# Sign Regulations in Dundas, Minnesota

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Dundas, Minnesota (MN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/minnesota/dundas
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Dundas, Minnesota regulates 12 sign types across 7 zoning districts. General Signs in the B-2 Highway Commercial District zoning district are capped at Wall/canopy/marquee: up to height of eave or 20 ft tall and Calculated per formula, with a 5 ft from right-of-way (unless CUP) setback (Sec. § 154.168(C); § 154.165(P,R)). Most commercial signs in Dundas require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District | 2 | 8 feet for freestanding signs | See formula (max 160 sq ft across two signs for 25+ acre sites) | — |
| B-1 Downtown Commercial District | 2 | Wall/canopy/marquee: facade to 20 ft max; Freestanding: 10 ft max | 16 square feet per side | — |
| B-2 Highway Commercial District | 3 | Wall/canopy/marquee: up to height of eave or 20 ft | 100 square feet per side | — |
| Industrial District | 3 | Wall/canopy/marquee: up to 20 ft | 100 sq ft per side | — |
| P-OS Public-Open Space District | 4 | Freestanding: 20 ft | No area limit for most types; freestanding capped at 100 sq ft/side | — |
| Planned Unit Development Overlay District | 1 | — | Per most restrictive applicable district | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | 10 ft | 64 sq ft | — |

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

### B-2 Highway Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Sign | Wall/canopy/marquee: up to height of eave or 20 ft | Calculated per formula | — | 5 ft from right-of-way (unless CUP) | No explicit limit except as restricted by total area | Building facade facing public street(s) | — | § 154.168(C); § 154.165(P,R) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet (within 250 ft of west side of TH 3: height measured from pavement centerline TH 3) | 100 square feet per side | — | 5 ft from right-of-way unless CUP | One per lot | On lot | — | § 154.168(C)(3) |
| Wall/Canopy/Marquee Sign | Up to eave line/parapet, not exceeding 20 feet | Calculated per formula | — | — | Not more than one per façade per street (max two if building fronts two streets) | Street-facing building façade | — | § 154.168(C)(4) |

### P-OS Public-Open Space District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Sign | Freestanding: 20 ft | No area limit for most types; freestanding capped at 100 sq ft/side | — | — | Freestanding: one per lot; wall/canopy/marquee: one per street-facing facade (two for corner/through lot); one portable | On lot/facade/portable on property | — | § 154.168(E) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 ft | 100 sq ft per side | — | — | One per lot | On lot | — | § 154.168(E)(3) |
| Wall/Canopy/Marquee Sign | — | No area limit | — | — | One per façade (two for corner/through lot) | Building façade facing public street | — | § 154.168(E)(4) |
| Portable Sign | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One portable, one banner/pennant/device at a time | On property | — | § 154.168(E)(5) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exempt Sign | 8 ft for 6 sq ft signs in residential | 2 sq ft or less, or 6 sq ft or less in residential not to exceed 8 ft high; one per property in residential | — | — | See above | — | — | § 154.164(G)(2)-(3) |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Within windowpane | — | § 154.164(G)(5) |
| Directional/Official Sign | — | — | — | — | — | As required for public notification, safety, regulation | — | § 154.164(G)(6) |
| Sale or Lease Sign (Non-Residential or >10 Acres) | 10 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | One per frontage | — | — | § 154.164(G)(7) |
| Banner, Pennant, Similar Device | — | ≤25% of allowed sign area | — | — | — | — | — | § 154.164(G)(8) |
| Portable Sign (<6 sq ft, B-1 & HSB District Sidewalks) | — | <6 sq ft | — | — | — | Public sidewalks in B-1, HSB only | — | § 154.164(G)(9) |

## Prohibited signs in Dundas

- No signs, other than those of governmental jurisdictions, are permitted within public right-of-way or roadway easements.
- No sign or sign structure shall be closer to any right-of-way than five feet unless a conditional use permit is granted.
- No sign shall be placed within any drainage or utility easement.
- No signs, guys, stays, or attachments may be erected, placed, or maintained on fences or trees, nor interfere with electric, telephone, or telegraph wires (except security or public safety, as determined by City Council).
- No sign may be attached or hang from any building unless wall and roof attachments are approved by the City's Building Official.
- No sign is permitted to obstruct any window, door, fire escape, stairway, or other opening intended for light, air, ingress, or egress.
- Electrical signs must comply with the state Electrical Code, and service to the sign must be underground.
- Illuminated signs must be shielded to prevent lights from being directed upward, onto residential property, or at oncoming traffic in such brilliance that it impairs vision; such signs may not interfere with or obscure official traffic signs or signals; all outdoor sign lighting in residential districts must be turned off by 10:00 p.m.
- Signs and sign structures must be properly maintained; rotted, unsafe, deteriorated, or defaced signs must be removed, repainted, repaired, or replaced.
- All off-premises signs greater than two square feet in area such as billboards are prohibited, except as expressly allowed under § 154.165(N).
- Any sign, signal, or device that imitates or resembles official traffic control devices, railroad, or emergency signs, or directs the movement of traffic, or interferes with official signs is prohibited.
- Signs painted, attached, or affixed to trees, public utility poles, bridges, towers, or similar public structures are prohibited.
- All signs over 440 square feet in area are prohibited, except within the P-OS District (water tower signs).
- Balloon signs are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Multi-vision signs are prohibited.
- Rotating signs are prohibited.
- Shimmering signs are prohibited.
- Content classified as 'obscene' as defined by state law is prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Dundas

- Changing the display surface of any permitted sign structure does not require a permit.
- Signs two square feet or less in size are exempt from permitting.
- One sign per property in residential districts that is six square feet or less in size and no more than eight feet in height is exempt from permitting.
- All non-commercial signs of any size posted in any number beginning 46 days before the state primary in a state general election year until 10 days following the state general election, and 90 days prior to any special election until 10 days following the special election, are exempt from permitting.
- Window signs are allowed without a permit, provided visibility and public safety are not compromised.
- Signs erected in the public interest by public officers in the performance of public duty, such as directional, regulatory, warning, and informational signs, as well as warning signs posted by public utilities (even if in the public right-of-way), are exempt from permitting.
- One sign per street frontage when a building is offered for sale or lease in non-residential areas or on parcels exceeding 10 acres, not exceeding 64 square feet in area or 10 feet in height, is exempt from permitting.
- Banners, pennants, and similar devices are exempt if no more than 25% of total allowed sign area and if changed at least every 60 days. The signs must be well secured.
- Portable signs less than six square feet on public sidewalks in the Downtown Commercial (B-1) and Hester Street Business (HSB) Districts are exempt from permitting.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A comprehensive sign plan is required for multiple occupancy commercial or industrial principal buildings. The plan must include a site plan to scale showing locations of buildings, structures, parking areas, existing and proposed signs; elevations to scale of buildings indicating location of wall, canopy, or marquee signs; and to-scale plans for all proposed and existing signs showing area, dimensions, height, materials, colors, and illumination.
- No permit will be issued for a new or replacement sign for an individual tenant except upon a determination by the Zoning Administrator that it is consistent with the approved comprehensive sign plan.

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

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