# Sign Regulations in Three River, Michigan

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Three River, Michigan (MI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/michigan/three-river
- **Data last verified:** 2025-12-03
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/mi/three_rivers/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH30ZO_30-19SI)

## At a glance

Three River, Michigan regulates 25 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Monument Signs in the Central Business District (B-3) zoning district are capped at 12 feet tall and 100 square feet, with a Comply with traffic visibility 30-19(G)(1) setback (Sec. 30-19(E)(3)(a),(d)). Most commercial signs in Three River require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1 through Mobile Home District R-MH) | 13 | 8 feet if freestanding | 24 square feet | — |
| Neighborhood Business District (B-1) | 15 | 12 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| Central Business District (B-3) | 19 | 12 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| General Business and Industrial Districts (B-2, I-1, and I-2) | 19 | 25 feet | 150 square feet | — |
| Industrial Park and Airport Districts (I-3, I-4 and A) | 15 | 12 feet | 100 square feet per side | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | 45 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### Central Business District (B-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets | On side of building | — | 30-19(E)(3)(a),(b),(c) |
| Canopy Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets | Attached to canopy on building | — | 30-19(E)(3)(a),(b),(c),(e) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets | Projecting from building | — | 30-19(E)(3)(a),(b),(c),(e) |
| Monument Sign | 12 feet | 100 square feet | — | Comply with traffic visibility 30-19(G)(1) | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets; one additional if 500 ft total frontage on one street or 700 ft on two or more | On premises | — | 30-19(E)(3)(a),(d) |
| Construction Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | One per abutting street | Confined to construction site | — | 30-19(F)(1)(d) |
| Real Estate or Rental Sign | — | 20 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage | Up to property line | — | 30-19(F)(1)(e) |
| Identification Sign | 5 feet if freestanding | 6 square feet | — | — | One per premises | — | — | 30-19(F)(2)(b) |
| Bulletin Board Sign | — | 24 square feet | — | Up to one-half required setback | One per street frontage | — | — | 30-19(F)(2)(c) |

### General Business and Industrial Districts (B-2, I-1, and I-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 150 square feet | — | — | One per premises | On side of building | — | 30-19(E)(4)(a),(b),(d) |
| Canopy Sign | — | 150 square feet | — | — | One per premises | Attached to canopy on building | — | 30-19(E)(4)(a),(b),(d),(f) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 150 square feet | — | — | One per premises | Projecting from building | — | 30-19(E)(4)(a),(b),(d),(f) |
| Monument Sign | 15 feet | 150 square feet | — | Comply with traffic visibility 30-19(G)(1) | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets; one additional if 500 ft total frontage on one street or 700 ft on two or more | On premises | — | 30-19(E)(4)(a),(c),(e) |
| Pylon Sign | 25 feet | 150 square feet | — | Comply with traffic visibility 30-19(G)(1) | One per premises; one per street frontage if fronting two or more streets; one additional if 500 ft total frontage on one street or 700 ft on two or more | On premises | — | 30-19(E)(4)(a),(c),(e) |
| Construction Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | One per abutting street | Confined to construction site | — | 30-19(F)(1)(d) |
| Real Estate or Rental Sign | — | 20 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage | Up to property line | — | 30-19(F)(1)(e) |
| Identification Sign | 5 feet if freestanding | 6 square feet | — | — | One per premises | — | — | 30-19(F)(2)(b) |

### Industrial Park and Airport Districts (I-3, I-4 and A)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument Sign (Identification) | 8 feet | 60 square feet per side | — | Minimum equal to sign height | One | On premises | — | 30-19(E)(5) |
| Monument Sign (Industrial Park Entrance) | 12 feet | 100 square feet per side | — | Minimum equal to sign height | One | At industrial park entrance | — | 30-19(E)(5) |
| Wall or Fascia Sign | — | — | — | — | One | On building front | — | 30-19(E)(5) |
| Informational Sign | — | 5 square feet | — | — | — | Conform to district provisions | — | 30-19(E)(5), 30-19(F)(1)(f) |
| Construction Sign | — | 50 square feet | — | — | One per abutting street | Confined to construction site | — | 30-19(F)(1)(d) |
| Real Estate or Rental Sign | — | 20 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage | Up to property line | — | 30-19(F)(1)(e) |
| Identification Sign | 5 feet if freestanding | 6 square feet | — | — | One per premises | — | — | 30-19(F)(2)(b) |
| Bulletin Board Sign | — | 24 square feet | — | Up to one-half required setback | One per street frontage | — | — | 30-19(F)(2)(c) |

## Prohibited signs in Three River

- No signs other than governmental signs shall be erected or temporarily placed within any street right-of-way or upon any public lands or easements or rights-of-way.
- No sign shall be erected, constructed, or maintained so as to obstruct any fire exit, required exit, window, door opening, or wall opening intended as a means of ingress or egress.
- No sign shall be erected, constructed, or maintained so as to interfere with any opening required for ventilation.
- All signs shall maintain horizontal and vertical clearance of all electrical power lines and communication lines; no sign shall be erected within eight feet of any electrical power line, conductor, service drop, or communication line.
- All signs and supporting structures shall maintain clearance and noninterference with surface and underground facilities for water, sewage, gas, electricity, or communication; placement shall not interfere with natural or artificial drainage or surface or underground water.
- No sign shall be erected, constructed or maintained so as to interfere with any existing warning or instructional sign.
- Any sign which, by reason of its size, location, content, coloring, or manner of illumination, obstructs the vision of drivers or pedestrians, or detracts from the visibility of any official traffic control device.
- Any sign which contains or imitates an official traffic sign or signal except for private, on-premises informational signs.
- Any sign which moves or rotates, except time and/or temperature information signs and barber poles.
- Off-premises advertising signs except for signs which advertise events sponsored by nonprofit organizations, and signs found on fences inside of baseball parks and billboards.
- Signs which contain a registered trademark or portray a specific commodity for sale occupying more than ten percent of the sign area unless the registered trademark or commodity is the principal activity conducted on the premises.
- No person shall stand or park a motor vehicle on public or private property for the purpose of advertising it for sale or trade, except on the owner's premises or for licensed dealerships.
- Roof signs.
- No sign shall be placed in the area between the street and the sidewalk (street terrace) or other City right-of-way except as permitted; no sign shall be attached to trees, fences, utility poles or other permanent supports in the right-of-way.
- Any sign not located on the lot for which it advertises is prohibited except identification signs for non-profit organizations.

## Signs exempt from permit in Three River

- Integral signs (exempt from permits).
- Political campaign signs (exempt from permits; size limits: 4 sq ft in residential, 12 sq ft elsewhere; must include responsible party's name/address; up to 5 days post-election; not within 100 ft of polling place).
- Holiday signs (exempt from permits; approved by Zoning Administrator; displayed up to 60 days).
- Construction signs (exempt from permits; confined to site; removed within 2 years or project completion; one per abutting street; size: 10 sq ft residential, 50 sq ft business/industrial).
- Real estate or rental signs (exempt from permits; removed within 14 days after sale/rental; size: 6 sq ft residential, 20 sq ft elsewhere; one per street frontage; may be placed to property line).
- Information signs (exempt from permits; max 5 sq ft; conform to district location; prohibited in residential districts).
- Non-profit event signs (exempt from permits; max 4 sq ft; removed within 5 days after event).
- Governmental signs (exempt from permits; placed as necessary or required by governmental unit).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Variances from sign requirements may be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals upon appeal of a Zoning Administrator decision regarding placement, area, height, or construction; requires public hearing and showing that the variance is not contrary to public interest, does not adversely affect vicinity, and results from practical difficulties due to property characteristics.
- All sign variances terminate upon alteration or reconstruction of more than 50% of the sign or at a date set by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

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

---

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