# Sign Regulations in Poplar Grove, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Poplar Grove, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/poplar-grove
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/IL/Poplar_Grove/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CD_TITIIBULIRE_CH10CORETOPR_2-10-7POWASIPRSTLA)

## At a glance

Poplar Grove, Illinois regulates 15 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the GB zoning district are capped at 10 ft tall and 150 sq. ft., with a 10 ft setback (Sec. 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (A) (1)). Most commercial signs in Poplar Grove require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A-1, RE | 3 | 10 ft | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| R-1, R-2, R-3 | 2 | 5 ft | 6 sq. ft. | — |
| R-5, MH | 3 | 5 ft | 16 sq. ft. | — |
| NB | 7 | 20 ft above base of building if not flush with vertical roof surface below peak | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — |
| GB | 9 | 36 in above marquee | 150 sq. ft. | — |
| CB | 8 | 36 in above marquee | 100 sq. ft. | — |
| LI, HI | 8 | 20 ft above base of building if not flush with vertical roof surface below peak | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 6 ft | 60 sq. ft. | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### GB

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft | 150 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft | 1 per street frontage | On private property, minimum 10 ft setback from property line | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (A) (1) |
| Building Sign - Wall | — | 150 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | 2 per establishment per side | On building wall, parallel or nearly parallel to property line/street frontage | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (B) (1) |
| Building Sign - Electronic Message Center | — | Included in wall sign allowable area | — | — | — | On building wall | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1), 8-11-10, 8-11-14 |
| Building Sign - Banner | — | 150 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | On building | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) |
| Building Sign - Marquee | 36 in above marquee | 150 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | Attached or part of building projecting over sheltered entrance of theater/other use | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Projecting | — | 150 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from wall perpendicular | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Roof (Below Peak) | 20 ft above base of building if not flush with vertical roof surface below peak | 150 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | Below peak, on roof | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Suspended | — | 2 sq. ft (if only name/address), otherwise against total allowed area | — | — | 1 per entrance | Suspended from underside of horizontal surface | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |

### CB

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft | 100 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft | 1 per street frontage | On private property, minimum 10 ft setback | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (A) (1) |
| Building Sign - Wall | — | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | 1 per establishment per side | On building wall, parallel or nearly parallel to property line/street frontage | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (B) (1) |
| Building Sign - Banner | — | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | On building | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) |
| Building Sign - Canopy | — | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | Attached to canopy | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Marquee | 36 in above marquee | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | Attached or part of building projecting over entrance | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Projecting | — | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from wall perpendicular | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Roof (Below Peak) | 20 ft above base of building if not flush with vertical roof surface below peak | 100 sq. ft. per wall | — | — | — | Below peak, on roof | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Suspended | — | 2 sq. ft (if only name/address), otherwise against total allowed area | — | — | 1 per entrance | Suspended from underside of horizontal surface | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |

### LI, HI

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 10 ft | 150 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft | 1 per street frontage | On private property, minimum 10 ft setback | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (A) (1) |
| Building Sign - Wall | — | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — | — | 2 per establishment per side | On building wall, parallel or nearly parallel to property line/street frontage | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (B) (1) |
| Building Sign - Electronic Message Center | — | Included in wall sign allowable area | — | — | — | On building wall | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1), 8-11-10, 8-11-14 |
| Building Sign - Banner | — | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — | — | — | On building | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) |
| Building Sign - Canopy | — | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — | — | — | Attached to canopy | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Projecting | — | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from wall | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Roof (Below Peak) | 20 ft above base of building if not flush with vertical roof surface below peak | 500 sq. ft. per wall (LI), 1,000 sq. ft. per wall (HI) | — | — | — | Below peak, on roof | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |
| Building Sign - Suspended | — | 2 sq. ft (if only name/address), otherwise against total allowed area | — | — | 1 per entrance | Suspended from canopy/horizontal surface | — | 8-11-5 Table 8-11-5 (C) (1) and (D) |

## Prohibited signs in Poplar Grove

- No sign may be placed in or protrude into the public right-of-way.
- Animated signs such as pinwheels, streamers, wind operated devices, fluttering signs, and beacons are prohibited.
- Signs cannot be painted or posted directly on rocks, trees, or other natural features.
- No sign may be erected where it will obstruct the view of authorized traffic signs/signals or obstruct vision in a sight triangle or public right-of-way.
- Flashing signs are prohibited, except electronic message centers with a special use permit or digital time/temperature signs with limited info.
- Signs with obscene, indecent, pornographic, or immoral content are prohibited.
- Strings of lights not permanently mounted to a rigid background are prohibited, except holiday lights.
- Signs attached to or painted on vehicles visible from the public right-of-way are prohibited unless the vehicle is used for day-to-day business transportation.
- Inflatable signs and tethered balloons are prohibited, except when used as a temporary sign.
- Portable signs are prohibited, except when used as a temporary sign.
- No sign shall be painted or posted directly upon the surface of any building or structure, except signs identifying a business.
- Off-site and temporary signs shall not be illuminated.
- The use of exposed lighting mounted directly on a sign face is prohibited.
- Animated signs (including those with messages changing more than eight times per day), except certain holiday lights or time/temperature signs, are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Poplar Grove

- Official government traffic, fire, police signs, signals, and devices.
- Public signs including notice, warning, traffic control, historic, civic, or memorial signs authorized by relevant law or ordinance.
- Building marker signs indicating building name/date/incidental info, cut into masonry or permanent material, max six square feet, attached to building.
- Interior building signs not attached to windows/doors and not intended for exterior viewing.
- Manufacturer's labels on farm structures/buildings as part of assembly.
- On-site directional signs three square feet or less to facilitate vehicle/pedestrian movement (one per entrance/exit); drive-through signs of same size adjacent/over drive-through lanes.
- Traffic control signs on private property meeting DOT standards and containing no commercial message.
- Religious symbols on religious buildings or private church property.
- Holiday lights/decorations with no commercial message, limited to 30 days before and after recognized holidays in commercial/industrial districts.
- Descriptive signs on merchandise/inventory for sale in commercial/industrial districts.
- Flags, emblems, or insignia of government/noncommercial orgs under 60 square feet, mounted on poles not exceeding 40 feet (quantity limits by zone).
- Identification signs containing only name/address, limited to two square feet.
- Incidental signs with a secondary, generally informational purpose, not including commercial message or logo legible at the property line.
- Window signs visible from the exterior and placed/hung on the window surface.
- Signs on private property not subject to view from other properties or public property.
- Works of art approved by the Village Board.
- Temporary signs described in Section 8-11-9, items A–D (certain real estate, political, construction, event signs), subject to listed size and time limits.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No sign requiring a permit may be erected, re-erected, constructed, altered, or maintained until a permit has been issued by the Building Official with payment of the fee.
- Any sign located within the Village limits must obtain a permit prior to erection unless specifically exempted.
- All applications for permanent sign permits and special use permits must include a site plan and sign plan, drawn to scale, showing the location, dimensions, and design of the signs requested, as well as the site, building, landscaping, and all other signs requiring a permit.
- For temporary signs, the applicant must contact the Building Official and provide name, address, description, and location prior to installation; a sign permit is required upon approval of the temporary sign unless otherwise exempted.
- No new sign permit is required upon change of user or owner unless there is modification of the sign face or structure.

## 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 8 zoning districts in Poplar Grove — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Poplar+Grove+IL&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-poplar-grove

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