# Sign Regulations in Sherman, Illinois

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

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

## At a glance

Sherman, Illinois regulates 23 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Business District (B-1, B-2), Industrial District (I) zoning district are capped at 25 feet at property line, plus 1 foot additional height per 2 feet additional setback, to 35 ft max tall and 150 square feet, with a At property line, plus 1 ft height per 2 ft additional setback (max 35 ft) setback (Sec. 10-10-14A (Table of Standards for On Premises Business Signs)). Most commercial signs in Sherman require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 4 feet | 50 square feet | — |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4) | 4 | 6 feet | 24 square feet | — |
| Business District (B-1, B-2), Industrial District (I) | 7 | 25 feet at property line, plus 1 foot additional height per 2 feet additional setback, to 35 ft max | 300 square feet per structure | — |
| Industrial District (I) | 1 | 6 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| Agricultural District (AG) | 2 | 25 feet at setback line, plus 1 foot for each 2 feet of setback, up to 35 ft | 300 square feet (back-to-back faces permitted; treated as single structure) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Instructional or Directional Sign | 4 feet | 15 square feet (all such signs, cumulative) | — | — | — | Interior of lot; not specified as to building or freestanding | — | 10-10-6(B) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 12 square feet | — | — | 1 | On lot being advertised | — | 10-10-6(C) |
| Construction Site Sign | — | 35 square feet | — | — | — | On construction site | — | 10-10-6(D) |
| Address Sign | — | 5 square feet | — | — | — | On building | — | 10-10-6(E) |
| Auction or Garage Sale Sign | — | 5 square feet | — | — | — | Private property only (not public property). | — | 10-10-6(F) |
| Political Campaign Sign (Residential District) | — | 16 square feet | — | — | — | Private property only (not public property) | — | 10-10-6(G) |
| Political Campaign Sign (Non-residential District) | — | 32 square feet | — | — | — | Private property only (not public property) | — | 10-10-6(G) |
| Special Event Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | Up to 10 per day villagewide | As approved by zoning enforcement officer; may be over public property if permitted. | — | 10-10-7(B,C) |

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business On-Premises Sign (Home Occupation) | — | 1 square foot | — | — | 1 | On premises | — | 10-10-10(A) |
| Business Sign - Incised Letters (R-3, R-4 only) | — | — | — | — | 1 | Part of building | — | 10-10-10(B)(1) |
| Wall Sign (R-3, R-4 only) | — | 24 square feet | — | — | 1 | Front or side yard on building wall | — | 10-10-10(B)(2) |
| Freestanding Sign (R-3, R-4 only) | 6 feet | 24 square feet | — | — | 1 | Front or side yard | — | 10-10-10(B)(2) |

### Business District (B-1, B-2), Industrial District (I)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 feet at property line, plus 1 foot additional height per 2 feet additional setback, to 35 ft max | 150 square feet | — | At property line, plus 1 ft height per 2 ft additional setback (max 35 ft) | 1 per frontage per business | On premises, not to project over right of way | — | 10-10-14A (Table of Standards for On Premises Business Signs) |
| Wall Sign | Wall facing street: not above 2nd story; Wall perpendicular to street: not above roof | 150 square feet | — | — | 1 per frontage per business | On building wall | — | 10-10-14A |
| Theater Marquee Sign | Not above 2nd story or roofline | 175 square feet | — | — | 1 per marquee structure facing, max 3 | Marquee structure | — | 10-10-14A Table |
| Canopy or Awning Sign (Under Canopy) | Not above 2nd story or roofline | 10 square feet under canopy; 50 square feet for fascia mounted sign | — | — | 1 under canopy per business; plus 1 fascia mounted under certain conditions | On canopy/awning or fascia | — | 10-10-14A Table |
| Projecting Yard Sign | Not above 2nd story or roofline | 30 square feet | — | — | 1 per business | Pinned perpendicular to building | — | 10-10-14A Table |
| Outdoor Advertising Sign Structure - Wall or Parallel Freestanding (within 3 feet of and parallel to wall) | Not above roofline of wall it is mounted on | 300 square feet per structure | — | — | 2 per wall | Wall or parallel within 3 ft of wall | — | 10-10-14B (Table of Standards for OASS) |
| Outdoor Advertising Sign Structure - Freestanding | 25 feet at setback line, plus 1 foot for each 2 feet extra setback, up to 35 ft | 300 square feet (back-to-back faces permitted; treated as single structure) | — | 10 feet from curb line; additional requirements for proximity to other signs/zones. | — | Freestanding | — | 10-10-14B (Table of Standards for OASS) |

## Prohibited signs in Sherman

- Banners, flags, pennants, spinners, portable signs, and streamers are prohibited except pursuant to a permit if provided for in this chapter.
- Any illuminated sign whose lighting projects into a residential area or public right of way is prohibited.
- Any flashing sign or any sign which has any visible moving part, visible revolving parts or visible mechanical movement of any description; or other apparent visible movement achieved by electrical, electronic or mechanical means, including intermittent electrical pulsations, or by action of normal wind currents is prohibited. (Exception: illuminated signs which indicate the time, temperature, weather, or other changing message are not considered flashing or moving signs provided each individual message remains visible for at least a two and one-half (2.5) second interval before being reset or replaced.)
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure which is structurally unsafe is prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure that constitutes a hazard to safety or health by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, or abandonment is prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure that is not kept in good repair is prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure that is capable of causing electrical shocks to persons likely to come in contact with it is prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure which, by reason of its size, location, content, coloring or intensity of illumination, constitutes a traffic hazard or a detriment to traffic safety by obstructing or detracting from the visibility of any governmentally erected sign or control device is prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure not erected by the village or its agents which extends over or touches upon any village property or public right of way unless specifically permitted by this chapter is prohibited.
- Signs or outdoor advertising sign structures which make use of words such as 'Stop', 'Look', 'Danger', or any other words, phrases, symbols or characters, in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic are prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure which obstructs free ingress to or egress from a required door, window, fire escape or other required exitway is prohibited.
- Any nonconforming sign or outdoor advertising sign structure which refers to a business no longer in existence or in operation at the location advertised is prohibited.
- Business signs advertising nonconforming uses which do not conform to the sign regulations of the most restrictive district where the nonconforming use is permitted are prohibited.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising sign structure unlawfully constructed, installed, erected or maintained is prohibited.
- Any roof sign is prohibited.
- No sign or outdoor advertising sign structure may be erected on a public right of way.
- No sign or outdoor advertising sign structure may be erected, constructed, established, maintained, enlarged or relocated or changed by any person except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

## Signs exempt from permit in Sherman

- Nonbusiness signs (signs not defined as 'business sign' and not specifically prohibited or regulated otherwise) are permitted in all districts without permit.
- Instructional or directional signs not exceeding a total of 15 square feet in surface area for all such signs on any premises and which do not exceed 4 feet in height are permitted in all districts without permit.
- One real estate sign per lot, not to exceed 12 square feet in surface area, is permitted in all districts without permit.
- Signs identifying architects, engineers, developers or contractors placed on construction sites not exceeding 35 square feet in area and removed within 14 days from completion of construction are permitted in all districts without permit.
- Signs used to identify the street address of a commercial building not exceeding 5 square feet in area are permitted in all districts without permit.
- Signs announcing auctions and garage sales not exceeding 5 square feet in area, posted not more than 2 days before and removed within 2 days after the event (total display not to exceed 6 days), confined to private property and not on public property, are permitted in all districts without permit.
- Political campaign signs (not exceeding 16 square feet in residential districts or 32 square feet in other districts) confined to private property, removed within 7 days of the election, are permitted in all districts without permit.
- Flags of any country, state, or unit of local government not exceeding 40 square feet in size are permitted in all districts without permit.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The ordinance does not include a clear, general requirement for a master sign plan, sign plan, or sign variance meeting for all signs across all zones. Permitting and conformance are handled individually unless specifically regulated elsewhere in the ordinance.

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/illinois/sherman