# Sign Regulations in Fowlerville, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Fowlerville, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/fowlerville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/MI/Fowlerville/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=COOR_APXAZO_CH21SI)

## At a glance

Fowlerville, Michigan regulates 15 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign - Single Tenant Ground Signs in the General Business (GB), Office (O), Industrial (I), Limited Research/Industrial (LIR) zoning district are capped at 20 ft tall and 60 sq ft (Sec. Table 2104). Most commercial signs in Fowlerville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | — | — | — |
| General Business (GB), Office (O), Industrial (I), Limited Research/Industrial (LIR) | 5 | 20 ft | 200 sq ft | — |
| Business Center (BC) | 7 | 14 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4) | 4 | 6 ft | 50 sq ft per frontage | — |
| Public Lands (PL), Conservation/Recreation (CR) | 1 | — | 4 sq ft per frontage | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### General Business (GB), Office (O), Industrial (I), Limited Research/Industrial (LIR)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 sq ft per wall | — | — | See formula and maximums | Building wall | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Single Tenant Ground Sign | 20 ft | 60 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | Per frontage | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Multi-Tenant Ground Sign | 20 ft | 80 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | Per frontage | — | Table 2104 |
| Shared Business Center Sign | 20 ft | 200 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | Table 2104, Sec. 2104.2 |
| Changeable Message Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per premises | Part of wall or monument sign | — | Sec. 2104.3 |

### Business Center (BC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Building wall | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Single Tenant Ground Sign | 6 ft | 48 sq ft | — | — | 1 per frontage | — | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Multi-Tenant Ground Sign | 14 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | Table 2104 |
| Shared Business Center Sign | 14 ft | 150 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | Table 2104, Sec. 2104.2 |
| Projecting Sign | — | 10 sq ft per frontage | — | — | Per frontage | May project up to 4 ft from building wall | — | Table 2104; Sec. 2104.1 |
| Awning or Marquee Sign | — | 30 sq ft per frontage | — | — | Per frontage | May project up to 4 ft from building wall | — | Table 2104; Sec. 2104.1 |
| Changeable Message Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per premises | Part of monument or wall sign | — | Sec. 2104.3 |

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign - Commercial and Home Occupation Use | — | 4 sq ft per frontage | — | — | — | On building wall | — | Table 2104 |
| Wall Sign - Institutional Use | — | 50 sq ft per frontage | — | — | — | On building wall | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Institutional Use | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per parcel | — | — | Table 2104 |
| Freestanding Sign - Residential Use (subdivision entrance) | 4 ft | 16 sq ft | — | — | 1 per subdivision entrance | Subdivision entrance | — | Table 2104 |

## Prohibited signs in Fowlerville

- No sign shall be placed in, upon or over any public right-of-way, alley, or other public place, except for permitted highway and government signs and those signs permitted in the BC district which may project from a building wall over a public way, or other signs for community events as approved by the village council.
- No light pole, utility pole, or other supporting member shall be used for the placement of any sign unless specifically designed and approved for such use.
- No sign shall be erected in any place where it may, by reason of its position, shape, color, or other characteristic, interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device, or constitute a nuisance per se.
- No commercial vehicle, which in the opinion of the zoning administrator has the intended function of acting as a sign, shall be parked in any area abutting the street, unless no other parking area is available.
- No wall sign shall extend beyond the edge of the wall to which it is affixed; nor extend above the roof line of a building; nor project more than 12 inches from the surface of the wall.
- All signs shall pertain only to the business or activity conducted on the premises, except for political signs, special event signs, business center signs located on property containing one of the businesses advertised, and billboards.
- Use of glaring undiffused lights, bare bulbs, or flames is prohibited.
- Lighting shall be shielded and/or pointed downward so as not to project onto adjoining properties or thoroughfares.
- Permanent signs may only be illuminated by steady, stationary, shielded light sources directed solely at the sign or internal to it.
- All signs not specifically allowed under this chapter (unless exempted from regulation herein) are prohibited in the village.
- Nonconforming signs may not be altered, expanded, enlarged, or extended, except as allowed in this ordinance.
- Nonconforming signs: The copy of the sign may not be amended or changed, except as provided in subsection 2110.4, unless specifically designed to be changed periodically as in reader board, without bringing such sign into compliance.
- Any nonconforming sign destroyed by fire or other casualty loss shall not be restored or rebuilt if reconstruction will constitute more than 50 percent of the value of the sign on the date of loss.
- Any sign which for a period of one year or more no longer advertises a bona fide business conducted or product sold shall be removed by the owner within 30 days of written notice by the zoning administrator.

## Signs exempt from permit in Fowlerville

- Government signs.
- Placards.
- Temporary sale signs of four square feet in size or less.
- Window signs, provided the total area of all signs within one foot of the window shall not obscure more than 50 percent of the window area.
- Political signs.
- Historical markers.
- Memorial signs or tablets.
- Murals.
- Signs not visible from any street.
- Signs for essential services.
- Signs with address, owner, or occupant name, of up to one square foot in area attached to a mailbox, light fixture or exterior wall.
- Flags or insignia of any nation, state, local government, community organization, or educational institution.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Applications for shared business center signs must be accompanied by a recordable agreement, in a form acceptable to the village attorney, that includes acknowledgment by all businesses advertised on the sign that no additional ground or freestanding signs will be approved for any business that is advertised on the shared sign, regardless of any change of ownership.
- The planning commission may allow additional sub-tenant wall signs after consideration of number of sub-tenants, area of lease space, building façade size, and visibility.
- The village council may review and approve additional temporary signs for recurring special events upon annual review, and may require applications providing sign location, number, size, design, event dates, schedule for erection/removal, and responsible parties.
- Any person wishing to erect, place, replace, or permit another to place a sign on their property must first obtain a sign permit, unless such sign is 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 5 zoning districts in Fowlerville — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Fowlerville+MI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-fowlerville

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