# Sign Regulations in Sanford, Maine

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Sanford, Maine (ME)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/maine/sanford
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/14881202#14881202)

## At a glance

Sanford, Maine regulates 19 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 25 ft above ground tall and 150 sq ft cumulative sign area (overall limit); freestanding in general standard 64 sq ft (see Commercial, Industrial, etc.), with a 20 ft from street, min 5 ft from curb/edge of pavement setback (Sec. § 280-3-2, § 280-14-13B(9),(10),(11),(12), § 280-14-13G). Most commercial signs in Sanford require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 25 ft above ground | 150 sq ft cumulative sign area (overall limit); freestanding in general standard 64 sq ft (see Commercial, Industrial, etc.) | — |
| Residential | 4 | 6 ft above ground | 24 sq ft | — |
| Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Agricultural, Mixed Use | 6 | — | 190 sq ft cumulative per tenant | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft above ground | 150 sq ft cumulative sign area (overall limit); freestanding in general standard 64 sq ft (see Commercial, Industrial, etc.) | — | 20 ft from street, min 5 ft from curb/edge of pavement | — | Setback 20 ft from street outside of traveled ways (minimum 5 ft from curb/pavement edge); may extend over or be placed in street if at least 2 ft behind curb. | — | § 280-3-2, § 280-14-13B(9),(10),(11),(12), § 280-14-13G |
| Wall Sign (Building Sign) | 10 ft above the roof of the building | 150 sq ft cumulative sign area (overall limit); see Commercial/Industrial for further options. | — | — | — | On building; may extend over street if 2 ft behind curb. | — | § 280-14-13B(10),(11),(12), § 280-14-13G |
| Temporary Sign (Window Interior) | — | 6 sq ft per storefront (if less than 15%) | — | — | — | Inside of windows | — | § 280-14-13B(7), § 280-14-13D(3) |
| Temporary Sign (Private Property Outdoor) | — | Varies by zone (8 sq ft Residential; 32 sq ft Commercial/Industrial/etc.) | — | — | — | On private property, not in right-of-way | — | § 280-14-13E(2)(c), § 280-14-13F(4), § 280-14-13D(4) |
| Movement Control Sign (Entrance/Exit/Limitation) | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | Attached or freestanding on the premises | — | § 280-14-13D(6) |
| Hand-held Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Any location (if not affixed to ground/building) | — | § 280-14-13A(4) |
| Address/Nameplate/Business Information Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building or premises | — | § 280-14-13D(5) |
| Historic Marker/Plaque | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-14-13A(5) |

### Residential

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Subdivision/Multifamily/Condominium) | 6 ft above ground | 24 sq ft | — | — | One per separate street entrance or frontage | At each separate street entrance/frontage | — | § 280-14-13E(2)(a),(2)(e),(2)(d) |
| Wall Sign (Building, Residential Multifamily/Condominium) | — | 24 sq ft per street frontage | — | — | One per building per street frontage | On each building with street frontage | — | § 280-14-13E(2)(b),(2)(e),(2)(d) |
| Temporary Sign (Residential Outdoor) | — | 8 sq ft (cumulative for all temporary signs) | — | — | — | Outside | — | § 280-14-13E(2)(c) |
| Home Occupation Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-14-13E(1) |

### Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, Agricultural, Mixed Use

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Primary) | — | 64 sq ft per street frontage; up to two per corner/dual street lots | — | 20 ft from street, minimum 5 ft from curb/edge if cannot be met (see general regulations) | One per street frontage; two for corner/dual street lots | On private property along street frontage | — | § 280-14-13F(1) |
| Freestanding Sign (Directory Add-on) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 280-14-13F(1) |
| Wall Sign (Building/Per Tenant) | — | 190 sq ft cumulative per tenant | — | — | One building sign per tenant | On building wall facing public street or parking lot | — | § 280-14-13F(2) |
| Wall Sign (Building/Extra Area) | — | — | — | — | — | On building wall facing street or parking lot | — | § 280-14-13F(3) |
| Temporary Sign (Outdoor) | — | 32 sq ft cumulative area for all temporary signs | — | — | — | Outside on private property | — | § 280-14-13F(4) |
| Electronic/Changeable Display | — | 24 sq ft per sign face | — | — | One per sign face | As part of an allowed sign | — | § 280-14-13F(5), § 280-14-13H |

## Prohibited signs in Sanford

- Signs not in conformance with § 280-14-13 must be removed.
- Signs that create a vehicular or pedestrian traffic, safety, or health hazard or nuisance due to illumination, placement, display, or manner of construction are prohibited.
- Signs shall not obstruct views of traffic or be located within the area of a triangle with vertices measured twenty-five (25) feet from the intersection of the curb lines of a traveled way.
- Signs that do not conform to Building and Electrical Codes are prohibited.
- Nonconforming signs must be brought into conformity when enlarged or relocated or when the principal use of the property is changed to a residential use.
- Signs not securely connected to the ground or a building (unless they can be temporarily moved without equipment) are prohibited.
- Any sign that becomes a nuisance or safety hazard is prohibited and must be removed.
- Any sign at a location where goods, services, or a point of interest has ceased to be available for a period of one year or more is considered abandoned and must be removed.
- Freestanding signs must be set back twenty feet from the street, unless a waiver is granted, with a minimum of five feet from curb or pavement edge.
- No sign may exceed one-hundred-fifty (150) square feet in cumulative sign area.
- No sign may exceed twenty-five (25) feet above ground, except signs affixed to/part of a building may be ten (10) feet above the roof.
- Certain types of signs are prohibited in all areas unless specifically provided for: off the premises business signs; signs that imitate, resemble, or interfere with official traffic or emergency control signs, signals, lights, or intersections; and signs that move, flash light intermittently, change color, blink, fade, scroll, strobe, or have animated parts or appearance of movement (except as permitted for electronic/changeable displays).
- Sign lighting shall not be motion activated.

## Signs exempt from permit in Sanford

- Traffic movement signs and devices erected, altered, displayed, or maintained by the City or the State.
- Official business directional signs.
- Signs bearing noncommercial messages erected, altered, displayed, or maintained in the street, outside of traveled ways, by a duly constituted governmental body, soil and water conservation district, or regional planning commission.
- Hand-held signs not affixed to the ground or buildings.
- Historic markers and/or plaques.
- Seasonal signs.
- Public safety signs.
- Signs indicating that access is prohibited.
- Temporary signs located on the inside of windows or not in the public right-of-way.
- Temporary signs bearing noncommercial messages placed within the public right-of-way, subject to placement and labeling restrictions.
- Address numbers, nameplates, name of a building or structure, name of the company that built or designed the building or structure, hours of operation, information about credit cards accepted, decals identifying membership in the Chamber of Commerce or Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, and similar standardized business information; these are excluded from cumulative sign area.
- Movement control signs such as entrance and exit signs at any premises, under specified conditions.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No building or sign or part thereof shall be constructed, structurally altered, enlarged, or moved unless a permit has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer, except as otherwise exempted from a permit in this chapter.
- Site plan approval, in accordance with Article XVI, may be required prior to the issuance of a building permit for certain types of uses, including commercial, industrial and multifamily residential construction.
- Permit applications must include a plot plan showing existing and proposed signs, building elevations for attached signs, and a drawing of proposed and existing signs indicating dimensions.
- No work shall be begun on a project requiring a building permit, plumbing permit, site plan approval, and/or other municipal approval or permit until all required permits and/or approvals have been obtained.
- Planning Board may approve installation of additional freestanding signs or building signs, including electronic/changeable displays, if certain findings are made.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Sanford, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Sanford+ME&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-sanford

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/maine/sanford