# Sign Regulations in East Jordan, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** East Jordan, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/east-jordan
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/MI/East_Jordan/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH46ZO_ARTVIIISI)

## At a glance

East Jordan, Michigan regulates 24 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Single Building, Not in Shopping Center)s in the C-1 Local Commercial District, C-2 General Commercial District, I Industrial District zoning district are capped at 15 ft or height of principal structure (whichever is greater) tall and 100 sq ft, with a Setback is minimum of half the required front yard from street right-of-way (per 46-874(4)) setback (Sec. Sec. 46-878(1)a, (b); 46-874(3)-(4)). Most commercial signs in East Jordan require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CR Conservation Reserve District | 2 | — | 25 sq ft | — |
| RA Single-Family Residential District, R-1 Single-Family Residential District, R-2A Single-Family and Mobile Home Residential District, R-3 Multiple-Family Residential District, R-4 Mobile Home Park Residential District, PO Professional Office Service Commercial District, WF Waterfront District | 3 | 8 ft | 25 sq ft | — |
| C-1 Local Commercial District, C-2 General Commercial District, I Industrial District | 9 | 15 ft or height of principal structure (whichever is greater) | Max 200 sq ft total; no exterior wall sign for businesses without ground floor frontage may exceed 24 sq ft | — |
| CBD Central Business District | 7 | 4.5 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| CBD Central Business District—Overlay District | 1 | 60 ft for structures, but accessory structures (such as detached signs) remain at 15 ft per Sec. 46-482(5) | — | — |
| PUD Planned Unit Development District | 1 | — | — | — |
| LI Light Industrial District | 1 | 15 ft or height of principal structure (whichever is greater) | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | 8 ft | 25 sq ft | — |

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

### C-1 Local Commercial District, C-2 General Commercial District, I Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Single Building, Not in Shopping Center) | — | Max 200 sq ft total; no exterior wall sign for businesses without ground floor frontage may exceed 24 sq ft | — | — | 2 per lot/parcel; 3 if at intersection of two collector/arterial streets (per formula); see also provisions for businesses without ground floor frontage. | On building wall facing public street. | — | Sec. 46-878(1), Sec. 46-874 |
| Freestanding Sign (Single Building, Not in Shopping Center) | 15 ft or height of principal structure (whichever is greater) | 100 sq ft | — | Setback is minimum of half the required front yard from street right-of-way (per 46-874(4)) | See above: Only one per single fronting street | On lot/parcel; requires half of front yard setback from street right-of-way. | — | Sec. 46-878(1)a, (b); 46-874(3)-(4) |
| Wall Sign (Shopping Center or Integrated Group of Stores/Offices/Industrial Buildings) | — | Per formula; max 25 sq ft for businesses without ground floor frontage | — | — | 1 per business with ground floor frontage; 1 combined for businesses without ground floor frontage | Exterior wall of business in the shopping center or group. | — | Sec. 46-878(2)b |
| Freestanding Identification Sign (Shopping Center) | 15 ft or height of principal structure | 200 sq ft | — | See 46-874(4): half of front yard setback from street right-of-way | One per collector or arterial street frontage | One per collector or arterial street or highway facing the shopping center | — | Sec. 46-878(2)a, Sec. 46-874 |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 25% of floor-level window area or 200 sq ft per building, whichever is less | — | — | — | On or inside window at floor level | — | Sec. 46-878(3) |
| Gasoline Price/Service Sign (Service Stations) | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | Per public street or highway frontage | Mounted on a freestanding structure or on the structure of another permitted sign | — | Sec. 46-878(5) |
| Wayfinding Sign (Business Related) | — | 180 sq ft (total, two-sided), per 46-874(5) | — | Same as other C-1 signs | — | C-1 zoning district | — | Sec. 46-874(5); Sec. 46-878(6) |
| Temporary Real Estate For Sale/Rent/Lease Sign | — | 25 sq ft | — | Setback per Sec. 46-874(4) | 1 (2 if multiple frontage) | On the property; maximum of 2 per lot if multiple frontage | — | Sec. 46-880(6) |

### CBD Central Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | — | 64 sq ft total; max 32 sq ft per side | — | — | One per lot/parcel | On the lot/parcel within the CBD zone | — | Sec. 46-879(1); Sec. 46-874 |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 sq ft | — | — | — | On building wall facing public street | — | Sec. 46-879(2); Sec. 46-874 |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 25% of window area per floor | — | — | — | On or within window | — | Sec. 46-879(3) |
| Protruding or Suspended Sign | — | Max 20 sq ft per side; total 40 sq ft (counted toward total wall sign area) | — | — | 1 per developed lot or parcel | On building, protruding or suspended over sidewalk or ground area | — | Sec. 46-879(4) |
| Portable Sign (Sandwich Board) | 4.5 ft | 9 sq ft per side; 18 sq ft total | — | — | 1 per business | On sidewalk in public right-of-way in front of or adjacent to the business | — | Sec. 46-879(5) |
| Temporary Real Estate Sign | — | 9 sq ft (or 25 sq ft if multiple frontage) | — | — | 1 (2 if multiple street frontages) | On the property | — | Sec. 46-880(6) |
| Temporary Banner/Pennant/Searchlight/Balloon/Gas-filled Figure | — | — | — | — | — | On site (CBD is a commercial district) | — | Sec. 46-880(7) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Directional, Traffic, and Warning Signs (noncommercial/public) | 8 ft | 9 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 ft from street right-of-way | — | On private property with planning commission permission; must be at least 10 ft from street right-of-way | — | Sec. 46-875(1)-(2) |
| Church Announcement Board | 6 ft | 25 sq ft | — | Min 10 ft from street ROW | 1 per site | Site containing a church; must be at least 10 ft from street right-of-way | — | Sec. 46-875(3) |
| Tourist-Oriented Directional Signs (Public Act 299 of 1996) | — | — | — | — | — | Within city jurisdiction with city commission/designee approval | — | Sec. 46-875(4) |
| Political Campaign Signs | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | — | On private property | — | Sec. 46-881(2) |

## Prohibited signs in East Jordan

- Miscellaneous signs and posters are prohibited, including tacking, pasting, or affixing signs or posters except specific warning or legal postings, to walls, buildings, barns, sheds, trees, poles, posts, or fences.
- Pennants, banners, searchlights, twirling signs, sandwich board signs (except as specifically allowed), sidewalk or curb signs, balloons, or other gas-filled figures are prohibited except as provided for temporary signs in limited districts and circumstances.
- Signs that swing or otherwise noticeably move as a result of wind pressure are prohibited.
- Signs or any portion thereof that move or are nonstationary/nonfixed are prohibited, except as otherwise provided.
- Signs that advertise an activity, business, product, or service no longer conducted or available on the premises (abandoned signs) are prohibited and must be removed.
- Signs which imitate an official traffic sign or signal or contain words such as 'stop,' 'slow,' 'caution,' 'danger,' or 'warning' (unless otherwise permitted) are prohibited.
- Signs that are of a size, location, content, coloring, or manner of illumination that may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device, or that hide from view any traffic or street sign or obstruct the view at a street intersection, are prohibited.
- Signs containing statements, words or pictures of an obscene, pornographic, or immoral character are prohibited.
- Signs extending at any angle by suspension from a building wall (protruding or suspended signs) are generally prohibited, except as specifically allowed in the CBD district.
- Outdoor advertising or billboard signs are prohibited in all districts.
- No sign shall exceed the height of the principal structure or not more than 15 feet, whichever is greater, for freestanding signs.
- No sign shall be located in such a manner as to obstruct visibility at intersections or the view of traffic signals or signs (see visibility at intersections Section 46-712).

## Signs exempt from permit in East Jordan

- Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest, erected by or on the order of a public officer in the performance of a public duty (such as directional, regulatory, warning, and informational signs).
- Political campaign signs announcing candidates seeking public office and other data pertinent thereto, provided signs are removed within 7 days after the date of the election and do not exceed 9 square feet in area.
- Names of brands, manufacturer’s labels, logos, date of erection, monument citations, commemorative tablets, and the like, when carved into or made an integral part of the structure in stone, concrete, metal, or other permanent material.
- Painting, repainting, cleaning, and other normal maintenance and repair of a sign structure, unless a structural or size change is made, does not require a sign permit.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is required for erection or replacement of signs permitted under Sections 46-877, 46-878, and 46-881. The application shall be made to the zoning administrator and must include owner's and applicant's information, property address, scale drawing of locations (including all existing buildings and structures), description and scale drawings of the sign, and fees.
- A separate sign permit is not required for painting, repainting, cleaning, and other normal maintenance and repair of a sign structure, unless a structural or size change is made.
- All new developments or expansion of existing uses requiring site plan approval must submit coordinated landscaping and sign plans for planning commission review and approval (see Article X, Landscaping, Section 46-1001 and Section 46-76).
- Site plan review is required for all principal/special uses and accessory uses in R-3, PO, WF, C-1, C-2, and I districts, all special uses and accessory uses in all districts, and all planned unit developments (except as exempted). Signs must typically be included in these submittals (see Table 46-76 and sign locations in site plan requirements).
- Signage for roof top decks or other structures subject to site plan review must be explicitly reviewed and approved by the planning commission (e.g., see Section 46-799).
- Site plan review is not required for single family and mobile homes (and accessory uses) on separate lots or parcels in residential (R) districts, but a land use permit is required from the zoning administrator; however, sign permits may still be required as defined.
- Application for a sign permit is void if not completed within six months, but may be extended once for 30 days upon approval. All proposed sign locations or relocations shall be subject to field inspection for conformance to this chapter prior to foundation and erection.

## 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 East Jordan — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=East+Jordan+MI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-east-jordan

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