, or fire escape, nor be attached to a standpipe or fire escape.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained so as to interfere with snow removal.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained so as to prevent free ingress or egress from doors, windows or fire escapes, nor wholly or partially cover wall openings.

## Signs exempt from permit in Lake Barrington

- Municipal signs as defined by the ordinance.
- Permanent or temporary signs located on private property (with owner's consent) that do not exceed 6 square feet in display surface area (maximum of 3 such signs per zoning lot or parcel).
- Change of letters, words, and/or symbols on changeable copy panels and normal repairs/repainting of existing signs.
- Flags less than 15 square feet in surface area.
- Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, including clocks.
- Signs or displays visible from outside through a window but not affixed/attached to or blocking such window.
- Temporary signs in residential zoning districts (other than B, M, or O districts) meeting all of the following: single sign not exceeding 16 square feet, aggregate not exceeding 32 square feet (48 for homeowner/condo associations), height not over 6 feet, not illuminated, not interfering with traffic safety.
- Traffic control signs, digital/electronic signs for traffic, municipal wayfinding signs, directional signs, traffic signals/devices, legal notices, railroad crossing signs, danger signs, temporary emergency and event signs, public utility signs, and similar are permitted in every district and are exempt from these sign regulations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A Master Sign Plan is required for uses involving a building larger than 5,000 square feet of ground floor area, any nonresidential development on sites of 5 acres or larger, or any nonresidential development with 4 or more nonresidential occupants.
- A Master Sign Plan, if approved, must be approved in the same manner as other variation(s) and/or special use permit(s): public hearing before the Plan Commission, recommendation to Board of Trustees, approval by ordinance.
- Wall signs, ground signs, wayfinding, directional, and other non-specified signs are required to be included in Master Sign Plans.
- Variations from sign regulations and/or special use permits require a public hearing before the Plan Commission and approval by the Board of Trustees by ordinance.
- Special use permit is required for digital signs, digital displays, and moving and spinning signs (not allowed in residential districts).

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

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