# Sign Regulations in Round Lake, Illinois

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Round Lake, Illinois (IL)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/round-lake
- **Data last verified:** 2025-10-22
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://roundlake.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=Title_18_SIGN_CODE)

## At a glance

Round Lake, Illinois regulates 20 sign types across 4 zoning districts. A-Frames in the Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5) zoning district are capped at 4 ft tall and 6 sq ft, with a All signs shall be 5 feet from property line unless otherwise specified (§18.32.010 Notes). setback (Sec. Round Lake Municipal Code §18.32.010 (A-Frame)). Most commercial signs in Round Lake require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5) | 14 | 15 ft | 75 sq ft total per drive-through lane (two signs) | — |
| Industrial Districts (I-1, I-2) | 10 | 15 ft | Up to 50% of permitted ground sign | — |
| Residential Districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-10) | 3 | 6 ft | 25 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 25 ft (flag pole height) | 20 sq ft per flag | — |

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

### Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A-Frame | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | General rule: All signs shall be 5 feet from property line unless otherwise specified (§18.32.010 Notes). | 1 | On private property; In Downtown area only, A-frame may be located on the public sidewalk within the right-of-way if sidewalk clearance is maintained and the sign is located in front of the business. | — | Round Lake Municipal Code §18.32.010 (A-Frame) |
| Electronic Message (EMS) - Integrated into Ground Sign | N/A (follows ground sign height limits) | Up to 50% of permitted ground sign | — | Minimum 25 ft from any residential use; general 5 ft property line setback for signs applies. | 1 EMS per lot | Integrated into a permitted ground sign for C districts (also allowed for institutional uses). | — | §18.32.010 (Electronic Message); §18.20.040(7) (EMS brightness standards) |
| Ground Sign | 12 ft | 50 sq ft (1–3 panels); 75 sq ft (4+ panels per number of tenant spaces) | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 | On private property in C districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign); §18.20.050 (Landscaping) |
| Ground Sign Menu Board (Drive-Through) | 8 ft | 75 sq ft total per drive-through lane (two signs) | — | Minimum 15 ft from any residential use; general 5 ft property line setback applies. | 2 per drive-through lane | Drive-through facilities in C districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign Menu Board); §18.20.010(7) (Audio components allowed for menu boards only) |
| Ground Sign Wayfinding | 3 ft | 4 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | Multiple (limited to necessary) | On-site wayfinding in C districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign Wayfinding) |
| Light Pole Banner | Mounted at 10 ft or higher above ground | 15 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per pole; up to 25% of parking lot poles | Mounted on private property light poles; banner held taut between support arm and pole, perpendicular to the pole. | — | §18.32.010 (Light Pole Banner) |
| Limited Duration - Commercial | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per frontage | Per frontage in C districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Limited Duration Commercial) |
| Projecting | Vertical clearance between 8–15 ft above ground; maximum projection 4 ft from wall | 9 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per frontage | Building-mounted in C districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Projecting) |

### Industrial Districts (I-1, I-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A-Frame | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 | On private property in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (A-Frame) |
| Awning | — | Up to 25% of awning face | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies; 8 ft vertical clearance required. | 1 | Building-mounted awning in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Awning) |
| Electronic Message (EMS) - Integrated into Ground Sign | N/A (follows ground sign height limits) | Up to 50% of permitted ground sign | — | Minimum 25 ft from any residential use; general 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 EMS per lot | Integrated into permitted ground signs in I districts (also allowed for institutional uses). | — | §18.32.010 (Electronic Message); §18.20.040(7) |
| Ground Sign | 12 ft | 50 sq ft (1–3 panels); 75 sq ft (4+ panels per number of tenant spaces) | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 | On private property in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign); §18.20.050 |
| Ground Sign Wayfinding | 3 ft | 4 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | Multiple (limited to necessary) | On-site wayfinding in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign Wayfinding) |
| Light Pole Banner | Mounted at 10 ft or higher above ground | 15 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per pole; up to 25% of parking lot poles | Mounted on private property light poles; banner held taut between support arm and pole, perpendicular to the pole. | — | §18.32.010 (Light Pole Banner) |
| Limited Duration - Commercial | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per frontage | Per frontage in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Limited Duration Commercial) |
| Temporary (Attention Getting Device: banner, feather, etc., located on premise) | 15 ft | 32 sq ft | — | Must be set back from property line; general 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 | On-site (setback from property line or on building per wall/window standards) in I districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Temporary Attention Getting Device) |

### Residential Districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, R-10)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign - Residential Entrance | 6 ft | 25 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per residential subdivision or multi-family complex entrance | At entrance to residential subdivision or multi-family complex. | — | §18.32.010 (Ground Sign Residential); §18.20.050 |
| Limited Duration - Residential | 6 ft | 16 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 per frontage | Per frontage in R districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Limited Duration Residential) |
| Temporary - Residential (e.g., Garage Sale, Open House) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | General 5 ft property line setback applies. | 1 | On private property in R districts. | — | §18.32.010 (Temporary Residential) |

## Prohibited signs in Round Lake

- All signs not expressly permitted by Title 18 are prohibited (18.24.010).
- No sign may be erected, constructed, altered, or relocated without a sign permit unless specifically exempt (18.12.005).
- Audio components are prohibited on any sign, except on menu boards and only for customer-service communication (18.20.010(7)).
- Hand-lettered signs are prohibited; all signs must be professionally produced (18.20.010(8)).
- No sign installation may violate building codes or obstruct ingress/egress, fire escapes, standpipes, or similar fire safety connections (18.20.60(1)).
- No sign may obstruct the sight triangle at intersections (18.20.60(2)).
- Signs may not be installed on public property or in the public right-of-way unless placed by or authorized by a government; unauthorized signs may be removed (18.20.60(3)).
- No permanent sign may be erected on private property without property owner consent; written permission is required when the applicant is not the owner (18.20.60(4)).
- Banners used as permanent signs, including banners wrapped around permanent sign structures, are prohibited (18.24.010(1)).
- Inflatable, balloon, or air-infused/air-inflated signs are prohibited (18.24.010(2)).
- Flashing, animated, or video display signs (electronic) are prohibited (18.24.010(4)).
- Moving signs, including any sign that rotates, revolves, has visible moving parts, or appears to move (wind-moved), are prohibited (clocks and barber poles excluded) (18.24.010(5)).
- Obscene signs are prohibited per defined obscenity criteria (18.24.010(6)).
- Obsolete copy and obsolete signs are prohibited; obsolete copy must be removed within 30 days; sign frames may not remain unfilled or expose internal elements; obsolete wall signs must be removed entirely and the wall restored (18.24.010(7)).
- Off-premises commercial signs, including billboards, are prohibited (18.24.010(8)).
- Pennants and streamers are prohibited (18.24.010(9)).
- Pylon and pole signs are prohibited (18.24.010(10)).
- Boxed or canned signs are prohibited, except for corporate logos (18.24.010(11)).
- Portable reader-board signs are prohibited (18.24.010(12)).
- Roof signs are prohibited (18.24.010(13)).
- Outlining windows, doors, architectural features, or building facades with LED, neon, or any type of lighting; strobe lights; moving or fixed spotlights; and floodlights/searchlights are prohibited (18.24.010(14)).
- Signs that constitute a traffic hazard or that interfere with, obstruct the view of, or may be confused with authorized traffic signs/signals/devices (including use of red/green/amber illumination resembling a traffic signal, or misleading words like "stop", "detour", etc.) are prohibited (18.24.010(15)).
- Vehicle signs on unlicensed, uninsured, or inoperable vehicles used primarily to attract attention to a business/building occupant are prohibited (exceptions for vehicles used in the normal course of business and vehicle for-sale signs) (18.24.010(16)).
- Signs affixed to structures, trees, natural vegetation, rocks, poles, or located in the public right-of-way are prohibited (unless authorized) (18.24.010(17)).
- No sign may be painted directly on a wall or any other structure (18.24.010(18)).
- No sign illumination may be combined with reflective materials that would increase glare (18.20.040(4)).

## Signs exempt from permit in Round Lake

- Painting, cleaning, or other normal maintenance and repair of a sign that does not involve structural changes or changes in electrical components is exempt from a sign permit; increasing sign area/height/dimensions or relocating a sign requires a permit; changing the sign face is not exempt (18.28.010(1)).
- Changing the copy of a changeable message sign or electronic message sign is exempt from a sign permit (18.28.010(2)).
- Signs not visible from any public areas are exempt (18.28.020(1)).
- Logos and labels on mechanical equipment, recycling bins, trash containers, etc., that are part of the equipment as manufactured/installed are exempt (18.28.020(2)).
- One sign mounted on each gas station pump (up to 1.5 sq ft, oriented toward the fueling vehicle) is exempt and may be a video sign (18.28.020(3)).
- One small wall-mounted sign identifying only the address and name of a building or occupant (up to 2 sq ft) per street frontage or primary building entry is exempt (unless otherwise authorized) (18.28.020(4)).
- Umbrellas for outdoor seating are exempt (18.28.020(5)).
- Government signs installed by federal, state, county, or local governments or taxing bodies in the public interest do not require a permit and are allowed in all zones (18.32.010, Government Sign).
- Temporary public information/event signs for not-for-profit community events located off-premise are allowed in all zones without a permit for up to 30 days; they cannot be used to direct attention to for-profit commercial activity (18.32.010, Temporary Public Information/Event Sign).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No master sign plan or sign program requirement is stated in the provided sections.
- Sign permit application must include all required submittals; a landscape plan may be required (18.12.020).
- A Modification and Variance chapter (18.40) is referenced but its content is not provided; no variance meeting or sign plan requirements are indicated in the provided text.

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

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