# Sign Regulations in Elkhart, Indiana

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

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

## At a glance

Elkhart, Indiana regulates 25 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Single-Family and Two-Family Uses)s in the Residential Districts zoning district are capped at 5 feet tall and 1 SF (name and address only), with a Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way. setback (Sec. §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 and Table 2). Most commercial signs in Elkhart require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Districts | 7 | 5 feet | 20 SF | — |
| O-Office District, BP-Business Park District, OP-Office Park District | 5 | 6 feet | 50 SF | — |
| B-1 Business District | 6 | 35 feet maximum, but in no case higher than building wall | 50 SF | — |
| B-2 Business District, B-3 Business District, B-4 Business District | 7 | 35 feet maximum, but in no case higher than building wall | 300 SF per face | — |
| CBD-Central Business District | 6 | 35 feet maximum, but in no case higher than building wall | 50 SF | — |
| M-1 Manufacturing District, M-2 Manufacturing District | 6 | 30 feet | 300 SF per face | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 12 | 25 feet (flagpole) | 40 SF per face, 7.5 feet max height | — |

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

### Residential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Single-Family and Two-Family Uses) | 5 feet | 1 SF (name and address only) | — | Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way. | 1 per lot frontage | On-premise. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 and Table 2 |
| Freestanding Sign (All Other Uses) | 5 feet | 10 SF for office uses; 32 SF for places of worship/education; 4 SF all other uses. | — | Minimum 5 feet from right-of-way, located within landscaped island (min 100 SF). | 1 per lot frontage | On-premise. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 and Table 2 |
| Wall Sign (Single-Family and Two-Family Uses) | — | 2 SF (name and address only) | — | — | 1 | On building wall. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 |
| Wall Sign (All Other Uses) | — | 20 SF | — | Wall signs must not extend above the wall to which attached, must be set back at least 1 foot from ends of building or party wall lines. | — | On building wall. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §151.234(D) Table 1 |
| Temporary Sign | — | 5 SF per sign; 2 sign faces | — | — | — | On-premise. | — | §151.234(D) Table 1 |
| Directional Sign (All Other Uses) | 3 feet | 1 SF; not to exceed 2 signs per driveway | — | — | 2 per driveway | At driveway(s). | — | §151.234(D) Table 1, Table 2 |

### B-2 Business District, B-3 Business District, B-4 Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet (up to 20 feet with setback increase) | 50 SF | — | Min 5 feet from right-of-way; possible area/height increase with greater setback. | 1 per lot frontage | On-premise. Must be set within landscaped island min 100 SF. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1, Table 2; (4) |
| Wall Sign (Single Tenant Building) | — | 75 SF | — | Must not extend above the wall; min 1 foot setback from ends. | Not to exceed number of lot frontages | On building wall. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1, (6)(d) |
| Wall Sign (Multiple Tenant Building) | — | 32 SF | — | — | Not to exceed number of lot frontages | On building wall. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1; (6)(d)-(8)(3) |
| Projecting Sign | 35 feet maximum, but in no case higher than building wall | 9 SF | — | — | — | Projecting from building wall. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1, Table 2, (5) |
| Temporary Sign | — | 32 SF for construction signs; 25 SF for all others | — | — | — | On-premise. | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1 |
| Directional Sign | 3 feet | 4 SF | — | — | 2 per driveway | At driveway(s). | — | §151.234(D)-(E) Table 1, Table 2 |
| Off-Premises Sign (Freestanding and Wall) | 30 feet | 300 SF per face | — | See location_of_sign. | — | Behind required building setback line, min 25' from intersection ROW, min 60' from residential/park districts (or 120' on ROW), not in front yard. | — | §151.234(F)(4) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Portable Display Sign (Institutional Use in Residential, Business & Manufacturing Districts) | 7.5 feet | 40 SF per face, 7.5 feet max height | — | Min 5' from ROW/property line; 15' from R zoned property. | 1 per zoning lot | On-premise, min 5' from street ROW; 5' from property line, or 15' if adjacent property is zoned R. | — | §151.234(F)(6) |
| Flag (Residential) | 25 feet (flagpole) | — | — | — | 1 per lot | Not closer than 10' to adjacent residential lot line. | — | §151.234(F)(7) |
| Flag (Non-Residential) | — | — | — | — | 3 per lot | Not closer than 10' to adjacent residential lot line. | — | §151.234(F)(7) |
| Drive-Thru Menu/Information Sign | 6 feet | — | — | Min 20' from property line. | 2 per building | Min 20' from any property line; not in front yard. | — | §151.234(F)(1) |
| Banner (Business & Manufacturing Districts) | 7.5 feet (max 20' above grade) | 40 SF per banner | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | On facade facing parking area or ROW. | — | §151.234(F)(5)(f) |
| Inverted B or Inverted T Sign (Portable/A-frame/Sandwich Board type) | — | 8 SF | — | — | 1 per zoning lot | At storefront or public sidewalk (w/ approval) | — | §151.234(F)(5)(e) |
| Address Sign | — | 2 SF | — | — | 1 per property | Visible location. | — | §151.234(F)(9) |
| Award/Recognition Sign | 4 feet | 20 SF | — | — | — | Freestanding, meets regular location requirements. | — | §151.234(F)(5)(j) |

## Prohibited signs in Elkhart

- Flashing signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Strings of pennants, propellers, pinwheels, streamers, and similar small objects are prohibited except as temporary signs.
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic or government signs or signals are prohibited.
- Signs attached to trees, rocks or natural formations, or public property—including utility poles, benches, trash containers, and parking meters—are prohibited except as specifically authorized by the city.
- All signs not specifically identified within the sign regulations chapter are prohibited.
- Roof-mounted signs are prohibited.
- Animated message boards are prohibited, except when located in the Central Business District at a motion picture theater or performing arts center with a minimum seating capacity of 200 seats, or when located on the city's freestanding sign on Civic Plaza.
- Signs that contain moving parts, including signs that spin or rotate, are prohibited.
- All signage located in the public right-of-way is prohibited except public information, directional, emergency, and traffic signs as approved by the City Engineer or their duly authorized agent.
- Off-premises signs shall not include automatically changeable copy signs.
- Off-premises signs that are internally-illuminated or back-lit are prohibited.
- No person may place any sign, poster, placard, device, graphic display or other advertising that advertises cigarettes and/or alcoholic beverages in a publicly visible location, with certain exceptions.
- Display of strings of pennants, streamers, pinwheels, balloons and similar objects is prohibited except as permitted for carnivals and open-air festivals.
- No portable sign may be converted to a permanent sign.
- Signs shall not be erected so as to obstruct sight lines along any right-of-way or to obstruct sight lines to traffic control lights, street name signs at intersections or signals at railroad grade crossings.
- All signs associated with premises must be kept free from hazards and must be maintained in a safe condition so as not to be detrimental to public health or safety.
- Signs placed without a valid permit (original or amended) shall be red-tagged, required to pay a penalty fee in addition to the original permit fee and any fine levied.
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic-control devices, or that attempt to direct the movement of traffic or hide/interfere with official traffic-control devices or signals, are prohibited and considered a public nuisance.
- No traffic sign or signal placed upon a highway shall bear any commercial advertising.

## Signs exempt from permit in Elkhart

- Display of signs giving useful directional information of a type that cannot be mistaken for official signs is not prohibited when erected upon private property adjacent to highways.
- Signs authorized by and erected by the city (e.g., official traffic-control, emergency, and directional signs as approved by the City Engineer or their agent) are exempt from general prohibitions.
- Signs attached to public property are permitted if specifically authorized by the city.
- The prohibition on cigarette and alcoholic beverage advertisements does not apply to the placement of signs on commercial vehicles used for transporting such products.
- The prohibition on cigarette/alcohol advertisements does not apply to certain off-premise signs in M-1 or M-2 districts, located more than 600 feet away from non-manufacturing districts and facing away from such districts.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All portable display signs require a portable sign zoning clearance permit and a fee as specified in the ordinance.
- All banners require a zoning clearance permit and a permit fee.
- A zoning clearance permit must be obtained from the Planning and Zoning Office prior to the issuance of a zoning permit for any sign.
- A sign permit must be obtained from the Building Department prior to the erection of any sign listed in the sign regulations.
- A sign permit for a new sign face on an existing support structure in the primary street setback may be issued at the discretion of the Planning and Zoning Staff; a waiver from variance requirements may be granted in certain cases, but a recorded agreement with the city is required.
- An electrical permit is required for the erection, installation, or replacement of any sign requiring electrical power for lighting, movement, or copy change.
- Signs accessory to special exceptions or conditional uses may be approved by the Board as part of the approval process for the underlying use.
- Temporary signs for new businesses are allowed for 90 days, by which time a permanent sign may be installed pursuant to permit requirements identified in the Zoning Ordinance.
- Owners of all off-premises signs must provide an annual inventory to the Planning and Zoning Office, including location, height, faces, size, and setbacks.

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

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