# Sign Regulations in Aurora, Indiana

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Aurora, Indiana (IN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/indiana/aurora
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Aurora, Indiana regulates 17 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Monument Signs in the Residential and Agricultural Districts (A, R-1, R-2, R-3) zoning district are capped at 8 feet above adjacent street grade or 4 feet above ground level, whichever is greater tall and 32 square feet, with a 5 feet setback (Sec. §152.148(A)(1), Table A). Most commercial signs in Aurora require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 5 feet above street grade or 4 feet above ground, whichever greater | 1 sign 16 sq ft, or 2 signs combined not over 16 sq ft | — |
| Residential and Agricultural Districts (A, R-1, R-2, R-3) | 4 | 8 feet above adjacent street grade or 4 feet above ground level, whichever is greater | 40 sq ft | — |
| Business and Manufacturing Districts (B-1, B-2, B-3, M-1) | 6 | 20 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| Planned Development | 1 | 20 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| US 50 Corridor | 1 | 25 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| Downtown Historic District Overlay | 7 | 8 feet | 32 square feet per sign face | — |
| Historic District | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### Residential and Agricultural Districts (A, R-1, R-2, R-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign | 8 feet above adjacent street grade or 4 feet above ground level, whichever is greater | 32 square feet | — | 5 feet | 1 per parcel | — | — | §152.148(A)(1), Table A |
| Wall-Mounted Sign | Not above cornice line/edges/roofline | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per parcel | — | — | §152.148(A)(2), Table A |
| Projecting Sign | 4 feet | 12 sq ft | 3 feet | — | 1 per parcel | — | — | §152.148(A)(3), Table A |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per parcel | — | — | §152.148(A)(4), Table A |

### Business and Manufacturing Districts (B-1, B-2, B-3, M-1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign - Single Occupancy | Gutter line of building or 15 ft, whichever less | 80 sq ft | — | 5 feet | 1 per lot | — | — | §152.149(A)(1), Table A |
| Monument Sign - Planned Development (Entrances) | 20 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 5 feet | 1 per entrance, up to 2 | — | — | §152.149(A)(1)(c), Table A |
| Wall-Mounted Sign - Single Occupancy | Not above cornice/edges/roofline | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | — | — | §152.149(A)(2), Table A |
| Wall-Mounted Sign - Multi-Tenant Building | Not above cornice/edges/roofline | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | §152.149(A)(2), Table A |
| Projecting Sign | 8 ft (from grade) and not above cornice | 32 sq ft | 4 ft | — | — | — | — | §152.149(A)(3), Table A |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §152.149(A)(4), Table A |

### Downtown Historic District Overlay

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign | 8 feet | 32 square feet per sign face | — | Must not encroach on public property | 1 per property frontage | Front yard only | — | §152.151(E)(1), Table A |
| Wall-Mounted Sign | 2.5 feet sign board (for signs in signboard area); see narrative for proper wall location | — | — | — | 2 per facade | Flush against building near entry/above transom/in signboard. See standards. | — | §152.151(E)(2), Table A |
| Projecting Sign | Must have min 8 ft ground clearance | 9 sq ft per face | 36 inches | — | 1 per business | Near entry, perpendicular or suspended from canopy/awning | — | §152.151(E)(4), Table A |
| Canopy and Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §152.151(E)(3), Table A |
| Window Sign | — | 32 sq ft per business | — | — | — | On/in display windows (generally ground floor); upper floor discouraged. | — | §152.151(E)(5), Table A |
| Door Sign | — | 1.5 sq ft per sign, up to 3 sq ft per establishment | — | — | 2 per business (3 sq ft total/all door signs) | On/in glazing of doors, preferably painted | — | §152.151(E)(6), Table A |
| Sidewalk Sign (A-frame/T-frame) | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per sign, max 3 ft width | 3 ft | — | 1 per business | On sidewalk within 10 ft of entrance | — | §152.151(E)(7), Table A |

## Prohibited signs in Aurora

- No sign shall be permitted or placed in any district except as described in this subchapter.
- No sign shall obstruct vehicular driver viewing for safe passage or ingress and egress of vehicular traffic on public roadways.
- All signs shall comply with applicable provisions of the Uniform Building Code and the Electrical Code of the city at all times.
- Sign content shall not contain language or symbols that can reasonably be seen as potentially harming the community image, and or would impair future economic development efforts.
- Sign illumination or lighting device, when permitted, shall only employ light which emits illumination of constant intensity changing no more than one time per eight seconds; signs shall not be illuminated by or contain flashing, intermittent, rotating, or moving lights.
- Such lighting devices shall not be placed or directed so as to directly beam upon a public road, highway, street, sidewalk, other vehicular or pedestrian system, or adjacent premises so as to cause glare or reflection that may constitute a hazard or nuisance nor have a night-time brightness level greater than 0.3 footcandles above ambient lighting.
- Freestanding signs shall be five feet outside the public right-of-way and public easement, unless otherwise stated (or 30 feet from the centerline where no right-of-way is dedicated).
- Signs shall not be placed in any public right-of-way, except publicly owned signs, without obtaining an encroachment permit.
- Signs shall be maintained in a safe, legible condition, nor be in a state of disrepair.
- Signs not installed in accordance with this subchapter shall be forfeited to the public and subject to confiscation, with the city entitled to recover removal and disposal costs from the owner or person placing the sign.
- Signs imitating, resembling or conflicting with official traffic signs or signals are prohibited.
- Signs of the flashing, blinking, animated, or audible type are prohibited, except those giving public service information placed by the City or State.
- Skyward lights, search lights, beacons, or any light or lights that project light in visible beams skyward, or project light horizontally or vertically in a circle or other pattern, are prohibited.
- Signs which rotate, swing, inflate or move, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, strings of lights, or other similar devices or any sign that is temporary in nature due to its design or construction, are prohibited except as permitted in the temporary signs section.
- Signs established on trees, utility poles and fences are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Signs that promote illegal activity, profanity, or obscene or pornographic content are prohibited.
- Vehicle signs with a sign area greater than 50 square feet in cumulative area are prohibited, unless: lawfully parked overnight during non-business hours on a paved surface in a discreet or enclosed location, making deliveries, or used in conjunction with construction operations.
- It shall be unlawful to build, erect or maintain any sign post upon any part of any sidewalk, gutter or street in the city.
- No sign in the city shall be less than seven and one-half feet above the sidewalk at its lowest part.

## Signs exempt from permit in Aurora

- Replacement of a panel or display message on an approved sign, with no changes to approved size, location, or lighting.
- Painting, repainting, cleaning, or other normal maintenance and repair of an existing sign or sign structure, unless a structural change is involved (general maintenance does not include redesigning such sign).
- Window signs covering not more than 30% of the window area (with neon or external illumination only).
- Non-illuminated temporary noncommercial signage per tenant for a period not to exceed 45 consecutive days, not to be reestablished until after a 90-day period.
- Property actively for sale or for lease is permitted one sign per road frontage, per specific size and height limits by zoning district, provided the property is offered through a licensed real estate agent or advertised in a local newspaper.
- On-premise incidental signs not exceeding six square feet of area or four feet in height, with content limited to information or directions such as 'entrance,' 'exit,' address, etc., and no logos.
- Government signs.
- Flags fastened to poles and set back at least 10 feet from public right-of-way and property lines (up to three flag poles, two flags per pole, height and area limits by zoning type).
- Election signs (not detrimental to public safety) up to 32 square feet in area, permitted 60 days before an election and to be removed six days after.
- Umbrella signs of three square feet or less.
- Interior signs located inside a building, not attached to a window or door, and not legible from more than three feet beyond the lot line.
- Miniscule messages displayed on or near a primary entrance, not exceeding 30 square inches per message nor 288 square inches total per entrance (examples: 'Visa', 'ATM', corporate logos).
- A work of art for the expression of a political, religious, or other noncommercial opinion or idea with no reference to the endorsement, advertising, or promotion of any business, commodity, service, entertainment, or attraction.
- Murals that do not contain a commercial message.
- Holiday lights and decorations containing no commercial message.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Sign permits are required for all signs unless specifically exempted; applications must be filed with the Plan Commission and include details such as site plans and sign drawings.
- A scaled site plan showing existing structures and signs, right-of-way lines, and proposed sign locations is required with the application.
- Permits must be accompanied by any required certificates of appropriateness, encroachment permits, variances, or other approvals as applicable.
- Permits are not required for exempted signs as listed in § 152.142.
- For off-premise (billboard) signage, an application must include all items required for a standard sign permit, plus additional location and visibility documentation.
- In the Downtown Historic District, no sign is permitted unless a certificate of appropriateness is granted by the Historic Preservation Commission; all permit requirements must be met and applications are reviewed at monthly HPC meetings.
- Variances and design exceptions for signage may be sought as provided in § 152.243, with Board of Zoning Appeals or Historic Preservation Commission review as relevant.

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

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