# Sign Regulations in Gaylord, Minnesota

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

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

## At a glance

Gaylord, Minnesota regulates 16 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Temporary Directional Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 32 sq ft, with a 10 ft from street right-of-way or property line setback (Sec. § 153.47 (J)(3)(g)). Most commercial signs in Gaylord require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 12 ft (main signs), 6 ft (per-lot signs) | 35% of allowable sign area | — |
| Residential Districts (A, R-1, R-2, PD) | 3 | 6 ft | 48 sq ft | — |
| B-1, Central Business District | 6 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Commercial and Industrial (B-2, B-3, I-1, I-2) | 6 | 35 ft | 150 sq ft (max 200 sq ft if facing principal arterial) | — |
| I-2, Heavy Industrial District | 1 | 30 ft | 300 sq ft per side (may incorporate cutouts up to 350 sq ft) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 2 sq ft for business/dwelling; 6 sq ft per surface for groups of 4-12; 12 sq ft per surface for groups of 12+ | — | — | One per building; group rules as above | On the side of the building facing the street of the address; one at main entrance if not facing street. | — | § 153.47 (J)(2) |
| Temporary Sign (Non-Commercial Speech) | — | — | — | — | — | On private property or the right-of-way in front of private property with owner approval; not on public property | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(a) |
| Temporary Banner or Pennant | — | — | — | — | Max 2 per principal structure at one time | — | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(b) |
| Temporary Construction Site Sign | 8 ft, or 15 ft if adjacent to a principal arterial | 32 sq ft, or 100 sq ft if adjacent to a principal arterial | — | — | 2 per construction site | At construction site | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(d) |
| Temporary Property For Sale or Lease Sign | 8 ft, or 15 ft if adjacent to a principal arterial | 32 sq ft, or 100 sq ft if adjacent to a principal arterial | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On property for sale/lease | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(f) |
| Temporary Directional Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | 10 ft from street right-of-way or property line | Max 1 per intersection/parcel | On private property with written owner approval; 10 ft from street right-of-way or property line | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(g) |
| Temporary Subdivision Development Sign | 12 ft (main signs), 6 ft (per-lot signs) | 12 ft height for up to 2 signs (area not specified), plus 1 sign up to 4 sq ft, 6 ft height per lot | — | — | Up to 2 per subdivision, 1 per lot | In subdivision under development | — | § 153.47 (J)(3)(h) |
| Dynamic Sign | — | 35% of allowable sign area | — | — | — | On monument or wall signs (any zone if use allowed under CUP), or on monument, pylon, wall signs in B-1, B-2, B-3 | — | § 153.47 (J)(4) |

### B-1, Central Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 4 sq ft per building | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(a) |
| Monument Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | 10 ft | — | 1 per lot | 1 per lot | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(b) |
| Wall Sign | — | 20% of building face | — | — | 1 per building face/per tenant | On each building face; multi-tenant buildings: one per tenant | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(c) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | 2 per business | On business property or sidewalk directly abutting | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(d) |
| Canopy/Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot | On canopy/awning | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(e) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 20 sq ft | 5 ft | — | 1 per building face | On building face (not above 1st floor); up to 5' projection out (max 1' clearance to building) | — | § 153.47 (K)(2)(f) |

### Commercial and Industrial (B-2, B-3, I-1, I-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 4 sq ft per building | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(a) |
| Monument Sign | — | 150 sq ft (max 200 sq ft if facing principal arterial) | — | 5 ft from any public right-of-way | 1 per street frontage per lot | 1 per street frontage per lot | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(b) |
| Wall Sign | — | 20% of building face | — | — | 1 per building face/per tenant | 1 per building face; 1 per tenant for multi-tenant bldgs | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(c) |
| Pylon Sign | 35 ft | 150 sq ft (max 200 sq ft if facing principal arterial) | — | 5 ft from any public right-of-way | 1 per lot | 1 per lot | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(d) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | On business property or sidewalk directly abutting | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(e) |
| Canopy/Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per lot | On canopy/awning | — | § 153.47 (K)(3)(f) |

## Prohibited signs in Gaylord

- Off-premises signs.
- Signs containing statements, words, or pictures of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character, or such as would offend public morals or decency.
- Signs painted, attached or in any manner affixed to utility poles, trees, rocks, or similar natural surfaces.
- Roof signs.
- Signs that resemble any official marker erected by a government agency by reason of position, shape, or color, which would interfere with the proper function of a traffic sign, signal or be misleading to vehicular traffic.
- Signs in, upon, or projecting into any public right-of-way or easement, except for projecting signs as regulated in the B-1, Central Business District.
- Signs located within the sight triangle or located to otherwise interfere with the ability of vehicle operations or pedestrians to see traffic signs or signals, or which impede the vision of traffic.
- Signs which obstruct any window, door, fire escape, stairway or opening intended to provide ingress or egress to any structure or building.
- Any sign not in conformance with these regulations, other than a non-conforming sign.
- Any other sign not expressly permitted by the provisions of this section.

## Signs exempt from permit in Gaylord

- Permanent window signs, provided that a minimum of 50% of the area of the window remains free from signage.
- Signs having an area of two square feet or less.
- Signs which are entirely within a building and not visible from outside of said building.
- Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings and date of erection when cut into or attached to any masonry surface or noncombustible material within the building façade.
- Address signs.
- Replacement and/or repainting of a sign face, lettering, or other sign material so long as the location, configuration and area of the sign remain the same.
- No permit or registration required for address signs as outlined in J(2).
- No permit or registration required for signs containing non-commercial speech that comply with J(3)(a).
- No permit is required for sandwich signs if in compliance with the respective district regulations.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Master sign plans are preferred for all multiple tenant developments and/or structures. Sign placement and material for multiple tenant signs shall be uniform and consistent with the development. All signs in the master sign plan must conform with applicable standards.
- A comprehensive sign plan may be issued for multiple tenant occupancies and/or commercial planned unit developments within the B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1, and I-2 Districts as an alternative to strict adherence to standard regulations. Comprehensive sign plans are reviewed administratively, or may be referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission and/or City Council.
- Comprehensive sign plan amendments (minor) may be approved administratively, as long as certain criteria are met.
- Variance from sign requirements (such as square footage, height, and setback) may be granted in accordance with the variance provisions of this chapter.

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

---

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