# Sign Regulations in Waseca, Minnesota

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

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

## At a glance

Waseca, Minnesota regulates 22 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Pylon Sign (with frontage on State Street or Elm Avenue or frontage road)s in the Limited Business District (B-3) zoning district are capped at Varies with lot area: 20-36 ft tall and See table in § 152.11(C)(3), with a Within lot boundary setback (Sec. § 152.11(C)(2)-(5)). Most commercial signs in Waseca require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Central Business District (B-1), Neighborhood Business District (B-2) | 10 | 16 ft max; min 8 ft above grade | 100 sq ft | — |
| Limited Business District (B-3) | 11 | Varies with lot area: 20-36 ft | Maximum 180 sq ft | — |
| General Business District (B-4), Highway Commercial District, Limited Industry District (I-1), General Industry District (I-2), Industrial District, Business District | 12 | 25 ft | 350 sq ft | — |
| Residential District | 6 | 12 ft | 64 sq ft | — |
| Areas of Special Control (Scenic Areas), Areas of Special Control (Community and Regional Shopping Centers), Areas of Special Control (Industrial Parks), Areas of Special Control (Hospitals, Historic Preservation Sites and Districts), Areas of Special Control (City Owned Parks) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 12 ft | 12 sq ft | — |

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

### Central Business District (B-1), Neighborhood Business District (B-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 10 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 3 ft from lot lines | — | — | — | § 152.11(A) |
| Awning Sign | — | Length of building | — | — | 1 per lot | Affixed flat to awning on exterior wall | — | § 152.11(B) |
| Building Face Sign (Wall Sign) | — | 100 sq ft | — | — | — | Building face | — | § 152.11(D) |
| Suspended Sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | § 152.11(E) |
| Projecting Sign | 16 ft max; min 8 ft above grade | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from building wall | — | § 152.11(F) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 1) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Attached to building face or projecting in flag bracket | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 2) | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building (Level 2 or projecting, not both) | Attached to building face or projecting in flag bracket | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Sandwich Board | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per side | — | Not in road right-of-way | — | Displayed outside during business hours | — | § 152.11(O)(2)(a) |

### Limited Business District (B-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 10 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 5 ft | — | — | — | § 152.11(A) |
| Pylon Sign (with frontage on State Street or Elm Avenue or frontage road) | Varies with lot area: 20-36 ft | See table in § 152.11(C)(3) | — | Within lot boundary | 1 per 300 ft frontage | With frontage directly on State Street or Elm Avenue, or associated frontage road | — | § 152.11(C)(2)-(5) |
| Awning Sign | — | Length of building | — | — | 1 per lot | Affixed flat to awning | — | § 152.11(B) |
| Building Face Sign (Wall Sign) | — | Maximum 180 sq ft | — | — | — | Building face | — | § 152.11(D) |
| Projecting Sign | 16 ft; min 8 ft above grade | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from building wall | — | § 152.11(F) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 1) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Attached/projection | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 2) | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Attached/projection | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Sandwich Board | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per side | — | Not in right-of-way | — | Outside during business hours | — | § 152.11(O)(2)(a) |

### General Business District (B-4), Highway Commercial District, Limited Industry District (I-1), General Industry District (I-2), Industrial District, Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Monument Sign | 10 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 5 ft from lot lines | — | — | — | § 152.11(A) |
| Pylon Sign | 20-36 ft (see table § 152.11(C)(3)) | Depends on lot area: 50-180 sq ft | — | Within lot boundaries | 1 per 300 ft of lot frontage | — | — | § 152.11(C) |
| Awning Sign | — | Length of building | — | — | 1 per lot | Affixed flat to awning | — | § 152.11(B) |
| Projecting Sign | 16 ft; min 8 ft above grade | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Projecting from building wall | — | § 152.11(F) |
| Billboard | 25 ft | 350 sq ft | — | 45 ft from highway right-of-way; 600 ft from residential | — | Highway business and industrial areas only | — | § 152.11(M) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 1) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Attached/projection | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Special Informational Sign (Level 2) | — | 9 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | Attached/projection | — | § 152.11(K) |
| Sandwich Board | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per side | — | Not in right-of-way | — | Outside during business hours | — | § 152.11(O)(2)(a) |

## Prohibited signs in Waseca

- No sign shall, by reason of its location, color, illumination or intensity, obstruct vision of drivers or pedestrians or obscure visibility of any traffic control device, sign or signal.
- Illumination with flashing lights is prohibited.
- Any sign which imitates or resembles an official traffic sign or signal or which bears the words 'Stop,' 'Go Slow,' 'Caution,' 'Danger,' 'Warning' or similar words is prohibited.
- Any sign which bears or contains statements, words or pictures of an obscene, pornographic, immoral character shall be considered a nuisance and is prohibited.
- Any sign which emits audible sound, odor or visible matter shall be considered a public nuisance and is prohibited.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Animated signs are prohibited.
- Changing signs are prohibited, except signs displaying any one or a combination of the following: time, temperature, and stock market indices.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Indexing signs (signs having multi-prisms that turn to show three advertising messages in the same sign area) are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited, except for a sign that forms a parapet wall above the roof line, is flush with or set back from the building face, does not cause the overall height of the building (including the sign) to exceed the height limitation for principal buildings in the subject zoning district, and does not exceed the maximum area for a building face sign.
- Rotating signs are prohibited.
- Marquees and/or canopies are prohibited, except by Conditional Use Permit (with additional recommendations from appropriate commissions).
- No person shall maintain or permit to be maintained on any premises any sign which is in a dangerous or defective condition; such signs shall be removed or repaired by the owner of the sign or premises.

## Signs exempt from permit in Waseca

- All non-commercial signs of any size may be posted from August 1 in a state general election year until ten days following the state general election.
- Construction signs and small scale remodeling or rehab signs shall be exempt from the permit process, provided that the signs do not exceed 32 square feet or six feet in height, and are set back at least five feet from the property line.
- Signs which provide direction or instruction, are located entirely on the property to which they pertain, do not advertise a business, and do not exceed four square feet in area.
- Signs identifying rest rooms, public telephones, walkways or providing direction such as parking lot entrance/exit signs and those of similar nature.
- Flags, emblems or insignia of any nation or political subdivision or corporate flag. (Flag poles not to exceed 30 feet in height.)
- Governmental signs for control of traffic and other regulatory purposes, street signs, danger signs, railroad crossing signs and signs of public service companies indicating danger and aids to service or safety erected by public officers in the performance of duty.
- Signs lettered into a building face to give the name and/or date of construction of the building itself.
- Signs located within the interior of any building or within an enclosed lobby or court of any building, and signs for and located within the inner or outer lobby, court, or entrance of any theater that are not visible from the public right-of-way. (Subject to structural/electrical/material code compliance.)
- Memorial signs or tablets, names of buildings and date of erection when cut into any masonry surface or inlaid so as to be part of the building or when constructed of bronze or other incombustible material.
- Notice bulletin boards not over 24 square feet in area for medical, public, charitable, or religious institutions and clustered service club signs located on the premises of the institution.
- No trespassing or no dumping signs not to exceed 1.5 square feet in area per sign and not exceeding four in number per lot, unless special permission is obtained for more.
- Official notices posted by public officers or employees in the performance of their duties.
- Signs required or specifically authorized for a public purpose by any law, statute, or ordinance; of any type, number, area, height above grade, location, illumination, or animation, as required by such law.
- Except in residential zones, for each ground floor occupancy not more than two permanent signs may be displayed from the inside surface of any window, showcase, or similar facility (max 25% of window area or one square foot per lineal front foot, whichever is less).
- Signs advertising property for sale with the name/address/phone of the seller or real estate firm (max 10 square feet, max height 4 feet, to be removed within 7 days of sale, number limited to number of sellers/real estate firms).
- Signs in the display window of a business which are incorporated with a display of merchandise or a display relating to services offered (compliant with above provisions).
- Religious symbols, commemorative plaques of recognized historical agencies or identification emblems of religious orders/historic agencies not exceeding four square feet in area and placed flat against a building.
- Temporary signs not exceeding four square feet in area pertaining to drives or events of civic, philanthropic, educational or religious organizations, provided they are posted only during the drive or no more than 30 days before an event and removed within 15 days after the event.
- Signs warning the public of the existence of danger, containing no advertising material, sized as necessary, to be removed upon subsidence of danger.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- At the request of the Zoning Administrator, two blueprints or ink drawings of the plans and specifications and method of construction and attachment to the building or in the ground shall be submitted with the sign permit application.
- At the request of the Zoning Administrator, a copy of stress sheets and calculations showing how the structure is designed for dead load and wind pressure in any direction as required by this and all other laws and ordinances of the city shall be submitted with the sign permit application.
- A comprehensive sign plan is required in all developments where there is common or shared signage. The plan must show the location of each sign on all properties within the development, the square footage of each sign, including wall signage, projecting signage, and any additional information necessary to determine compliance with allowable sign area and number of freestanding signs.
- A comprehensive sign plan may be provided for business premises which occupy a shopping center, industrial park or scenic area development. The plan (including location, size, height, lighting, and orientation of all signs) is to be submitted for preliminary plan approval to the city; exceptions to sign standards may be permitted if the comprehensive plan meets the intent of the chapter.
- Signs such as wall graphics, billboards, kiosks, marquees, and canopy signs may be permitted by Conditional Use Permit.
- Areas of special control (such as scenic areas, shopping centers, industrial parks, hospitals, historic preservation sites, and city-owned parks) may require special regulations and plans for signage by City Council special permit or Resolution.
- Applicants may be required to obtain recommendations from the Historical Preservation Commission and the Waseca Planning Commission for Conditional Use Permits involving certain sign types.

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

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