# Sign Regulations in Corunna, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Corunna, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/corunna
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/30612907#30612907)

## At a glance

Corunna, Michigan regulates 27 sign types across 10 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign - Shorts in the C-2 (Commercial) zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 60 sq ft, with a 5 ft from ROW setback (Sec. §58-24, C-2, Item 2(a)). Most commercial signs in Corunna require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (10 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RA (Residential) | 11 | Less of building height or 25 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| RM (Multi-Family) | 8 | Lesser of building height or 25 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| RO (Residential Office) | 11 | Lesser of building height or 25 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| C-1 (Commercial) | 14 | 25 ft | 50 sq ft | — |
| C-2 (Commercial) | 14 | 25 ft | 60 sq ft | — |
| C-3 (Commercial) | 14 | 25 ft | 80 sq ft | — |
| I (Industrial) | 14 | 25 ft | 80 sq ft | — |
| INS (Institutional) | 3 | Lesser of building height or 25 ft | 24 sq ft | — |
| RC (Recreation/Conservation) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 10 zones)

### C-2 (Commercial)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 1 |
| Freestanding Sign - Short | 6 ft | 60 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage | Min 5 ft from ROW. | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 2(a) |
| Freestanding Sign - Tall | 25 ft | 60 sq ft or up to 250 sq ft (shopping center option) | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage (one per frontage for shopping centers) | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 2(b) |
| Wall Sign | — | 15% of building face of first floor | — | — | — | Wall of principal building | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 8 |
| Projecting Sign | 15 ft | 50 sq ft | — | — | — | Attached to building. | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 9 |
| Marquee Sign | — | Same as wall sign (15% of first floor wall) | — | — | — | Marquee | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 10 |
| Portable/Temporary Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | — | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 11; §58-21(8) |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of window area | — | — | — | Window | — | §58-24, C-2, Item 13 |

### C-3 (Commercial)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 1 |
| Freestanding Sign - Short | 6 ft | 80 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage; additional sign per collector/arterial street frontage for shopping center | Min 5 ft from ROW. | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 2(a,b) |
| Freestanding Sign - Tall | 25 ft | 80 sq ft or 250 sq ft (shopping center) Option | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage; shopping center: 1 per collector/arterial | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 2b |
| Wall Sign | — | 15% of building face of first floor | — | — | — | Principal building wall | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 8 |
| Projecting Sign | 15 ft | 50 sq ft | — | — | — | Attached to building. | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 9 |
| Marquee Sign | — | Same as wall sign (15% of first floor wall) | — | — | — | Marquee | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 10 |
| Portable/Temporary Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | — | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 11; §58-21(8) |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of window area | — | — | — | Window | — | §58-24, C-3, Item 13 |

### I (Industrial)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Marker | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | §58-24, I, Item 1 |
| Freestanding Sign - Short | 6 ft | 80 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage | Min 5 ft from ROW. | — | §58-24, I, Item 2(a) |
| Freestanding Sign - Tall | 25 ft | 80 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | 1 per 200 ft frontage | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, I, Item 2(b) |
| Wall Sign | — | 15% of building face of first floor | — | — | — | Wall of principal building | — | §58-24, I, Item 8 |
| Projecting Sign | 15 ft | 50 sq ft | — | — | — | Attached to building. | — | §58-24, I, Item 9 |
| Marquee Sign | — | Same as wall sign (15% of first floor wall) | — | — | — | Marquee | — | §58-24, I, Item 10 |
| Portable/Temporary Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | 5 ft from ROW | — | Min 5 ft from ROW | — | §58-24, I, Item 11; §58-21(8) |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of window area | — | — | — | Window | — | §58-24, I, Item 13 |

## Prohibited signs in Corunna

- To erect, re-erect, make an alteration, or relocate any sign without first obtaining the proper permits from the City building inspector except as provided in § 58-15.
- It is unlawful to install, create, erect, or maintain any sign requiring a permit without such a permit.
- No sign except those established and maintained by government entities and certain projecting, canopy, and marquee signs (where allowed) shall be located in, project into, or overhang a public right-of-way or dedicated public easement.
- No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window, sidewalk or fire escape.
- No direct light or significant glare from a sign shall be cast onto any zone lot that is zoned and/or used for residential purposes or onto any public way so as to cause interference with traffic safety.
- No advertising device shall be erected or maintained which simulates or imitates in size, color, lettering, or design any traffic sign or signal or otherwise interferes with, misleads, or confuses traffic.
- Signs not specifically permitted by this chapter are prohibited in the City.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Banner signs extending over public property, except as authorized by the City, are prohibited.
- Roof signs, except mansard roof signs regulated as wall signs, are prohibited.
- Signs with flashing, blinking, moving, or exposed incandescent lights, except moving message boards and moving lights as allowed elsewhere, are prohibited.
- Search lights and beacons, except as authorized by the City, are prohibited.
- Signs attached to trees, telephone poles, public benches, streetlights, or placed on any public property or public right-of-way, except signs of political subdivisions, are prohibited.
- Signs placed on vehicles or trailers parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying said sign, except as authorized for garage sales, are prohibited.
- Any sign structure or frame no longer containing a sign and classified as abandoned is prohibited.
- Signs indicating a home occupation, including child care, are prohibited.
- No outdoor billboards are allowed within the City limits other than those signs defined in other sections of the City Code.
- Any sign installed or placed on public property, except in conformance with the requirements of this chapter, is subject to confiscation.
- A nonconforming sign may not be: replaced by another nonconforming sign, structurally altered to prolong its life, expanded, or re-established after significant damage or destruction.
- Each sign violation is considered a separate violation, and continued violations constitute additional offenses.

## Signs exempt from permit in Corunna

- Signs of a governmental unit required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance are exempt from regulation.
- Signs of a governmental unit on a recreation/conservation zoned lot of record (with approval from the City Manager) are exempt.
- Holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message, subject to other specific regulations, are exempt.
- Works of art of a noncommercial nature are exempt.
- Flags of any country, state, unit of local government, institution, organization, educational, or ornamental and not causing a vision obstruction, projecting into the City right-of-way, or flown at the top of a pole (provided they do not exceed 25 feet in height) are exempt.
- This chapter does not regulate official traffic or government signs required by law, the copy and message of signs, signs not intended to be viewed from a public right-of-way, window displays, product dispensers and point-of-purchase displays, scoreboards on athletic fields, flags (with possible height restrictions), gravestones, barber poles, religious symbols, commemorative plaques, the display of street numbers, or any display not defined as a sign.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A permit is generally required for the erection, re-erection, alteration, or relocation of any sign, except as provided for exempt signs in § 58-15.
- A permit (application and fee) must be obtained from the City building inspector for each sign unless multiple signs are included on the same application.
- For certain types of work (erection/maintenance/repair/alteration), the building inspector must evaluate and authorize the person performing the sign work.
- A variance for signs requires a written request, Building Inspector's written recommendation, and a meeting before the Zoning Board of Appeals.
- Installing, creating, erecting, or maintaining any sign in a way that is inconsistent with any plan or permit governing such sign or the zone lot is a violation.
- There is no indication of a master sign plan requirement for multi-tenant developments, but a permit is required for most signs except those specifically exempted.

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

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