# Sign Regulations in Bel Air Town, Maryland

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bel Air Town, Maryland (MD)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/maryland/bel-air-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/14976160#14976160)

## At a glance

Bel Air Town, Maryland regulates 38 sign types across 11 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the B-2 (Central Business District), B-2A (Central Business Gateway District) zoning district are capped at 1:1 setback to height ratio, but not to exceed 15 ft tall and 40 sq ft, with a 1); side yard min 1/2 of min building setback setback (Sec. § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][a]). Most commercial signs in Bel Air Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (11 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1 (Low-Density Residential) | 4 | 10 ft | 5 sq ft plus 1 sq ft per professional office with separate occupancy (max 3 extra sq ft, 8 sq ft total) | — |
| R-2 (Medium-Density Residential), R-3 (High-Density Residential) | 4 | 10 ft | 5 sq ft plus 1 sq ft per professional office with separate occupancy (max 3 extra sq ft, 8 sq ft total) | — |
| Transition Overlay District | 3 | 10 ft | 5 sq ft plus 1 sq ft per professional office with separate occupancy (max 3 extra sq ft, 8 sq ft total) | — |
| R-O (Residential-Office District) | 3 | 15 ft | 16 sq ft | — |
| Residential zoning districts | 2 | 6 ft | 24 sq ft | — |
| R-O (Residential-Office District) (Temporary Signs) | 1 | 6 ft | 12 sq ft | — |
| B-1 (Limited Business District) | 3 | 8 ft | 24 sq ft per wall sign | — |
| B-2 (Central Business District), B-2A (Central Business Gateway District) | 17 | 30 ft | 200 sq ft per sign | — |
| B-3 (General Business District), B-3A (General Business Gateway District), M-1 (Industrial District) | 5 | 15 ft | 120-200 sq ft per sign depending on gross floor area (see table for B-2 districts) | — |
| Business districts | 1 | — | 8 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 10 ft | 36 sq ft | — |

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

### B-2 (Central Business District), B-2A (Central Business Gateway District)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | 15 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building facade | Each building facade (1 per facade) | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[2] |
| Freestanding Sign | 1:1 setback to height ratio, but not to exceed 15 ft | 40 sq ft | — | Proportional to height (1:1); side yard min 1/2 of min building setback | 1 per lot | On lot (min 40 ft frontage) | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][a] |
| Freestanding Sign (Shopping Center) | See table below | See table below | — | — | See table below | On shopping center frontage (major road) | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c] |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (Less than 100,000 sq ft) | 15 ft | 120 sq ft per sign | — | — | 1 per major road | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c], Table |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (100,000 to 200,000 sq ft) | 18 ft | 140 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 per major road | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c], Table |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (200,001 to 300,000 sq ft) | 18 ft | 160 sq ft per sign | — | — | 3 per major road | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c], Table |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (300,001 to 400,000 sq ft) | 22 ft | 180 sq ft per sign | — | — | 4 per major road | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c], Table |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (Greater than 400,000 sq ft) | 22 ft | 200 sq ft per sign | — | — | 5 per major road | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(2)(b)[3][c], Table |

### B-3 (General Business District), B-3A (General Business Gateway District), M-1 (Industrial District)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall-Mounted Sign | — | — | — | — | Total area limited, number not specified | Anywhere on any wall | — | § 165-106.B(3)(a), (b)[1] |
| Projecting Sign | 15 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | § 165-106.B(3)(b)[2] |
| Freestanding Sign | 15 ft | 52 sq ft | — | Front and side setbacks at least 1/2 min building setback | 1 per lot | On lot (min 40 ft frontage) | — | § 165-106.B(3)(b)[3][a] |
| Shopping Center Freestanding Sign (See B-2/B-2A Table) | 15-22 ft (see table for B-2 districts) | 120-200 sq ft per sign depending on gross floor area (see table for B-2 districts) | — | — | Varies by center size | On shopping center frontage | — | § 165-106.B(3)(b)[3][b] |
| Directory Sign | 8 ft | 48 sq ft | — | — | 1 per industrial park/multitenant office | At main entrance to industrial park or multi-tenant office | — | § 165-106.B(3)(b)[8] |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Residential Subdivision Identification Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per subdivision | On the property | — | § 165-107.A(1) |
| For Sale/Lease/Construction Sign (Commercial District) | 10 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 10 ft from right-of-way | 1 per property | On commercial property (10 ft from r-o-w) | — | § 165-107.A(2) |
| For Sale/Lease/Construction Sign (Residential District) | 10 ft | 8 sq ft | — | 10 ft from right-of-way | 1 per property | On residential property (10 ft from r-o-w) | — | § 165-107.A(2) |
| Temporary Street Banner | — | — | — | — | — | In approved street banner locations | — | § 165-107.A(3) |
| Decorative Banner (on Streetlight) | — | — | — | — | — | On streetlight in right-of-way | — | § 165-107.A(4) |
| Temporary Sign (Institutional Uses) | 6 ft | 36 sq ft | — | 10 ft from property lines | 1 per property | Institutional use property | — | § 165-107.A(7) |
| Permanent Identification Sign (Destination/Community) | 6 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 10 ft in residential, ½ front building setback in business/industrial | 1 per destination/community | Destination/community sign location | — | § 165-107.B(1) |
| Institutional Use Signs (Permanent) | Freestanding: 8 ft; Marquee: 6 ft | — | — | 10 ft from right-of-way/property lines | 1 freestanding sign, 1 marquee sign | On site of institutional use in any district | — | § 165-107.B(2) |

## Prohibited signs in Bel Air Town

- Billboards, including signage advertising products or services not located on the site upon which the sign is placed, are prohibited.
- Signs containing statements, words, or pictures of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character, such as will offend public morals or decency, are prohibited.
- Signs which imitate an official traffic sign or signal or which contain the words 'stop,' 'go slow,' 'caution,' 'danger,' 'warning,' or similar words are prohibited.
- Signs which are of a size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination which may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device or which hide from view any traffic or street sign or signal or which obstruct the view in any direction at a street or road intersection are prohibited.
- Permanent signs which advertise an activity, business, product or service no longer produced or conducted on the premises on which the sign is located are prohibited; such signs may remain in place for not more than 60 days from the date of vacancy.
- Signs which distract motorists, create disruptive movement or excessive glare containing or consisting of pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, strings of light bulbs, rotating signs, flashing lights, searchlights, windsail signs, LED light signs and electronic reader boards (except for gasoline signs) or other similar or moving devices including commercial signs held by pedestrians are prohibited, as are these devices when not part of any sign.
- Signs which are placed on municipal, county, or state property or rights-of-way are prohibited except as provided for public signs.
- Signs which are pasted or attached to utility poles, trees, fences or other signs are prohibited, except those specifically permitted under the Town banner permit policy.
- All signs of a temporary or portable nature are prohibited except those specifically allowed under ordinance provisions.
- Signs which produce odor, sound, smoke, fire or other such emissions are prohibited.
- Vehicle signs, i.e., signs affixed to automobiles, trucks, trailers or other vehicles on public or private property for the purpose of advertising, identifying or providing direction to a person, business or activity not related to the lawful use of the vehicle for delivering merchandise or rendering service for a use associated with the property on which it is parked, are prohibited.
- No sign shall have blinking, flashing, or fluttering lights or other illuminating devices which have a changing light intensity, brightness or color, or which are so constructed and operated as to create an appearance or illusion of writing or printing. Beacon lights or searchlights are not permitted as a sign or for advertising purposes.
- No exposed reflective-type bulbs, strobe lights, or incandescent lamps exceeding 15 watts shall be used on the exterior surface of any sign so as to expose the face of the bulb, light or lamp to any public street or adjacent property.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bel Air Town

- Public signs of a noncommercial nature and in the furtherance of governmental or public interest, such as directional, regulatory, warning, and informational signs, are exempt, subject to size and construction standards.
- Horizontal directional signs on and flush with paved areas are exempt from sign area size restrictions.
- Integral signs: names of buildings, dates of erection, monumental citations, commemorative tablets and the like when carved into stone, concrete or similar material or made of bronze, aluminum or other permanent construction and made an integral part of the structure are exempt.
- Homeowner's identification signs identifying the name and address of residents up to one square foot are exempt and may be allowed on mailboxes or mounted on the building.
- Window signs: Temporary signs allowed inside of a window or interior display of merchandise, provided the total area does not exceed 20% of the total window glass area, are exempt.
- Murals: artistic representation, sculpture, or painting, except that any commercial image, message, or advertisement is included as part of the sign square footage.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A master signage plan is required for multitenant businesses in the B-2 (Central Business District) and B-2A (Central Business Gateway Districts) to integrate signs, buildings, landscape, architecture, and site design. The plan must include a plot of the lot, all existing and proposed building and sign locations and dimensions, color scheme, size, and materials, and computation of total and individual sign area.
- In B-3 (General Business District), B-3A (General Business Gateway District), and M-1 (Industrial District), multitenant buildings must submit a comprehensive sign package for all tenant locations, indicating size, general style, and location of all proposed building signage, prior to issuance of any sign permits.
- Any variance from sign regulations requires a variance application and Board of Appeals review pursuant to the requirements outlined in § 165-92. Minor variances may be permitted by the Zoning Administrator according to Article XII.
- No sign shall be erected, altered, replaced, or relocated without a permit issued by the Zoning Administrator unless specifically exempted in the chapter.
- An approved sign permit is required prior to placement or action toward placement of any sign as specified in Chapter 165, except for exempt signs. Applications must include scale drawings and, when located in an historic district or on a designated historic site, require Historic Preservation Commission approval before permit issuance.

## 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 Bel Air Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Bel+Air+Town+MD&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-bel-air-town

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