# Sign Regulations in Little Falls, Minnesota

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Little Falls, Minnesota (MN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/minnesota/little-falls
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Little Falls, Minnesota regulates 15 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Property ≥ 3 Dwelling Units, within 30' of ROW)s in the Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-1C, R-3, R-4) zoning district are capped at 8 ft. tall and 32 sq. ft., with a 5'. setback (Sec. Sec. 5.30.E.2.a). Most commercial signs in Little Falls require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-1C, R-3, R-4) | 4 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| One and Two Family Residential (R-1, R-2, R-1C) | 3 | 8 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — |
| Multiple Family Residential (R-3) | 3 | 15 ft. | 48 sq. ft. | — |
| Manufactured Homes Residential District (R-4) | 3 | 15 ft. | 48 sq. ft. | — |
| Business Districts (B-1, B-2) | 4 | 30 ft. | 300 sq. ft. | — |
| Central Business District (B-1) | 1 | 20 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — |
| Noncentral Business District (B-2) | 1 | 30 ft. | 300 sq. ft. | — |
| Industrial District (I-1) | 1 | 30 ft. | 300 sq. ft. | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | 4 ft. | — | — |

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

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-1C, R-3, R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Property ≤ 2 Dwelling Units) | 4 ft. | 8 sq. ft. | — | Front/Side/Rear yard: 5'. | — | — | — | Sec. 5.30.E.1, Sec. 5.30.B.1 |
| Wall Sign (Property ≤ 2 Dwelling Units) | 4 ft. | 8 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Wall of principal structure | — | Sec. 5.30.E.1, Sec. 5.30.B.1 |
| Freestanding Sign (Property ≥ 3 Dwelling Units, within 30' of ROW) | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Front/Side/Rear yard: 5'. | 1 per frontage | Within 30 ft. of public ROW; one per frontage | — | Sec. 5.30.E.2.a |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Property ≥ 3 Dwelling Units, not within 30' of ROW) | 4 ft. | 8 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 5.30.E.2.b |

### One and Two Family Residential (R-1, R-2, R-1C)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Nonresidential Use, ≤150' frontage) | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Front/Side/Rear yard: 5'. | — | — | — | Sec. 5.30.E.3 |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Nonresidential Use, 150'–300' frontage) | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 5.30.E.3 |
| Freestanding or Wall Sign (Nonresidential Use, >300' frontage) | 8 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 5.30.E.3 |

### Business Districts (B-1, B-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (B-1) | 20 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — | 0' (front/side/rear) | — | Flat against building wall | — | Sec. 5.30.E.4 |
| Freestanding Sign (B-1) | 20 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — | 0' (front/side/rear) | — | On property, not projecting over ROW | — | Sec. 5.30.E.4 |
| Wall Sign (B-2, attached flat or within 100' of U.S. Hwy 10 or State Hwy 371) | 30 ft. | 300 sq. ft. | — | 10' (front/side/rear) | — | Flat against building wall, or within 100' of specified highways | — | Sec. 5.30.E.4 |
| Freestanding Sign (B-2, attached flat or within 100' of U.S. Hwy 10 or State Hwy 371) | 30 ft. | 300 sq. ft. | — | 10' (front/side/rear) | — | Flat against building wall, or within 100' of specified highways | — | Sec. 5.30.E.4 |

## Prohibited signs in Little Falls

- No sign whose highest attached part is greater than seven feet above the nearest adjacent ground surface may be erected, altered, reconstructed, maintained or moved in the city without first securing a permit, except as otherwise specified.
- No signs shall be erected or maintained at any angle to a building or structure which extends or projects over the street or highway.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained at any angle to a building or structure which extends or projects over the alleyway more than four feet, and if such sign extends out more than six inches from a wall or facade shall be a minimum of seventeen feet above the ground.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained at any angle to a building or structure which extends or projects more than five feet over the sidewalk, and if such sign extends out more than six inches from a wall or facade shall be a minimum of seven feet from the ground.
- No sign, either illuminated or nonilluminated, may project below a marquee.
- Electrical signs must be installed in accordance with the current Electrical Code and all necessary electrical and building permits must be obtained prior to placement.
- It is prohibited to display any sign, signal, marking or device that imitates or resembles any official traffic control device or railroad sign or signal, or emergency vehicle signal, or which attempts to direct the movement of traffic or which hides from view or interferes with the effectiveness of any official traffic control device, roadway, intersection or any railroad sign or signal.
- Bench signs are unauthorized, except as provided by section 5.33.
- Roof signs are unauthorized.
- Signs that are painted, attached, engraved, etched or in any other manner affixed to public utility poles, bridges, towers, streetlights, or similar public structures are unauthorized, except as otherwise provided.
- No sign shall exceed 300 square feet in area.
- No more than one A-frame sign is allowed per principal building.
- A-frame signs shall not exceed four feet in height and two feet in width.
- All signs must be maintained so as not to be unsafe or unsightly.
- Any rotten or unsafe sign shall be removed or properly secured upon notice from the city.
- Enlargement or alteration of a nonconforming sign in a way which increases its nonconformity is prohibited.
- If a nonconforming sign is destroyed by more than 50% of its replacement cost and not replaced or permitted within 180 days, it shall not be reconstructed except in conformity with these regulations.
- If a nonconforming sign or its structure is moved, it shall thereafter conform to current regulations.
- No existing sign devoted to a use not permitted by the zoning code in the district shall be enlarged, extended or moved except when changing to a sign permitted in that district.

## Signs exempt from permit in Little Falls

- Individual signs not exceeding one-half (0.5) square foot in any zoning district; such signage shall not be counted against any overall square footage requirement.
- Certain individual signs in specific districts (R-3, B-1, B-2, I-1, or on public property with approval) if they are located more than 100 feet from the road edge/curb and meet specified size and lettering requirements.
- Signs erected within a public road right-of-way that are approved by the governmental agency with authority over the right-of-way.
- Changing the display surface or complete replacement of a sign when consistent with a previously issued permit or nonconforming status and not requiring compliance with applicable building codes, unless the sign is abandoned.
- Flags, subject to specified size and cumulative limits by zoning district (flags in excess regulated as signs).
- Interior signs.
- Signs integrated as part of waste roll-offs, dumpsters, garbage cans, portable storage units, or similar equipment owned and maintained by a commercial business for waste collection or temporary storage.
- Signs on personal property or motor vehicles used in the normal operation of a business.
- Signs on construction materials or equipment.
- Signs affixed on City owned property with City Council or designee approval.
- Murals on buildings used primarily for commercial or industrial purposes, maintained by the property owner or designee, and which meet definition requirements.
- Signs affixed on property owned by a County, State or Federal governmental body or public school district unless specifically prohibited.
- Signs required by law.
- Headstones, gravestones, grave markers, or similar signs attached to or adjacent to a burial plot, columbarium, mausoleum, or similar location.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Applications for a permit may be for specific signs or may be in the form of an overall signage plan for the property and shall be in writing addressed to the issuing authority on a form provided by the City.
- For appeals, variances, or conditional use applications relating to signs, the application is received, filed, and forwarded to the designated official bodies; appeals may be brought to the city council.

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

---

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