# Sign Regulations in Newaygo, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Newaygo, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/newaygo
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/MI/Newaygo/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIIIZOOR_CH5SIBI)

## At a glance

Newaygo, Michigan regulates 31 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Special Event Sign (includes banners, streamers, light bulbs, flags)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 3 ft if within 15 ft of road edge tall and 32 sq ft, with a 3 ft height limit if within 15 ft of road edge. setback (Sec. Sec. 5.07.H). Most commercial signs in Newaygo require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 8 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-R Rural Residential Zoning District | 5 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-1, R-2, R-3 and MHP Residential Zoning Districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, MHP) | 5 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Principal Shopping District (PSD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| B-1 Community Business District | 6 | 36 in | 32 sq ft | — |
| B-2 Highway Business District | 13 | 25 ft | 200 sq ft (surface display area, one face) | — |
| I-1 Industrial Districts | 6 | 7 ft | 100 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign (≤6 sq ft, one per street frontage per business, ≤60 days/year) | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage per business | — | — | Sec. 5.03.A.4 |
| Directional Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | On site/lot; For entrances/exits, parking, etc. | — | Sec. 5.03.A.1; Sec. 5.07.I |
| Placard | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 5.03.A.3; Sec. 5.04.G |
| Special Event Sign (includes banners, streamers, light bulbs, flags) | 3 ft if within 15 ft of road edge | 32 sq ft | — | 3 ft height limit if within 15 ft of road edge. | 5 per event | On or off lot of event | — | Sec. 5.07.H |
| Construction Sign (single business) | 8 ft | 16 sq ft | — | 15 ft from front property line | 2 per lot | On lot of construction | — | Sec. 5.07.G.1 |
| Construction Sign (two or more businesses/firms) | 8 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from front property line | 2 per lot | On lot of construction | — | Sec. 5.07.G.1 |
| Garage or Estate Sale Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per sale | On lot of sale or with property owner's permission outside public right-of-way | — | Sec. 5.07.J |
| Incidental Sign | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises only | — | Sec. 5.07.K |

### B-1 Community Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per lot or parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Ground Signs) |
| Wall Sign (Including Awning and Canopy Signs) | — | — | — | — | 1 per street frontage per business | On wall of building that is used to calculate its area. | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Wall signs incl. Awning, Canopy) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 12 sq ft (1 story), 24 sq ft (2 story), 36 sq ft (3 story) | — | — | 1 per street frontage per business | On wall facing street/alley/walkway. May encroach over public space or ROW if Zoning Admin finds no hazard. | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Projecting Signs) |
| Portable or Temporary Sign (Sidewalk/Walkway) | 36 in | — | 24 in | Min 15 ft from driveways. | 1 per street frontage per business | Placed appropriately to avoid obstructing pedestrians; Not within 15 ft of driveways. | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Portable/Temporary Signs, Note 1) |
| Political Sign | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per issue or candidate | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Political Signs) |
| Real Estate Sign | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per 300 ft frontage | On building/structure; if not possible, front min 15 ft, side/rear min 10 ft | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-1 Table: Real estate signs) |

### B-2 Highway Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 6 ft | 50 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per lot or parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Ground Signs) |
| Ground Sign (Gasoline Station) | 6 ft | 50 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per lot or parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Gasoline stations) |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft | 60 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per lot or parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Freestanding signs) |
| Freestanding Sign (Gasoline Station) | 25 ft | 72 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 15 ft. | 1 per lot or parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Gasoline stations, Freestanding Sign) |
| Temporary Sign (Gasoline Station) | 4 ft | 9 sq ft | — | Minimum 5 ft from front lot line, 15 ft from side/rear lines | 2 per lot | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Gasoline stations, Temporary Signs) |
| Political Sign | 6 ft | 16 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per issue/candidate | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Political Signs) |
| Real Estate Sign (<1 acre) | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — | Front: Min 15 ft from right-of-way. Side/rear: Min 10 ft. | 1 per lot/parcel | — | — | Sec. 5.08 (B-2 Table: Real Estate Signs) |
| Billboard | 20 ft above median ground level within 500 ft | 200 sq ft (surface display area, one face) | — | Must meet building setbacks for district. | 1 per premises | Abutting M-37 and M-82, on premises with no other principal structure. Must be oriented toward state highway. | — | Sec. 5.09 |

## Prohibited signs in Newaygo

- No person shall erect, alter, place or permit to be placed, or replace any sign without first obtaining a zoning permit, except for certain exempted signs.
- Signs shall not have peeling paint or paper, fading, staining, rust, or other condition which impairs legibility or intelligibility.
- Sign supports, braces, guys and anchors must not cause a hazard.
- No sign shall be placed in, upon or over any public right-of-way, alley, sidewalk or other public place, except as may be otherwise permitted by this Chapter.
- 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 sign shall employ any flashing, moving, oscillating, blinking, or variable intensity light, except as specifically allowed for variable time-temperature signs and intermittent electronic signs where each message or image shall not change more often than once every five (5) seconds and transitions shall take one (1) second maximum; scrolling or moving messages are prohibited.
- No sign shall contain any moving or animated parts nor have the appearance of having any moving or animated parts.
- No wall sign shall extend beyond the edge of the wall to which it is affixed.
- No wall sign shall extend above the roof line of a building.
- Any sign not expressly allowed by this chapter is prohibited.
- Portable or temporary signs are prohibited, except as may be otherwise permitted by this Chapter.
- Balloons, strings of light bulbs, pennants, streamers, inflatable bags, or flags (other than governmental or non-commercial ones) hung overhead to draw attention to a business or its merchandise on display are prohibited, except as otherwise permitted.
- Signs for home occupations shall not be illuminated.
- No sign shall be placed so that the source of the light shines directly onto traffic or residential property.

## Signs exempt from permit in Newaygo

- Government signs.
- State and National Historical markers.
- Memorial signs or tablets.
- Murals.
- Signs not visible from any street.
- Signs for essential services.
- Placards not exceeding two (2) square feet.
- Signs with address, owner, or occupant name, of up to one (1) square foot in area attached to a mailbox, light fixture or exterior wall.
- Flags or insignia of any nation, state, county, city, community organization, or educational institution.
- Scoreboards for public or private school or publicly owned and operated athletic fields.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All signs in the Principal Shopping District (PSD) are subject to prior review and approval by the Principal Shopping District Board to ensure professional appearance and consistency in color and characteristic with the desired effect of the district.
- The erection of any billboard requires special land use approval per Chapter 21 of this Ordinance, and then a sign permit may be granted subject to compliance with all applicable standards.

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/newaygo