# Sign Regulations in Holland, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Holland, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/holland
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-21
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/27622206#27622206)

## At a glance

Holland, Michigan regulates 12 sign types across 10 zoning districts. Wall Signs in the F-CDT, F-NDT, F-EDT, F-WDT, F-CENT zoning district are capped at Placed below the 2nd floor windowsill, unless waived by the DRB. See Section 39-8.08. tall and 32 sq ft, with a N/A setback (Sec. Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table, Notes A-B, and Sec. 39-8.06.C.2). Most commercial signs in Holland require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (10 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| F-CDT, F-NDT, F-EDT, F-WDT, F-CENT | 5 | 48 inches | 32 sq ft | — |
| NMU, RMU, F-RM, F-SIXT, F-WASH, F-SSV | 5 | 48 inches | 30 inches deep, 30 inches wide | — |
| CMU, GMU | 5 | 48 inches | 75 sq ft per sign | — |
| OS, A | 5 | 48 inches | 32 sq ft per sign | — |
| LDR, CNR, MDR, TNR | 5 | 48 inches | 32 sq ft per sign | — |
| HDR, MHR | 5 | 48 inches | 32 sq ft | — |
| I | 5 | 48 inches | 75 sq ft per sign | — |
| PUD Planned Unit Development Zone District | 1 | Varies | Varies | — |
| ED Education Zone District | 1 | No restriction | No restriction | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |

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

### F-CDT, F-NDT, F-EDT, F-WDT, F-CENT

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Placed below the 2nd floor windowsill, unless waived by the DRB. See Section 39-8.08. | 32 sq ft | — | N/A | 1 per business, per street or parking frontage | Wall facing street or parking frontage | — | Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table, Notes A-B, and Sec. 39-8.06.C.2 |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet | 32 sq ft | — | Principal building setback in the zone district (see Section 39-3.13) | 1 per property | On property, subject to principal building setback | — | Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table, Note C; Sec. 39-8.06 |
| Projecting Sign | Placed below the 2nd floor windowsill, unless waived by the DRB. See Section 39-8.08. | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business per street frontage; no more than 1 per 25 ft building width | On building; may extend over public right-of-way with compliance to 39-8.10B | — | Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table, Note for projecting signs |
| Awning/Canopy/Marquee Sign | Placed below the 2nd floor windowsill, unless waived by the DRB. See Section 39-8.08. | — | — | Awnings, canopies, marquees, and projecting signs that extend over public right-of-way must comply with Section 39-8.10B | 1 per face of the awning, canopy or marquee | Face of awning, canopy, or marquee | — | Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table/Notes |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 48 inches | 30 inches deep, 30 inches wide | 30 inches | — | 1 per business | Within 1 foot of the building; must leave at least 6 feet of unobstructed sidewalk | — | Sec. 39-8.04.A/Table/Notes; Sec. 39-8.07 |

### LDR, CNR, MDR, TNR

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | N/A | 1 per street frontage | Any wall, only with nonresidential use | — | Sec. 39-8.04.E/Table, Notes |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet | 32 sq ft per sign | — | Signs <16 sq ft: 10 ft from all property lines; Signs >16 sq ft: minimum setback for principal buildings in zone | 2 per property | On property, only with nonresidential uses | — | Sec. 39-8.04.E/Table |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building wall | On building wall, only with nonresidential use | — | Sec. 39-8.04.E/Table |
| Awning/Canopy/Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per face of awning/canopy/marquee | Face of awning/canopy/marquee, only for nonresidential uses | — | Sec. 39-8.04.E/Table |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 48 inches | 30 inches deep, 30 inches wide | 30 inches | — | 1 per property | On private property within 1 foot of the building (only for nonresidential uses) | — | Sec. 39-8.04.E/Table; 39-8.07 |

### HDR, MHR

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 12 sq ft | — | N/A | 1 per street frontage | Any wall | — | Sec. 39-8.04.F/Table, Notes |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet | 32 sq ft | — | Signs <16 sq ft: 12 ft from all property lines; Signs >16 sq ft: minimum setback for principal buildings in zone district | 2 per property | On property | — | Sec. 39-8.04.F/Table |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building wall | On building wall | — | Sec. 39-8.04.F/Table |
| Awning/Canopy/Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per face of awning, canopy or marquee | Face of awning/canopy/marquee | — | Sec. 39-8.04.F/Table |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 48 inches | 30 inches deep, 30 inches wide | 30 inches | — | 1 per building | On private property, within 1 foot of building | — | Sec. 39-8.04.F/Table; 39-8.07 |

## Prohibited signs in Holland

- No sign shall employ any flashing, moving, oscillating, blinking, or variable intensity light, including rolling, fading, moving, or animated parts designed to give the appearance of movement.
- No roof signs are permitted.
- Billboards and off-premises advertising signs are prohibited, except for specific cases not considered billboards/off-premises signs (e.g. multi-tenant signs on shared access drives, conforming signs separated from original parcel, joint signage of adjacent property owners by written agreement).
- Pennants, streamers, banners, balloons, or feather signs are prohibited as permanent signs (may be allowed as temporary signs with permit).
- A business that has been closed for 60 consecutive days must remove all of its signs from the property.
- No vehicle (including trailers) may have the primary function of acting as a sign unless a temporary sign permit has been issued.
- Any sign not specifically permitted by the ordinance is prohibited, except as permitted by the Design Review Board (DRB) in specified F Zone Districts.
- Signs shall not scroll, flash, blink, oscillate, or have any other appearance of movement.
- Signs shall not be erected in any place where, by reason of position, shape, color, or characteristic, they may interfere with, obstruct, or be confused with authorized traffic signs, signals, or devices, or constitute a nuisance.
- Light poles, utility poles, or another supporting member of a building or property shall not be used for the placement of any sign unless the owner has given permission and sign conforms to all requirements.
- Signs shall not be placed in, upon, or over any public right-of-way, alley, or other public place unless authorized by the approving authority.
- Movable freestanding signs shall not be illuminated.
- Movable freestanding signs shall only be displayed during business hours and must be removed indoors when not on display.
- No unauthorized person shall move, alter, deface, injure, or destroy any sign or barricade erected to protect, warn, or guide the public.
- No person shall place merchandise, material, or sign upon, or engage in commercial activity on streets, sidewalks, or alleys without required permit.

## Signs exempt from permit in Holland

- Routine maintenance of signs does not require a permit (including exact replacement of faded or worn letters and similar repairs).
- Temporary movable freestanding signs may be placed within one foot of the building, including on private property or in the public right-of-way, subject to Section 39-8.07.
- City event signs for events of the City, Main Street/DDA, or Downtown Principal Shopping District are permitted upon administrative approval of the City Manager.
- Signs authorized by the City Manager, e.g., signs prohibiting diving/swimming or indicating hours of park closure, may be erected at the direction of the City Manager.
- Exceptions to off-premises advertising prohibition: Multi-tenant signs on a shared access drive, conforming signs separated from original parcel, joint signage agreements between adjacent property owners (with no additional sign area per property).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- For PUD (Planned Unit Development) Zone Districts, professional sign specifications must be included with the PUD application and reviewed/approved by the Planning Commission.
- For PUD Zones created prior to the UDO, signage must be installed as approved in the original development plan or subsequent modifications. Requested signage not meeting the approved plan must be reviewed by planning staff and original plan modified; significant changes must be referred to the Planning Commission.
- A variance from the Board of Appeals may be applied for by anyone adversely affected by the provisions of the sign ordinance (except licensing and permit provisions).
- A sign permit is required from the Zoning Administrator prior to erecting signs within a PUD.
- Signs projecting over the public right-of-way require a revocable license agreement from City Council prior to permit, except for flags and temporary movable freestanding signs.
- Any person seeking to install a permanent sign of certain height/setback must obtain a sign erector's license from the City Clerk prior to installation.
- Signs in the ED (Education) Zone District require a permit unless otherwise 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 Holland — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Holland+MI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-holland

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