# Sign Regulations in Hillsdale, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Hillsdale, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/hillsdale
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/MI/Hillsdale/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH26SI)

## At a glance

Hillsdale, Michigan regulates 22 sign types across 10 zoning districts. Freestanding Monument Signs in the B-1 zoning district are capped at 6 ft. tall and 32 sq. ft., with a Must be outside right-of-way setback (Sec. Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs). Most commercial signs in Hillsdale require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (10 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, RD-1, RM-1) (Nonresidential special use group) | 6 | 6 ft. | 50% of window area | — |
| B-1 | 6 | 21 ft. | 50% of window area | — |
| B-2 | 8 | 12 ft. | 50% of window area | — |
| B-3 | 7 | 28 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — |
| C-1 | 2 | 10 ft. | 150 sq. ft. | — |
| I-1 | 5 | 8 ft. | 60 sq. ft. | — |
| PRD | 1 | — | — | — |
| PRF | 1 | — | — | — |
| PUD | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 4 ft. | 50% of window area | — |

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

### B-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 48 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per street front | Wall of building | — | Sec. 26-8(2), Table: Wall-mounted signs |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per lot/parcel | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Freestanding Sign (Pole/Pylon) | 21 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per lot/parcel | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Temporary Sign (Freestanding Yard) | 6 ft. | 16 sq. ft. | — | May not be placed in public right-of-way. | — | Yard | — | Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Temporary Wall Sign | — | 16 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 | Ground floor wall | — | Sec. 26-6(2), Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Temporary Window Sign | — | 50% of window area | — | — | 1 | Window | — | Sec. 26-6(3), Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |

### B-2

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | No aggregate may exceed 48 sq. ft. per lot. | — | — | 1 per tenant | Wall of building facing street, alley, or parking lot | — | Sec. 26-8(2), Table: Wall-mounted signs |
| Projecting/Overhanging Sign | — | 24 sq. ft. (main or secondary sign) | — | — | 1 per storefront (main); 1 secondary permitted | One per storefront; Secondary sign at rear entrance or secondary street front. | — | Sec. 26-8(1)(b) |
| Awning Sign | — | 24 sq. ft. (main) / 24 sq. ft. or 40% of marquee face (secondary); aggregate area for all signs 48 sq. ft. per lot. | — | May project into public right-of-way up to 8 ft with minimum 8 ft clearance. | 1 per storefront; secondary sign possible | On awning, properly mounted or suspended, possibly within right-of-way with approval. | — | Sec. 26-8(1)(a,b), Sec. 26-4(i) |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 6 ft. | 24 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per lot/parcel | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Freestanding Sign (Pole/Pylon) | 12 ft. | 24 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per lot/parcel | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Temporary Sign (Freestanding Yard) | 6 ft. | 6 sq. ft. | — | May not be placed in public right-of-way. | — | Yard | — | Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Temporary Wall Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 | Ground floor wall | — | Sec. 26-6(2), Sec. 26-6(4) |
| Temporary Window Sign | — | 50% of window area | — | — | 1 | Window | — | Sec. 26-6(3), Sec. 26-6(4) |

### B-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per tenant | Wall of building facing street | — | Sec. 26-8(2), Table: Wall-mounted signs |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 6 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per 300 linear ft. of frontage | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Freestanding Sign (Pole/Pylon) | 28 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — | Must be outside right-of-way | 1 per 300 linear ft. of frontage | Outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 26-8(3), Table: On-premises, freestanding or monument signs |
| Temporary Sign (Freestanding Yard) | 6 ft. | 24 sq. ft. | — | May not be placed in public right-of-way. | — | Yard | — | Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Temporary Wall Sign | — | 24 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 | Ground floor wall | — | Sec. 26-6(2), Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Temporary Window Sign | — | 50% of window area | — | — | 1 | Window | — | Sec. 26-6(3), Sec. 26-6(4), Table: Temporary signs |
| Billboard/Off-Premises Sign | 20 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — | 30 ft from all property lines; 1000 ft from other billboards; 200 ft from residential zone | — | — | — | Sec. 26-9(5) |

## Prohibited signs in Hillsdale

- No sign shall be erected, altered, placed, or replaced without first obtaining a city sign permit and a county building permit, unless exempted.
- No sign shall be permitted in the public right-of-way unless otherwise noted.
- No sign, including banners and placards, shall be placed in, upon, or over any street, public right-of-way, alley or other public place under the jurisdiction and control of the city, except as specifically exempted for Highway M-99 and as otherwise permitted.
- A sign not expressly permitted by this chapter is prohibited.
- No sign shall be placed in, upon or over any public right-of-way, alley, or public place, except as may be otherwise permitted by this chapter or other ordinance of the city.
- No light pole, utility pole, tree within a public right-of-way, or other supporting member shall be used for the placement of any sign unless specifically designed for and otherwise approved by the city 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.
- Vehicles, which are not used for any other purpose and have the intended function of acting as a sign, shall not be parked in any area visible from the right-of-way.
- No wall sign shall extend beyond the edge of the wall to which it is affixed, and no wall sign shall extend above the roof line of a building, without review and approval by the zoning administrator.
- No roof sign shall be erected above the roof line of a building without review and approval by the zoning administrator.
- No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent ingress or egress from any door, window, sidewalk, or fire escape.
- Abandoned signs shall be removed in accordance with their status as to conformity within specified timeframes.
- A sign determined to be a public nuisance shall be abated in accordance with city procedures.
- No sign shall be installed, created, erected, or maintained in violation of any provision of this chapter.
- No sign shall be installed, created, erected, or maintained in a manner that is inconsistent with any approved plan or permit.
- No sign requiring a permit shall be installed, created, erected or maintained without such permit.
- Failure to remove any sign that is installed, created, erected or maintained in violation of this chapter or for which the sign permit has lapsed is a violation.

## Signs exempt from permit in Hillsdale

- Flags are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Government signs are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Historical markers erected by a federal, state, or local government are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Decorative signs are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Interior signs not visible from any street are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Memorial/commemorative signs are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Murals are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Name/address signs are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- State of Michigan tourist-oriented directional signs are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Window signs not to exceed 50 percent of window and glass area are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Freestanding yard signs, so long as they are not placed within the public right-of-way, are allowed within all districts without a permit, but subject to certain provisions.
- Freestanding temporary yard signs, wall-mounted temporary signs (one in lieu of freestanding), and temporary window signs (one in lieu of freestanding or wall-mounted, not to exceed 50 percent of window) are permitted in all districts without a permit.
- Pennants, spinners, streamers, and balloons and similar temporary display devices attached directly to the principal building are permitted, provided they do not exceed the building height.
- Permanent window signs that occupy not more than 50 percent of each first floor window are permitted.
- Sandwich board and A-frame signs are allowed temporarily per entrance, subject to dimensional and placement limits and removal when business is closed.
- Awnings, suspended signs, canopies and marquees are permissible within the right-of-way with approval by the zoning administrator and subject to construction code compliance.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A city sign permit is required prior to erecting, altering, placing, or replacing any sign unless the sign type is specifically exempted.
- Applications for special condition signs (including historic signs, certain wall-mounted signs above the first floor, unique signs, murals, and billboards) require submission of a drawing showing size, location, placement, etc., and are subject to review by the zoning administrator or planning commission.
- Permit applications for billboards must be submitted to the planning/zoning department along with a landscaping plan.
- The zoning administrator or planning commission may require surveys, plans, or other information for proper consideration of any request for approval of installation, creation, erection, or maintenance of any sign.
- A public notice of the time, date, and place of an appeal of a sign review decision made by the planning commission or zoning administrator is required prior to consideration.
- All sign variances terminate upon alteration or reconstruction of more than 50 percent of the sign, or at a date set by the zoning board of appeals.
- No non-conforming sign may be reconstructed, structurally altered, remodeled, relocated, or replaced unless a permit is issued and the sign made fully conforming.

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

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