# Sign Regulations in Saginaw, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Saginaw, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/saginaw
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Saginaw, Michigan regulates 35 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Special Purpose Temporary Sign (Residential Properties)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at As per district standards tall and 32 sq ft, with a District setback standards setback (Sec. § 153.156(A)(1), (B), (C)-(F)). Most commercial signs in Saginaw require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 15 | 10 ft above grade if not attached to building; otherwise not above roofline | 750 sq ft per face | — |
| R-1 District | 4 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-1A District | 3 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-2 District | 3 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-3 District | 3 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-4 District | 3 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — |
| RO-1 District | 2 | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 25 sq ft | — |
| B-1 District | 5 | If on/over building: not above eave line; otherwise not more than 35 ft above grade | — | — |
| B-1A District | 1 | — | — | — |
| B-2 District | 4 | Same as B-1 (not above eave line or 35 ft above grade) | 350 sq ft per face | — |
| B-3 District, RMU District | 1 | — | — | — |
| M-1 District | 4 | No maximum height | 750 sq ft per face | — |
| M-2 District | 2 | No maximum height | 750 sq ft per face | — |
| M-3 District | 2 | No maximum height | No maximum area | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 14 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Off-site Sign (B-2 District) | As per district height limit | 350 sq ft per face | — | — | — | B-2 District; not in required yard area | — | § 153.152(A)(1)-(C) |
| Off-site Sign (M-1 or M-2 District) | As per district height limit | 750 sq ft per face | — | — | — | M-1 or M-2 District; not in required yard area | — | § 153.152(A)(2)-(C) |
| Off-site Sign (M-3 District) | As per district height limit | No maximum | — | — | — | M-3 District; not in required yard area | — | § 153.152(A)(3)-(C) |
| Temporary Construction Sign | 10 ft above grade if not attached to building; otherwise not above roofline | 16 sq ft (per firm) | — | — | — | On construction site | — | § 153.155(A), (I) |
| Special Purpose Temporary Sign (Residential Properties) | As per district standards | 32 sq ft | — | District setback standards | Up to 3 per year | On parcel (no off-site signs allowed) | — | § 153.156(A)(1), (B), (C)-(F) |
| Special Purpose Temporary Sign (Nonresidential Properties) | As per district standards | 32 sq ft | — | District setback standards | Up to 4 per year | On parcel (no off-site signs allowed) | — | § 153.156(A)(2), (B), (C)-(F) |
| Auxiliary Parking Lot Identification Sign | Subject to district height limitation | 4 sq ft | — | — | One per adjacent street | Anywhere on lot | — | § 153.153(A), (D) |
| Auxiliary Parking Lot Entrance/Exit Sign | Subject to district height limitation | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | Anywhere on lot | — | § 153.153(B), (D) |

### R-1 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Occupant Name and Address Sign | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 2 sq ft (total) | — | 10 ft if not wall sign | — | Flat against building or at least 10 ft from street lot line | — | § 153.157(A)(1), (B), (C); § 153.149 |
| Announcement Sign/Bulletin Board | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 32 sq ft | — | 10 ft if not wall sign | 1 | Flat against building or at least 10 ft from street lot line | — | § 153.157(A)(2), (B), (C); § 153.149 |
| Identification Sign | Not above roofline if wall sign; otherwise not more than 6 ft above grade | 10 sq ft (one), 4 sq ft (for permitted uses after special approval except church or hospital) | — | 10 ft if not wall sign | — | Flat against building or at least 10 ft from street lot line | — | § 153.157(A)(2)-(3), (B), (C); § 153.149 |
| Hospital Sign Plan (Master Plan) | To be determined by Planning Commission with sign plan (may vary +/-5 sq ft administratively) | To be determined by Planning Commission with sign plan (may vary +/-5 sq ft per sign administratively) | — | — | — | Subject to Planning Commission approval | — | § 153.157(A)(4) |

### B-1 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Front Lot Line) | If on/over building: not above eave line; otherwise not more than 35 ft above grade | — | — | 9 ft from street lot line | — | Facing front lot line; no portion nearer than 9 ft from street lot line | — | § 153.163(A)(2), (B)-(D) |
| Identification Sign (Corner Lots, Non-front Lot Line) | If on/over building: not above eave line; otherwise not more than 35 ft above grade | — | — | 9 ft from street lot line | — | Facing corner/non-front lot lines; no portion nearer than 9 ft from street lot line | — | § 153.163(A)(3), (B)-(D) |
| Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Vertical face of marquee; may not project above or below marquee over required yard area/public ROW | — | § 153.163(A)(4) |
| Free-standing/Bldg-attached Sign | If on/over building: not above eave line; otherwise not more than 35 ft above grade | — | — | 9 ft from street lot line | — | On building or erected separately (subject to setback) | — | § 153.163(A)(5) |
| Automobile Service Station Sign | No portion less than 12 ft from grade | — | — | — | — | On premises of service station | — | § 153.163(A)(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Saginaw

- Signs containing statements, words, or pictures of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character such as will offend the public morals or decency are prohibited.
- Signs that imitate official traffic signs or signals or contain the words 'stop', 'go slow', 'caution', 'danger', 'warning', or similar words are prohibited, except for traffic directional signs in private parking areas.
- Signs that are of a size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination which may be confused with or construed as a traffic control device or emergency vehicle are prohibited.
- Signs that obstruct a motorist’s view of any traffic sign, street sign, or traffic signal are prohibited.
- Signs containing or consisting of banners, pennants, pinwheels, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs other than holiday decorations or similar devices are prohibited, except as specifically modified upon site plan review by the City Planning Commission.
- Signs that have a moving part except for the conveyance of noncommercial information are prohibited.
- Signs that have blinking, flashing, rotating, or fluttering illumination are prohibited.
- Signs that are illuminated in a manner which changes light intensity, brightness, or color are prohibited.
- Signs with colored lights that may be confused with or construed as traffic control devices or emergency vehicles are prohibited.
- Signs illuminated such that direct or reflected light creates a traffic hazard for motorists are prohibited.
- It is unlawful to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, demolish, equip, use, occupy, or maintain any sign in the city in violation of the provisions of the sign code.

## Signs exempt from permit in Saginaw

- Public signs are exempted from the provisions of this chapter.
- A permit is not required for changing of the advertising copy or message on a painted or printed sign only, except for electric signs unless specifically designed for the use of replaceable copy.
- Painting, repainting, or cleaning of an advertising structure or changing the advertising copy or message thereon is exempt from permit requirements unless a structural change is made.
- Signs less than six feet above grade, other than special purpose temporary signs as defined in the Saginaw Code of Ordinances, are exempt from permit requirements.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A master sign plan for signage for each hospital in an R-1 District shall be submitted for approval by the City Planning Commission. Once approved, minor variations in size and height per sign (+/- 5 square feet in area) may be approved administratively. The procedure for filing the master sign plan shall be the same as the procedure for site plan review.
- The City Planning Commission may approve specific modifications to the prohibition on banners, pennants, etc., upon site plan review.
- Off-site signs must comply with the provisions for sign location and size as specified for each zoning district, which may require additional city review or approval.
- Special event signs or banners require approval by the City Council in conjunction with an authorized exhibition.

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

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