# Sign Regulations in Morgan City, Louisiana

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Morgan City, Louisiana (LA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/louisiana/morgan-city
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/la/morgan_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH126ZO_ARTVSIBIRE)

## At a glance

Morgan City, Louisiana regulates 28 sign types across 11 zoning districts. Contractor/Engineer/Architect Signs in the R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-3, R-4 zoning district are capped at 15 ft tall and 32 sq ft (Sec. Sec. 126-158(4)). Most commercial signs in Morgan City require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (11 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | No more than 72 inches projection; signs >15 inches from building with more than 4 sq ft surface area | — |
| R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-3, R-4 | 8 | 15 ft | 300 sq ft | — |
| B-1 | 2 | — | 32 sq ft | — |
| B-2, B-3, P | 1 | — | — | — |
| Neighborhood business centers | 2 | 30 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Individual business (not part of neighborhood business centers) | 1 | — | 32 sq ft | — |
| C commercial district (C) | 4 | — | 250 sq ft or 4 sq ft per linear foot of lot frontage (whichever greater) | — |
| H industrial district (H) | 2 | — | 5 sq ft per linear foot of lot frontage | — |
| C, H (Outdoor Advertising) | 3 | — | Greater than 400 sq ft, not exceeding 700 sq ft | — |
| Residential Districts (R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-3, R-4) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Business Districts (B-1, B-2, B-3) | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 11 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign (Event - Public Interest) | — | 48 in x 48 in (16 sq ft) | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 126-157(6)b |
| Temporary Sign (Business Use) | — | 18 sq ft (in residential districts); see district rules otherwise. | — | — | 4 | Where business signs are permitted. | — | Sec. 126-157(13), Sec. 126-166(1)b |
| Projecting Sign (General) | — | No more than 72 inches projection; signs >15 inches from building with more than 4 sq ft surface area | Maximum length of 6 ft if hanging from projecting roof; otherwise up to 72 inch projection | — | — | May extend up to 72" above public or private property, but never closer than 1 ft from curb line; bottom must be at least 10 ft above sidewalk. When hanging from projecting roof: max length 6 ft. | — | Sec. 126-157(4) |
| Lighting Device on Signs | — | — | — | — | — | May extend up to 72 inches over property provided the lowest part is at least 15 ft above grade. | — | Sec. 126-157(3) |

### R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-3, R-4

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Name/Address Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | On the land or building | — | Sec. 126-158(1) |
| Real Estate Sign (Unilluminated) | — | — | — | — | — | On property for sale/lease | — | Sec. 126-158(2) |
| Subdivision Development Temporary Sign | 15 ft | 300 sq ft | — | — | — | At dedicated street entrances to new subdivision | — | Sec. 126-158(3) |
| Contractor/Engineer/Architect Sign | 15 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On property under construction | — | Sec. 126-158(4) |
| Identification Sign (Church, School, etc.) | — | 50 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 | On the premises for Church, School, Hospital, Library, Farm, Park, Subdivision, Authorized Business or similar uses | — | Sec. 126-158(5) |
| Directional Sign (Institutional Uses) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per major thoroughfare approach | Church, school, hospital, library, sanitarium, clinic or similar | — | Sec. 126-158(6) |
| Dwelling Group Sign / Directory | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | 1 | At dwelling group of 4+ units | — | Sec. 126-158(7) |
| Temporary Business Use Sign | — | 18 sq ft | — | — | 4 | — | — | Sec. 126-158(8) |

### C, H (Outdoor Advertising)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Junior Panel Sign | — | 1 sq ft to 72 sq ft | — | 2 ft from property line | — | On private property, at least 2 ft setback from property line | — | Sec. 126-167(a)(1), 126-167(b), 126-168(1) |
| Standard Poster Panel Sign | — | Greater than 72 sq ft, not exceeding 400 sq ft | — | 2 ft from property line | — | On private property, at least 2 ft setback from property line | — | Sec. 126-167(a)(2), 126-167(b), 126-168(2) |
| Painted Bulletin Sign | — | Greater than 400 sq ft, not exceeding 700 sq ft | — | 2 ft from property line | — | On private property, at least 2 ft setback from property line | — | Sec. 126-167(a)(3), 126-167(b), 126-168(3) |

## Prohibited signs in Morgan City

- No sign shall be erected as to prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window or fire escape; and no sign of any kind shall be attached to or impede access to a standpipe, fire escape or sprinkler system.
- No sign shall be erected on public property at any time.
- No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any streets in such manner as to obstruct free and clear vision or at any location where, by reason of position, it may interfere with or obstruct the view of traffic sight lines or traffic control devices.
- No revolving and/or flashing device or sign of any kind or color is permitted which may be mistaken for that of a police car, ambulance or other emergency vehicle.
- If located within direct vision of traffic control devices, no flashing or intermittent red, green or amber illumination shall be used.
- All signs must be constructed of material normally used in construction of signs, including but not limited to bricks, masonry, stone, pipes, tubing, plastic and other recognized building materials. All nonrecognizable building materials, including but not limited to vehicles, vehicular parts, appliances, plumbing fixtures and boats, are prohibited.
- Signs which are obsolete, not meeting construction standards, out-of-date political signs, signs advertising defunct businesses, signs that are temporary or mobile in nature, except as allowed in this section, and those which have been erected without a building permit are prohibited.
- Signs which are illegal under state law or regulations are prohibited.
- Signs which are erected or maintained upon trees or painted or drawn upon rocks or other natural features are prohibited.
- No sign shall be erected within, or extend upon, into or over a public utility easement.
- No sign shall be attached in any manner to any public property.

## Signs exempt from permit in Morgan City

- Temporary signs indicating an event of public interest, such as a state or local fair, a cattle or horse show, etc., may be erected with size restrictions limited to the district in which the temporary signs are located.
- All temporary signs shall be permitted in all zoned districts. In districts zoned residential and business, such sign shall not exceed 48 inches by 48 inches and shall not be displayed earlier than 90 days prior to the date of the event made subject of the temporary sign. All such signs shall be removed within 48 hours after they are no longer valid and shall be exempt from permit fees and deposit requirements.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All applications for a sign permit shall include a site plan depicting the location of the sign from the front and side of property lines.
- Applications must also include plans showing all sign specifications and dimensions such as size, number of sign faces, square footage of sign faces, height to the top of the sign above curb level, height to the lowest extremity of the sign face above ground level and the materials to be utilized for construction.

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

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