# Sign Regulations in Manhattan, Illinois

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

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

## At a glance

Manhattan, Illinois regulates 35 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Identification Sign for Nonresidential Use (church, cemetery, golf, recreation)s in the Residential Districts, Agricultural Districts zoning district are capped at 8 ft (if freestanding sign) tall and 32 sq ft (Sec. 4-11-15C). Most commercial signs in Manhattan require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Districts, Agricultural Districts | 14 | 15 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| Commercial Zoning Districts | 14 | 15 ft | 180 sq ft (main); 100 sq ft (additional) | — |
| Industrial Zoning Districts | 7 | 15 ft | 200 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 5 ft | 10 sq ft per panel | — |

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

### Residential Districts, Agricultural Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Name and Address Plate | — | 1 sq ft (single family); 3 sq ft (buildings >2 units) | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-14A, 4-11-15B |
| Memorial Sign or Tablet | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-14B |
| No Trespassing or Regulatory Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-14C |
| Garage Sale Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | At curb in residential areas | — | 4-11-14I |
| Temporary Sign (Farm, Auction, Political, Charitable Event) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On private property | — | 4-11-14J |
| Identification Sign for Nonresidential Use (church, cemetery, golf, recreation) | 8 ft (if freestanding sign) | 32 sq ft | — | — | One per building entrance | At building entrance | — | 4-11-15C |
| Temporary Residential Marketing Sign (on site) | 15 ft | 100 sq ft | — | — | — | At major entrances to planned unit developments or residential subdivisions | — | 4-11-15E |
| Temporary Residential Marketing Sign (off site) | 10 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | No more than 4 per development | Off-site direction to development, on private property | — | 4-11-15F |

### Commercial Zoning Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Single/Combined Use) | 10 ft | 100 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | 4-11-16B1 |
| Freestanding Sign (Shopping Plaza) | 15 ft | 150 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | 4-11-16B2 |
| Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center Main) | 15 ft | 180 sq ft (main); 100 sq ft (additional) | — | — | Two per street frontage (1 main, 1 per tenant) | Per street frontage | — | 4-11-16B3 |
| Real Estate Sign (Commercial) | 10 ft | Up to 100 sq ft per face | — | — | One per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | 4-11-16B4 |
| Gasoline Price Sign | — | 15 sq ft (if attached to poles, not included in total signage), above 15 sq ft included in computation | — | — | One per street frontage | Permanently mounted on a pole | — | 4-11-16B5 |
| Pole Mounted Banner (Shopping Plaza/Center) | Lower edge at least 9 ft above ground | 10 sq ft | — | — | — | On light pole in retail area | — | 4-11-16B6 |
| Wall Sign (Single Use Building) | — | 2 sq ft per linear foot of facade | — | — | Max 4 | On building wall, not projecting more than 12 inches; not above roofline | — | 4-11-16C1, C5, defs |
| Wall Sign (Combined Use Building) | — | 2 sq ft per linear foot of facade | — | — | Max 6 | On building wall, not projecting more than 12 inches; not above roofline | — | 4-11-16C2, C5, defs |

### Industrial Zoning Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All signs permitted in Residential Districts, Agricultural Districts | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-17A |
| Wall Sign | — | 2 sq ft per linear foot of tenant building frontage | — | — | — | On building wall, not projecting more than 12 inches; not above roofline | — | 4-11-17B, defs |
| Freestanding Sign | — | 200 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | On private property per street frontage | — | 4-11-17C |
| Real Estate Sign (Industrial) | 15 ft | Up to 200 sq ft/face | — | — | One per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | 4-11-17D |
| Development Sign (Industrial Park Entrance) | — | 200 sq ft | — | — | — | At entrance, on private property | — | 4-11-17F |
| Changeable Copy Sign (Electronic) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-17G |
| Changeable Copy Sign (Manual/Mechanical) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4-11-17H |

## Prohibited signs in Manhattan

- Moving, rotating or animated signs, except traditional barber poles, not exceeding two feet in height and projecting not more than twelve inches from the building, utilized only to identify a haircutting establishment.
- Searchlights other than for grand openings.
- Sign illumination that is not steady and constant.
- Signs that emit noise, an odor or other visible matter.
- Signs attached to trees, standpipes, or fire escapes.
- Signs attached to fences, public utility poles or stanchions located in the right of way other than signs or banners of a community oriented nature issued by or approved by government officials or public utilities.
- Windows painted or posted in excess of an amount that would restrict reasonable view of the interior or exterior.
- Human signs.
- Video display signs.
- Multivision signs.
- Signs not listed in sections 4-11-14, 4-11-15, 4-11-16, 4-11-17, 4-11-18 and 4-11-19 of this chapter shall be deemed to be prohibited, even though such signs are not specifically listed in this section.
- Electronic graphic display signs.
- Signs with exposed light bulbs, flashing, blinking, traveling or similar illumination.
- Signs constructed or placed so that direct rays reflect into a public way or any lot on the perimeter of the premises.
- Signs placed over any public way that are less than eight feet above the sidewalk or less than fifteen feet above areas used by vehicles.
- Signs extending over any street, alley, sidewalk or other public place without a permit.
- Signs attached to wireless service facility towers except those for warnings or equipment information.

## Signs exempt from permit in Manhattan

- Name and address plates which give only the name and address of the resident of the building, and which are not more than one square foot in sign area.
- Memorial signs or tablets and signs denoting the date of erection of buildings, no larger than five square feet.
- No trespassing signs or other such signs regulating the use of a property, not more than two square feet in sign area in residential districts and six square feet in all commercial and industrial districts.
- Real estate signs, not exceeding six square feet per side in all districts. Such real estate signs shall be removed within fifteen days after the premises so advertised has been sold or leased.
- Signs regulating on premises traffic and parking, and signs denoting building facilities such as lavatories and public telephone areas, when less than six square feet in area and bearing no commercial advertising.
- Signs erected by a governmental body, or under the direction of such a body, and bearing no commercial advertising, such as traffic signs, railroad crossing signs, safety signs, and signs identifying public schools and playgrounds.
- The flag, pennant, or insignia of any government, or of any religious, charitable, or fraternal organization.
- One logo flag of a company shall be allowed provided it is flown with and is not larger than the American flag.
- Garage sale signs, not exceeding six square feet in area, may be placed at the curb in residential areas for not to exceed ten days.
- Temporary signs no larger than thirty two square feet in area advertising the sale of edible farm products on the premises, advertising auctions, political candidates, or special events of charitable, governmental or public service groups. Such signs must be located entirely on privately owned property and must be removed upon close of the event.
- Temporary window signs of paper or similar material shall be allowed in commercial districts, provided such signs are to be used to notify the public of special sales or current prices, and further provided such signs do not restrict the reasonable viewing of the interior or exterior.
- Signs included in an approved comprehensive sign plan which meet exemption criteria as outlined in Section 4-11-18(D), such as parking lot identification signs, shopping center map signs, and certain wayfinding signs.
- Temporary signs (per Section 4-11-8) do not require a permit (general exemption from permitting, but must meet other requirements).
- Certain signs under Section 4-11-14 are not counted toward total sign number or area and do not require a permit but must meet general regulations (height, setback, etc.).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A comprehensive sign plan is required where an applicant/developer seeks to vary from the standard sign ordinance provisions in order to establish signage criteria tailored to a specific development, building, multi-building development site, or multi-tenant building.
- A comprehensive sign plan must be approved as a special use via recommendation from the planning and zoning commission and approval by the village board.
- The comprehensive sign plan application must contain detailed plans for all proposed signs (location, size, materials, color, illumination, etc.), as well as the required computations.
- Major changes to an approved comprehensive sign plan require approval by the village board after recommendation from the planning and zoning commission; minor changes may be approved administratively.
- Construction and placement of individual signs under an approved comprehensive sign plan are still subject to sign permits.
- A sign plan ('sign map') is required for street sign installations in new developments, to be approved by the village board and police department before signs are installed.

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

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