# Sign Regulations in Jordan, Minnesota

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

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

## At a glance

Jordan, Minnesota regulates 30 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Subdivision Monument Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 8 ft tall and 25 sq ft per side, max 8 ft high, with a 10 ft from right-of-way setback (Sec. § 154.248(E)). Most commercial signs in Jordan require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 42 inches | 50% of permitted sign; e.g. monument sign, wall sign, freestanding sign | — |
| RR, R-1, R-2 | 5 | 15 ft | 60 sq ft per sign surface; max 120 sq ft per sign (per street frontage) | — |
| R-3, R-4 | 7 | 15 ft | 60 sq ft per sign surface; max 120 sq ft per sign (per street frontage) | — |
| R-5 | 4 | 25 ft | 48 sq ft (<20 acres); 100 sq ft (>20 acres) | — |
| C-1 | 5 | 25 ft | 80 sq ft | — |
| C-2 Central Business District (CBD), C-2 | 7 | 25 ft | 80 sq ft | — |
| C-3 | 8 | 25 ft | 200 sq ft | — |
| I-1, I-2 | 6 | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| PUD | 1 | 25 ft | 200 sq ft per acre total sign area; 100 sq ft max size for any one sign unless otherwise in plan | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign (<= 8 sq ft) | — | 8 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On property to which it pertains | — | § 154.242(A) |
| Temporary Sign (Residential Property > 8 sq ft, <= 10 sq ft) | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot (without permit) | On residential property to which it pertains | — | § 154.242(B), § 154.248(B)(2) |
| Temporary Sign (Non-Residential Property, <= 40 sq ft) | — | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot (without permit); up to 4 per lot/year with permit | On property to which it pertains | — | § 154.242(B), § 154.248(B)(2) |
| Subdivision Monument Sign | 8 ft | 25 sq ft per side, max 8 ft high | — | 10 ft from right-of-way | Max 2 per entrance | At entrance to subdivision/development (any zone) | — | § 154.248(E) |
| Directional Sign | 42 inches | 8 sq ft per face | — | May be in setback (see code). | — | May be in setback; elsewhere as approved | — | § 154.248(C) |
| Project Information/Construction Sign (Temporary) | 10 ft | 40 sq ft per face | — | Exempt from setback | — | At construction site | — | § 154.248(A) |
| Electronic Message Board (EMB) | 8 ft for standalone EMB; if on multipart freestanding sign, follow sign max height limit. | 50% of permitted sign; e.g. monument sign, wall sign, freestanding sign | — | As for sign type (monument, wall, etc) | — | On-premises; see district restrictions | — | § 154.248(G) |
| Fence Sign (Permanent, Residential) | — | 8 sq ft (permanent); 10 sq ft (temporary); up to 32 sq ft for larger lots; up to 500 sq ft for lots > 100,000 sq ft with CUP and not visible from ROW. | — | May encroach within required setback if not obstructing vision/hazard | 1 temporary sign/banner per fence per street frontage | Attached to permanent, permitted fence at residential property | — | § 154.243(K) |

### R-3, R-4

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Residential Use/Home Occupation) | — | 8 sq ft permanent | — | — | 1 per dwelling | On dwelling | — | Table A, § 154.249 |
| Wall Sign (Non-Residential Use) | — | 12 sq ft (R-4) | — | — | — | Non-residential use in residential district | — | R-4, Table A |
| Monument Sign (Non-Residential Use) | 8 ft | 25 sq ft per side; 50 sq ft max (2 sides) | — | — | 2 per location | Non-residential use in residential district | — | Table A |
| Monument Sign (Institutional Use - by CUP) | 15 ft | 60 sq ft per sign surface; max 120 sq ft per sign (per street frontage) | — | 25 ft from street right-of-way | 1 per facility | At institutional facility as allowed | — | § 154.249(B), Table A |
| Freestanding Sign (Permanent, Non-Residential Use) | 6 ft | 6 ft high (R-3), 6 ft high (R-4) | — | 5 ft from all property lines (§ 154.247(B)) | — | Non-residential use | — | Table A |
| Subdivision Monument Sign | 8 ft | 25 sq ft per side, max 8 ft high | — | 10 ft from ROW | 2 per entrance | Subdivision entrance | — | § 154.248(E), Table A |
| Subdivision Real Estate Sign | — | 48 sq ft (<20 acres); 100 sq ft (>20 acres) | — | 130 ft from preexisting structure | 1 per major thoroughfare | At subdivision/development entrance | — | § 154.248(F), Table A |

### C-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Front Wall) | — | 200 sq ft | — | — | Per formula | Front of building | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(2)(b) |
| Wall Sign (Non-Front Wall) | — | 100 sq ft | — | — | Per formula | Wall facing street / public entrance not the front | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(2)(b) |
| Window Sign | — | 50% of window area (unless CUP for more); Permanent window sign: 10% of window area. | — | — | — | In window | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(5) |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft | 150 sq ft per side (double sided allowed) | — | — | 1 per lot (1 per street frontage for complex) | On lot | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(3)(c) |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft | 25 sq ft per side | — | — | 1 per lot or separate pad | At property edge or permitted location | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(1) |
| Awning Sign | — | 80 sq ft | — | — | — | On awning | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(7)(b) |
| Gas Station Canopy Sign | — | 100 sq ft | — | — | 1 per gas station | On gas station canopy | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(3)(c)3 |
| Sandwich Board Sign (Portable) | — | — | — | — | — | Directly in front of establishment; only during hours of operation | — | Table A, § 154.250(B)(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Jordan

- Flashing signs and signs with zooming, twinkling, sparking, or flashing illumination are prohibited in all districts.
- All signs are prohibited on or over the public right-of-way or right-of-way easement, unless permitted by the City Council or governing roadway jurisdiction.
- Illuminated signs emitting a beam consisting of a collection or concentration of rays of light are prohibited in all districts. This includes, but is not limited to, search lights, beacons and strobe lights.
- Roof top signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Rotating signs are prohibited in all districts.
- Billboards are prohibited in all districts.
- Off-premises commercial signs are prohibited in all districts.
- No sign shall be allowed that prevents ingress or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
- Signs shall not resemble, imitate, or approximate the shape, size, form, or color of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices. No sign shall be placed so as to distract or interfere with traffic visibility or traffic control.
- Mobile signs are prohibited.
- Signs attached to fences in residentially zoned districts must meet specific conditions, including: attachment to permanent, permitted fence; permission of property owner; not exceeding the surface area or dimensions of the fence; not illuminated; no more than one temporary sign/banner at a time per street frontage; permanent signage max 8 sq ft; temporary signage aggregate and individual sign maximums according to lot size.
- No sign shall have more than two faces.
- All signs must be constructed and maintained in a manner where they will be safe to the general public.
- All permanent signs must be constructed to meet International Building Code standard for wind resistance, dead loads, wind loads, or other applicable sections.
- All electrical wiring of signs shall comply with the Minnesota State Electric Code.
- No sign shall be placed on a public right-of-way or any publicly owned property including boulevard trees and utility poles.
- No sign shall be located closer than 5 feet from a residentially zoned property.
- Signs on corner lots shall be setback 25 feet from the edge of the rights-of-way of intersecting streets to preserve the sight triangle.
- No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct vision at an intersection or otherwise constitute a hazard to public safety.

## Signs exempt from permit in Jordan

- Signs up to 8 square feet in size.
- Temporary signs pertaining only to a property upon which it is displayed, not exceeding 10 square feet for residential property or 40 square feet for other properties. One sign per lot, must be removed within 30 days.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No permit shall be issued for an individual sign requiring a permit in a commercial and/or industrial zoning district where more than one business or industry will be located until a master signage plan has been approved by the city. (Unified shopping center/multiple-tenant buildings)
- A master signage plan must show proposed and future sign locations, sign areas, heights, and other details as listed in §154.252.
- No sign shall be erected, placed, painted or maintained except in conformance with an approved master signage plan.
- For property located in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) District, a sign plan may be included as part of the final PUD plan. If no approved sign plan exists, regulations revert to the underlying zoning district.
- When applying for a permit to erect, place, rebuild, reconstruct, structurally alter, enlarge or relocate any sign or awning not exempted, the application must include scaled plans showing the proposed and existing signs and their placement in relation to the property and buildings.

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

---

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