# Sign Regulations in Western Springs, Illinois

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

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

## At a glance

Western Springs, Illinois regulates 22 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Identification Sign (Development or Complex)s in the Residential Districts (A, R1, R2, R3, R4, RB, SFA, R5) zoning district are capped at 7 ft tall and 6 sq ft, with a 15 ft from property line setback (Sec. 9-10-9B). Most commercial signs in Western Springs require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | — | — |
| Residential Districts (A, R1, R2, R3, R4, RB, SFA, R5) | 8 | 42 in | 36 sq ft per face (max 2 faces) | — |
| R4 Residential District | 2 | 7 ft | 6 sq ft | — |
| Commercial Districts (C1, C2, O, ORI, DT) | 11 | 42 in | 100 sq ft per wall/window sign; total aggregate 2 x linear frontage | — |
| C1 Village Center Commercial District, C2 Community Shopping District | 9 | 42 in | 100 sq ft (per single wall/window sign); aggregate 2x building frontage | — |
| O Limited Office District, ORI Office Research and Limited Industrial District, DT Downtown Transitional District | 8 | 42 in | 100 sq ft (per wall/window sign) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### Residential Districts (A, R1, R2, R3, R4, RB, SFA, R5)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate Sign (One Per Unit) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit | Affixed to building or at entrance | — | 9-10-3K |
| Identification Sign (Development or Complex) | 7 ft | 6 sq ft | — | 15 ft from property line | 1 per development/complex | At entrance or on building, 15 ft from property line | — | 9-10-9B |
| Real Estate Sign | 42 in | 6 sq ft per sign face | — | At least 15 ft from another lot, parcel, or tract. | 1 per lot | On property offered for sale/lease; not within 15 ft of another lot/tract | — | 9-10-9C |
| Directional or Informational Sign (Parking) | 7 ft | 2 sq ft per sign face | — | — | 1 per entrance/exit and 1 per parking area | At parking entrances/exits or within parking area | — | 9-10-9D |
| Institutional Identification Sign (Nonresidential Uses) | 7 ft | 30 sq ft per sign face | — | Not less than 15 ft to any other lot, parcel or tract | 1 per lot/parcel/tract | On lot/parcels of institutional use | — | 9-10-9E |
| Institutional Changeable Copy Sign | 7 ft | 30 sq ft per sign face | — | Not less than 15 ft to any other lot, parcel or tract | 1 per lot/parcel/tract | On lot/parcel for institutional use | — | 9-10-9F |
| Temporary Sign | 42 in | 6 sq ft per sign face; 12 sq ft total | — | Not within 5 ft of another parcel; not in ROW | 2 per property; 1 of each type | On private property | — | 9-10-9G |
| Subdivision Identification Sign | 5 ft above curb level | 36 sq ft per face (max 2 faces) | — | — | 1 per entranceway | Subdivision entranceway; not in ROW without ordinance approval | — | 9-10-9H |

### Commercial Districts (C1, C2, O, ORI, DT)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Wall Sign) | See wall sign standards (max 4 ft vertical, no higher than height of building or 15 ft above curb, whichever is lower) | 100 sq ft per wall/window sign; total aggregate 2 x linear frontage | — | — | Generally 1 per frontage, plus one awning or suspended, rear entrance exceptions apply | On building wall, parallel to wall | — | 9-10-10D/E/F; 9-10-12 |
| Freestanding Sign | 12 ft above curb | 40 sq ft per face, 80 sq ft total | — | At least 5 ft from right-of-way | One per property; exceptions for large shopping centers | Front yard, at least 5 ft from ROW | — | 9-10-10D; 9-10-13 |
| Temporary Sign (Political) | 42 in | 6 sq ft per face; 12 sq ft total | — | Not closer than 15 ft to another lot | One per type at a time, total two temporary signs | On private commercial property | — | 9-10-10C1; 9-10-10C8 |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | 42 in | 12 sq ft per face, 24 sq ft total | — | Not closer than 15 ft to another lot | One per type at a time, total two temporary signs | On private property offered for sale/lease | — | 9-10-10C2; 9-10-10C9 |
| Temporary Sign (Construction/Remodeling) | 42 in | 6 sq ft per face | — | — | 1 per project | On property under construction/remodeling | — | 9-10-10C10 |
| Suspended Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | One per establishment | Front of establishment, at shopping centers only. Must hang at least 8 ft 6 in above sidewalk. | — | 9-10-15 |
| Shopping Center Identification Sign | — | Included in freestanding sign limits; one per shopping center, two if >10 acres & fronts 2 roads. | — | — | One (or two, per size/road criterion) | At shopping center entrance, not in ROW | — | 9-10-10G |
| Changeable Copy Sign (Automobile Service Station) | 12 ft above ground | Max 24 sq ft per pump island (sum of all sign faces). No more than 4 faces per pump island. | — | — | Up to 4 faces per pump island | Permanently mounted to fuel pumps or canopy supports | — | 9-10-10H |

### C1 Village Center Commercial District, C2 Community Shopping District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Wall Sign) | 4 ft max vertical; no higher than bldg height or 15 ft above curb (whichever lower) | 100 sq ft (per single wall/window sign); aggregate 2x building frontage | — | — | See above | On building wall, parallel to wall. | — | 9-10-10D/E/F; 9-10-12; Table 9-10-19 |
| Freestanding Sign | 12 ft above curb | 40 sq ft/face, 80 sq ft total | — | 5 ft min from ROW | 1 (or 2 per special shopping center criteria) | In front yard, at least 5 ft from ROW. | — | 9-10-10D; 9-10-13; Table 9-10-19 |
| Directional or Informational Sign | — | 2 sq ft/face | — | — | — | As necessary for parking/directions | — | 9-10-10B |
| Window Sign | — | 40% of window area | — | — | — | Window | — | 9-10-14; Table 9-10-19 |
| Suspended Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per establishment | Shopping center front of establishment only; min 8 ft 6 in above sidewalk. | — | 9-10-15; Table 9-10-19 |
| Temporary Sign (Political) | 42 in | 6 sq ft/face, 12 sq ft total | — | Not closer than 15 ft to another lot | Up to 2 temporary signs, only 1 per type | On private commercial property—see general rules. | — | 9-10-10C, 9-10-10C8 |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | 42 in | 12 sq ft/face, 24 sq ft total | — | Not closer than 15 ft to another lot | 1 per type at a time, up to 2 temporary signs | On property for sale/lease | — | 9-10-10C2, 9-10-10C9 |
| Shopping Center Identification Sign | — | Within aggregate/individual freestanding sign limits | — | — | 1 or 2 per criteria | At entrance(s) to shopping center | — | 9-10-10G |

## Prohibited signs in Western Springs

- No sign shall be erected in a location prohibited by this chapter.
- No sign shall be erected so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door or window, or any other way required by the building code of the village or by department of community development regulations.
- No sign shall be attached to a utility pole, a tree, a standpipe, gutter drain or fire escape, nor shall any sign be erected so as to impair access to a roof.
- No sign shall be located, erected or maintained upon any right-of-way or parkway for any purpose, except for specified exceptions.
- Any sign which from the street is in direct line of vision of any traffic sign or signal is prohibited.
- All signs declared a traffic hazard by the Department of Law Enforcement Services shall be relocated or rearranged according to safety standards.
- No sign shall be allowed or maintained if it in any way violates the Illinois Highway Advertising Control Act of 1971, as amended.
- No sign shall project above the top edge of the roof or the top of the parapet, whichever forms the top line of the building silhouette.
- No sign, except those allowed wholly within a building or specified exceptions, shall be erected or maintained on any premises, except to identify the building or to state the name of the person or entity occupying the premises and the product or service offered.
- Animated signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Attention getting devices are prohibited in all districts except as expressly allowed.
- Billboards or posterboards are prohibited in all districts.
- Festoon lighting is prohibited except where installed or approved by the Village.
- Flashing signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Obsolete signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Off premises signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Portable signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Projecting signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Roof signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Signs in conflict with traffic signals are prohibited in all districts.
- Signs painted on the walls of buildings are prohibited in all districts.
- Signs which move or have moving parts, caused by wind or mechanically, are prohibited in all districts.
- Time and temperature signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Illuminated signs shall not hang or be placed inside any window.
- All internally illuminated signs must have an opaque background and illuminate only letters, trademarks or logos.
- Signs shall be illuminated only by steady, stationary, shielded light sources directed solely at the sign, or internal to it, without creating a traffic hazard for motorists or pedestrians.
- Illuminated signs shall not produce more than thirty (30) foot-candles of illumination four feet from the sign.
- External illumination sources for signs shall be located, shielded and directed so the source is not visible from a public street or private residence.

## Signs exempt from permit in Western Springs

- Signs not visible beyond the boundaries of the lot or parcel upon which they are situated or from any public thoroughfare or right of way.
- Official signs of any public or governmental agency.
- Any sign of any official court or public office notices thereof, or flag, emblem or insignia of a government, school or religious group.
- Any sign located completely within an enclosed building, not visible from outside the building.
- Tablets, grave markers, headstones, statuary/memorial plaques or remembrances of persons or events that are noncommercial in nature and project no more than four inches above the ground.
- Any official traffic signs authorized by the Illinois Compiled Statutes or the Illinois vehicle code.
- Temporary signs celebrating traditionally accepted patriotic or religious holidays as well as national and state holidays.
- Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest erected by or on order of a public officer, including temporary signs regarding demolition, excavation or construction activities required by other municipal regulations.
- Signs on a truck, bus, trailer or other vehicle used in the normal course of a business which is not primarily the display of such signs.
- Changing of the copy of a sign, bulletin board, display encasement, marquee or maintenance where no structural changes are made, or changing of interchangeable letters on signs designed for interchangeable letters.
- Private (noncommercial) nameplate identification or street address signs not exceeding two square feet in area.
- Memorial tablets, cornerstones, building names, or dates of erection when built into or affixed to building walls.
- Temporary signs for events of general, villagewide, civic or public benefit authorized by the village board of trustees, removed within forty eight hours after the event.
- No trespassing signs, warning signs and such property regulation signs not exceeding two square feet in area.
- Real estate signs advertising or directing to a 'realtor open house' subject to listed restrictions.
- Political signs on private property, not exceeding six square feet and in compliance with location rules.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No sign for a shopping center or other multi-occupant land use shall be erected until and unless the village has reviewed and approved a permit for a uniform sign plan for the entire development.
- Applications for a uniform sign plan shall be submitted to the department of code enforcement and processed as a sign permit.
- The plan commission shall approve the uniform sign plan only upon finding that sizes and materials of signs are consistent or properly categorized, structural sign elements are consistent with building design, individual wall sign surface area does not exceed two square feet per linear foot of building frontage or one hundred square feet maximum, and all signs conform to all other code requirements.
- Permit required for all new signs unless exempted as per Section 9-10-19 and Section 9-10-3 (exemptions), including exceptions for certain temporary and noncommercial signs.
- Variation requests (variance) may be submitted for signs; public hearing before the zoning board of appeals is required per Section 9-10-21 (Variations), after which the board may grant relief if standards are met.

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

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