# Sign Regulations in Princess Anne Town, Maryland

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Princess Anne Town, Maryland (MD)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/maryland/princess-anne-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/33275432#33275432)

## At a glance

Princess Anne Town, Maryland regulates 22 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Bulletin Board Sign (Institutional)s in the R-1 Zoning District zoning district are capped at 5 feet above grade tall and 24 square feet, with a 15 feet from curbline setback (Sec. §163-110A(1)). Most commercial signs in Princess Anne Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | — | 2 square feet | — |
| R-1 Zoning District | 5 | 5 feet above grade | 24 square feet | — |
| R-2 Zoning District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Central Business District | 4 | 20 feet | 20 square feet | — |
| C-1 District | 5 | 20 feet | 32 square feet (4 ft high x 8 ft wide) | — |
| C-2 District | 6 | 20 feet | 32 square feet (4 ft high x 8 ft wide) | — |
| I-1 District | 1 | — | — | — |
| I-P District | 3 | 12 feet | 100 square feet (main frontage); 50 square feet (side, if conditions apply) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### R-1 Zoning District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bulletin Board Sign (Institutional) | 5 feet above grade | 24 square feet | — | 15 feet from curbline | 1 | For churches, schools or public institutions; set back 15 feet from the curbline. | — | §163-110A(1) |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | — | 8 square feet each | — | — | 2 | On premises being sold or rented | — | §163-110A(2) |
| Home Occupation Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 | On premises | — | §163-110A(3) |
| Identification Sign for Development or Subdivision | 5 feet above grade | 20 square feet per face, limited to two faces | — | 15 feet from curb | 1 per entrance | Each entrance to the development; set back 15 feet from curb | — | §163-110A(4) |
| Nameplate | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 | To identify owner/occupant of dwelling/building | — | §163-110A(5) |

### C-1 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All Signs Permitted in R-1 District | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §163-110D(1) |
| Business Sign (Ground) | 20 feet | 20 square feet | — | 10 feet from curbline | 1 | Set back 10 feet from curbline | — | §163-110D(2) & §163-110C(2)(a) |
| Business Sign (Wall) | — | 15 square feet per building face, per business entrance | — | — | 1 per building entrance per business | Per building entrance per business | — | §163-110D(2) & §163-110C(2)(b) |
| Business Sign (Marquee) | — | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per building face | Per building face | — | §163-110D(2) & §163-110C(2)(c) |
| Electronic or Digital Sign (Public/Quasi-Public Use) | 10 ft 6 in (top of sign face) | 32 square feet (4 ft high x 8 ft wide) | 8 ft | 14 feet from curbline | — | Set back at least 14 feet from curbline | — | §163-110D(3)(a)-(h) |

### C-2 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All Signs Permitted in R-1 District | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §163-110E(1) |
| Business Sign (Ground) | 20 feet | 20 square feet | — | 10 feet from curbline | 1 | Set back 10 feet from curbline | — | §163-110E(2), §163-110C(2)(a) |
| Business Sign (Wall) | — | 15 square feet per building face, per business entrance | — | — | 1 per building entrance per business | Per building entrance per business | — | §163-110E(2), §163-110C(2)(b) |
| Business Sign (Marquee) | — | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per building face | Per building face | — | §163-110E(2), §163-110C(2)(c) |
| Electronic or Digital Sign | 20 feet (sign frame) | 32 square feet (4 ft high x 8 ft wide) | 8 ft | 10 feet from curbline; 250 ft from nearest residential use property line | — | Set back at least 10 feet from curbline, at least 250 ft from nearest residential property line | — | §163-110E(3)(a)-(h) |
| Master Signage Plan | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §163-110E(3)(i) |

## Prohibited signs in Princess Anne Town

- No sign may be erected, constructed, posted, altered or relocated unless a permit has been issued by the Town, except for signs permitted by § 163-109.
- Existing nonconforming signs in all districts advertising businesses, services or events that are no longer operating or being conducted or offered shall be removed within 60 days of the discontinuation of such activity.
- A nonconforming sign may not be changed, moved or replaced except for maintenance or repair or to bring it into compliance with this article. Movable letters or characters on signs designed for periodic changes of messages are not subject to this requirement.
- Any sign which obstructs motorists' vision of intersections, traffic control signals, traffic signs or traffic movement is prohibited.
- Signs attached to trees or utility poles are prohibited.
- Signs attached to any vehicle parked temporarily or permanently for the sole purpose of advertising are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited, except as provided in § 163-107B.
- Outdoor advertising structure signs are prohibited.
- No person shall fasten in any way any show card, poster or other advertising device upon public or private property in the town unless legally authorized to do so.
- No person shall tamper with, injure, deface, destroy or remove any sign, notice, marker, fire alarm box, fireplug, topographical survey monument or any other personal property erected or placed by the town.

## Signs exempt from permit in Princess Anne Town

- Signs permitted by § 163-109 do not require a permit.
- Any sign used and located entirely within a building and not visible from the exterior of the building and not intended to be a component of the exterior appearance of the building is exempt from the standards of this article.
- Signs erected by, on behalf of or pursuant to the authorization of a governmental body, including legal notices, identification and informational signs and traffic, directional or regulatory or instructional signs, do not require a permit.
- Political signs on existing outdoor advertising structures and on private property do not require a permit.
- Temporary signs, including banners, announcing or celebrating social or cultural events or holidays, with permission from the Town Manager and Code Enforcement Officer, do not require a permit. The sign must be removed within five days after the event.
- One temporary sign per business announcing business events, such as special sales or offerings of goods or services on the premises where the sign is located, does not require a permit. The sign must be removed within five days after the event.
- No trespassing or no hunting signs, without limitation on number or placement, limited in area to two square feet, do not require a permit.
- One nameplate, limited in area to two square feet, to identify the owner or occupant of a dwelling or building, does not require a permit.
- For maintenance, repair or periodic message changes on signs designed to accommodate periodic changes of messages, no permit shall be required.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The Planning and Zoning Commission may modify the standards for signs in the C-2 General Commercial District for a shopping center or other commercial, business, or institutional development that involves more than one use on a single property in accordance with a master signage plan.
- A master signage plan must include: (a) An accurate plot plan of the proposed development site, (b) Location of buildings, parking lots, driveways, and landscaped areas, (c) Computation of the proposed maximum total sign area, the maximum area for individual signs, the height of signs and the number of freestanding signs, (d) Sign plans and photo simulation of the signs in the proposed location, (e) An accurate indication on the plot plan of the proposed location of each present and future sign of any type, whether requiring a permit or not, except that incidental signs need not be shown.
- The master signage plan must propose standards for consistency among all signs affected with regard to: color scheme, lettering or graphic style, lighting, location of each sign on the buildings, material, and sign proportions.
- No sign permit shall be issued for a sign included in a master signage plan that does not conform to the standards of the master signage plan. A master signage plan may be amended at any time.

## 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 8 zoning districts in Princess Anne Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Princess+Anne+Town+MD&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-princess-anne-town

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