# Sign Regulations in Chesterton, Indiana

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

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

## At a glance

Chesterton, Indiana regulates 29 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Monument Sign (Apartment/Condo 4+ Buildings)s in the R-3 Zoning District, RB Zoning District zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 45 sq ft per display surface, max 2 surfaces, with a 10 ft from any property line setback (Sec. § 404.B.1-3). Most commercial signs in Chesterton require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |
| R-1 Zoning District, R-2 Zoning District | 8 | 8 ft | 45 sq ft | — |
| R-3 Zoning District, RB Zoning District | 7 | 8 ft | 45 sq ft | — |
| B-1 Zoning District, B-2 Zoning District, B-3 Zoning District, I-1 Zoning District, I-2 Zoning District | 18 | Top of awning/canopy ≤20 ft above curb; min clearance 8 ft between bottom and sidewalk/ground | 120 sq ft (total, divided among units) | — |

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

### R-1 Zoning District, R-2 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Street Number Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 | Must be displayed on property; see Ch. 5. | — | § 403.A.2 |
| Permanent Sign (Single or Two-Family Dwelling) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On the lot; must not project beyond property line or overhang street/alley/sidewalk | — | § 403.A.3 |
| Permanent Sign (Public or Quasi-Public Lot) | — | 45 sq ft | — | — | — | On building/lot | — | § 403.A.4 |
| Temporary Sign (<6 sq ft, up to 3 signs) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 3 default, up to 10 with event | Within lot lines, not in public right-of-way | — | § 403.B.1, § 403.B.4-7 |
| Temporary Sign (Triggering Event - Election) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft (unless see below) | — | — | Up to 10 | Within lot lines, not in ROW | — | § 403.B.4 |
| Temporary Sign (Triggering Event - Public Event) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft (unless see below) | — | — | 2 | Within lot lines, not in ROW | — | § 403.B.5 |
| Temporary Sign (Triggering Event - Private Event) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft (unless see below) | — | — | 1 | Within lot lines, not in ROW | — | § 403.B.6 |
| Temporary Sign (>6 sq ft and ≤32 sq ft, Option 1) | 8 ft | 32 sq ft | 16 sq ft per side | — | 1 per event | Within lot lines, not in ROW | — | § 403.B.8 |

### R-3 Zoning District, RB Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Street Number Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 | Must be displayed on property; see Ch. 5. | — | § 403.A.2 referenced by § 404 |
| Permanent Sign (Single or Two-Family Dwelling) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On the lot; must not project beyond property line or overhang street/alley/sidewalk | — | § 403.A.3 referenced by § 404 |
| Permanent Sign (Public or Quasi-Public Lot) | — | 45 sq ft | — | — | — | On building/lot | — | § 403.A.4 referenced by § 404 |
| Permanent Building Sign (Apartment/Condo 1-3 Buildings) | — | 6 sq ft per sign | — | — | Max 3 for complex (1 per building, 1-3 buildings) | Attached to the building, not projecting | — | § 404.A.1-3 |
| Monument Sign (Apartment/Condo 4+ Buildings) | 6 ft | 45 sq ft per display surface, max 2 surfaces | — | 10 ft from any property line | 1 | At least 10 ft from property line | — | § 404.B.1-3 |
| Temporary Sign (<6 sq ft, up to 3 signs) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 3 default, up to 10 with event | Within lot lines, not in public right-of-way | — | § 403.B.1, § 403.B.4-7 referenced by § 404 |
| Temporary Sign (>6 sq ft and ≤32 sq ft, Option 1) | 8 ft | 32 sq ft | 16 sq ft per side | — | 1 per event | Within lot lines, not in ROW | — | § 403.B.8 referenced by § 404 |

### B-1 Zoning District, B-2 Zoning District, B-3 Zoning District, I-1 Zoning District, I-2 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign (<6 sq ft, Option 1) | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | See § 403.B.1 limits | Within lot lines, not in public right-of-way | — | § 405.A.1 (refers to § 403.B.1.) |
| Temporary Sign (Road Speed <30 mph) | 6 ft | 8 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On property, facing street under 30 mph | — | § 405.A.4.a |
| Temporary Sign (Road Speed ≥30 mph and ≤45 mph) | 6 ft | 24 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On property, facing street 30-45 mph | — | § 405.A.4.b |
| Temporary Sign (Road Speed >45 mph) | 8 ft | 48 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On property, facing street over 45 mph | — | § 405.A.4.c |
| Temporary Sign (During Construction) | 8 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On premises under construction | — | § 405.A.5 |
| Parking Lot Sign | 4 ft | 4 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 per parking lot | Each sign on a parking lot | — | § 405.A.7 |
| Drive-Through/In Ingress/Egress Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft per sign | — | Within 6 ft of curb, not over curb | As many as ingress/egress points | Within 6 ft of curb at ingress/egress | — | § 405.A.8.a |
| Drive-Through/In Lane Sign | 9 ft | Option 1: 32 sq ft, Option 2: 18 sq ft | — | — | 2 per drive-through lane | Along drive-through/drive-in lane to pick up area | — | § 405.A.8.b |

## Prohibited signs in Chesterton

- No sign is allowed in any district, except as provided for in this article.
- Signs whose location, size, type, illumination or other physical characteristics negatively impact the environment are prohibited where alternative channels of communication are available.
- Flashing signs are prohibited, except public signs defined in Article II and safety warning signs.
- Moving signs are prohibited.
- Signs with lamps or lights for letters, except neon signs, are prohibited.
- Signs on fences, utility poles, street lights or trees are prohibited.
- Signs which resemble or are confusingly similar to any official marker erected by the town, state or other governmental unit or agency, or which by reason of position, shape or color would confuse or conflict with the proper functioning of any traffic sign or signal, are prohibited.
- Signs extending over or placed upon a public sidewalk, alley or right-of-way are prohibited, except awnings, canopies, projecting signs as permitted in § 405C, and sandwich signs as permitted in § 405D.
- Specialty signs are prohibited except as permitted under § 405A.6.
- Signs containing obscenity or deemed harmful to public safety are prohibited.
- No sign may be placed in a manner that would block or obscure the vision of the driver of a motor vehicle stopped at a stop sign, traffic light, or entrance to a public street for a distance of 400 feet in any direction in which there is oncoming traffic.
- No sign may be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door, window, fire escape or public walkway.
- All dynamic signs must not contain images that flash, scroll, turn, twinkle or have any other type of movement. All images must be still.
- No dynamic sign may change images more frequently than once every eight seconds, and transitions must take at least two seconds (fade gradually).
- Dynamic signs must not cause glare and must comply with brightness and light sensor requirements.

## Signs exempt from permit in Chesterton

- Signs posted by, erected by, or required to be posted or erected by governmental units.
- All non-illuminated signs or other displays on the interior portion of a window.
- Flags of the town, the state, the United States of America, or official historic plaques of any government jurisdiction or agency, when displayed by governmental units. Flag poles must not exceed 35 feet in height.
- Signs hung by order of Town Council advertising a town-wide or community event or drive, across or above Calumet Road, Indian Boundary Road, Broadway or Porter Avenue, within a business or industrial district.
- Small informational signs to warn the public of hazards and potential hazards, including but not limited to 'No Dumping', 'Beware of Dog', exempt as long as the signs do not exceed two square feet in gross surface area.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is required prior to erecting, altering, or relocating any permanent or temporary sign unless exempted by this article.
- All temporary signs less than eight square feet do not require a permit.
- Signs to which certain provisions apply (e.g., permanent signs for public or quasi-public buildings/lots in residential districts) require a permit in accordance with the fee schedule in § 5-44.
- A permit is required for temporary signs larger than six square feet in residential zones, subject to triggering event requirements.
- A permit is required for construction signs in business/industrial zones.
- Door signs for businesses require permitting and fee payment per § 5-44.
- While the ordinance does not reference the requirement for a master sign plan or sign variance meeting, a permit application process is generally required per § 412; variances would follow standard municipal variance procedures if needed.

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

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