# Sign Regulations in Lees Summit, Missouri

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Lees Summit, Missouri (MO)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/missouri/lees-summit
- **Data last verified:** 2025-08-20
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/mo/lee's_summit/codes/unified_development_ordinance?nodeId=ART9SI)

## At a glance

Lees Summit, Missouri regulates 26 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Billboard (where permitted by special use permit)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 30 ft above grade of ROW viewed from tall, 1,200 sq. ft. max; 30 ft height; max 60 ft length per face, and 60 ft wide, with a 90 ft from ROW/property line/roofed structure/other structures. 1,500 ft from other billboards, 3,000 ft for digital, 1,500 ft from City line or residential. setback (Sec. Sec. 9.240; Table 9-3). Most commercial signs in Lees Summit require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AG Agricultural District, RDR Rural Density Residential, RLL Residential Large Lot, R-1 Single-Family Residential District, RP-1 Planned Single-Family Residential District, RP-2 Planned Two-Family Residential District, RP-3 Planned Residential Mixed Use District, RP-4 Planned Apartment Residential District | 4 | 6 feet | 32 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area | — |
| NFO Neighborhood Fringe Office District, TNZ Transitional Neighborhood Zone | 2 | 6 ft | 8 sq. ft. for hanging / 16 sq. ft. for ground or monument | — |
| PRO Planned Residential Office District | 2 | 6 ft | 6 sq. ft. | — |
| PO Planned Office District, CP-1 Planned Neighborhood Commercial District | 4 | 6 ft | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 32 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area for monument | — |
| CP-2 Planned Community Commercial District | 4 | 6 ft max letter height | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 72 sq. ft. sign face, 96 sq. ft. monument structure; 70 sq. ft. pillar | — |
| CBD Planned Central Business District | 3 | 6 ft | 16 sq. ft. for ground or hanging; 32 sq. ft. for monument (face/structure) | — |
| CS Planned Commercial Services District | 2 | 6 ft max letter height | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 72 sq. ft. sign face area/96 sq. ft. structure area for monument | — |
| PI Planned Industrial District | 2 | 6 ft max letter height | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 72 sq. ft. sign face area/96 sq. ft. structure area | — |
| PMIX Planned Mixed Use District | 3 | 12 ft | 32 sq. ft. sign area / 72 sq. ft. structure area | — |
| "H" Historic Preservation Overlay District | 3 | — | 20 sq. ft. for permanent building integral signs; 10 sq. ft. for educational signs | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | 30 ft above grade of ROW viewed from | 1,200 sq. ft. max; 30 ft height; max 60 ft length per face | — |

_3 additional zoning districts are covered in PermitPal (free account)._

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 14 zones)

### AG Agricultural District, RDR Rural Density Residential, RLL Residential Large Lot, R-1 Single-Family Residential District, RP-1 Planned Single-Family Residential District, RP-2 Planned Two-Family Residential District, RP-3 Planned Residential Mixed Use District, RP-4 Planned Apartment Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding: Subdivision Entrance Monument / Landscape Wall Sign (Residential Subdivisions) | 6 feet | 32 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area | — | No setback required if not in utility easement or sight triangle. | 2 per subdivision entrance | At subdivision entrance from arterial or collector street (up to 2 per entrance) | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260, AG/RDR/RLL/R-1/RP districts. |
| Freestanding: Ground / Hanging / Landscape Wall Sign (Multi-family Development, Apartment Complex) | 6 feet | 16 sq. ft. | — | No setback required if not in utility easement or sight triangle. | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |
| Wall Sign (Non-residential Use: Church, School, Institutional, Special Use) | — | — | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage, attached sign | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |
| Freestanding: Monument, Monument with EMB, Landscape Wall Sign, Ground (Non-residential Uses) | 6 feet | 32 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area / 16 sq. ft. for ground sign | — | No setback required if not in utility easement or sight triangle. | 1 per driveway entrance | 1 per driveway entrance | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |

### PO Planned Office District, CP-1 Planned Neighborhood Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single Tenant - Attached: Applique, Awning, Canopy, Over Canopy, Projecting, Under Canopy, Wall | 2 ft max letter height | 5% of building façade for wall, awning, or canopy; 6 sq. ft. for projecting/over/under canopy | — | — | 2 attached per building | 2 attached signs per building | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |
| Freestanding: Ground, Hanging, Monument, Monument with EMB, Landscape Wall Sign | 6 ft | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 32 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area for monument | — | — | 1 per building | 1 freestanding per building | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |
| Multi-Tenant or Multi-Building Center - Attached: Applique, Awning, Canopy, Over Canopy, Projecting, Under Canopy, Wall | 2 ft max letter height | 5% of building or lease space façade; 6 sq. ft. for projecting/over/under canopy | — | — | 2 attached per tenant | 2 attached per tenant | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |
| Freestanding: Ground, Hanging, Monument, Monument with EMB, Landscape Wall Sign | 6 ft | 16 sq. ft. for ground/hanging; 72 sq. ft. sign face area / 72 sq. ft. structure area for monument | — | — | 1 per building | 1 freestanding per building | — | Table 9-3. Permitted Permanent Signs; Article 9, Sec. 9.260. |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Signs: Stake Sign (Residential Lots except Multi-family) | — | 12 sq. ft. for single sign, or 3 sq. ft. each, not to exceed 12 sq. ft. total | — | Not within 11 ft of street pavement or 5 ft of property line | Up to 4 | On property | — | Table 9-1; Sec. 9.220.D |
| Temporary Banner, Ground Mounted (Residential Lots) | — | 6 sq. ft. each or 1 at 40 sq. ft. for common tract | — | Not within 11 ft of street pavement or 5 ft of property line | Up to 4 | On property | — | Table 9-1; Sec. 9.220.D |
| Temporary Signs: Stake Sign (Commercial, Industrial, and Non-residential Uses in Residential or Agricultural Districts) | — | 12 sq. ft. for single sign, or 3 sq. ft. each, not to exceed 12 sq. ft. total | — | Not within 11 ft of street pavement or 5 ft of property line | Up to 4 | On property | — | Table 9-2; Sec. 9.220.E |
| Temporary Banner or Feather Sign (Commercial/Non-Residential) | — | 40 sq. ft. for 1 sign or aggregate; banner or up to 4 feather signs total 40 sq. ft. | — | Not within 11 ft of street pavement or 5 ft of property line | Up to 4, as permitted combination | On property | — | Table 9-2; Sec. 9.220.E |
| Driveway/Parking Lot Sign (all zones) | 2.5 ft (30 in) | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | 2 per driveway entrance | Per driveway entrance; up to 2 per entrance | — | Sec. 9.210.C |
| Billboard (where permitted by special use permit) | 30 ft above grade of ROW viewed from | 1,200 sq. ft. max; 30 ft height; max 60 ft length per face | 60 ft | 90 ft from ROW/property line/roofed structure/other structures. 1,500 ft from other billboards, 3,000 ft for digital, 1,500 ft from City line or residential. | Per spacing | Only within 660 feet of ROW on U.S. 50, Mo 350, I-470 (B-P, PI-1, PI-2 zones) | — | Sec. 9.240; Table 9-3 |

## Prohibited signs in Lees Summit

- No signs shall be erected, placed, displayed, or maintained in any district within the City of Lee's Summit, except as specifically allowed in this article (Sec. 9.030).
- The following signs are prohibited: abandoned sign; animated or moving sign; attention attracting device; beacon; flag, commercial; home occupation sign; human sign (costumed characters); inflatable display; internally illuminated signs with white background; obscene sign; off-premise sign (excluding billboards); painted wall sign; painted and/or architectural wood sign (except as approved by planning commission); pennant/streamer; pole sign; portable sign; private sign placed on public property; projection sign; raceway (except as otherwise provided); roof sign; snipe sign; sound or smoke emitting sign; window sign (exterior); any sign or structure determined by Director to be structurally unsafe or hazardous due to inadequate maintenance or dilapidation; any sign which obstructs vision of drivers or visibility of any traffic sign or control device; any sign which obstructs ingress/egress from a required exit or is prohibited by building code; any unlawfully installed/maintained sign; signs in the right-of-way (excluding governmental/traffic); signs inciting or likely to incite imminent lawless action; signs conveying threats of violence (Sec. 9.060).
- No sign shall be erected in, located in, extend into or over a public right-of-way, except where specifically allowed (Sec. 9.190.B).
- No sign shall interfere with ingress/egress of any exit or fire escape, or obstruct any required ventilator, door or stairway (Sec. 9.190.C).
- No sign shall be located within a sight triangle (Sec. 9.190.D).
- All signs must conform to the structural and wind load standards of the Building Code (Sec. 9.190.E).
- No guys, braces, attachments, banners, flags, inflatable displays or similar devices shall be attached to any freestanding sign (Sec. 9.190.F).
- All signs and supporting structures must be kept in good repair; non-galvanized or noncorroding metals must be protected (Sec. 9.190.G).
- On-premises requirement: All signs must be located on the same premises where the product or merchandise being advertised is located, except where off-premise advertising is allowed or for non-commercial speech (Sec. 9.190.A).
- All sign lighting must minimize glare in all directions to the extent possible (Sec. 9.210.B.1).
- Prohibited sign types and conditions in Table 9-3 also apply to all zones.

## Signs exempt from permit in Lees Summit

- The article does not apply to: architectural features; government flags; governmental signs and legal notices; historical markers; holiday decorations not otherwise meeting the definition of a sign; incidental signs attached to a building/window not exceeding one square foot; interior signs (including interior window signs); manufacturer's marks; property address sign not exceeding two square feet; warning signs on private property not exceeding three square feet; signs preempted from regulation by state or federal law (Sec. 9.050.A).
- No sign permit is required for: changing the message in a changeable copy sign; exempted signs listed in this article; sign panel replacement on multi-tenant sign if replacement is ≤6 sq. ft.; temporary non-commercial signs (e.g. construction, garage sale, home parade, political, real estate, opinion signs); special event signs approved as part of a special event permit; normal maintenance, repainting, cleaning, or panel replacement (excluding enlargements/modification) for already permitted signs (Sec. 9.120).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No person may install, erect, display, alter, move, or replace any non-exempt sign without first obtaining a sign permit issued by the Director, unless exempt as provided (Sec. 9.100).
- A sign permit application must include a scaled site plan, building elevations, plans/details/materials/illumination/specifications for each proposed sign, photos of proposed sign location and existing signs, any electrical permit, and owner/lessee consent (Sec. 9.130).
- A Planning Commission sign application is required when a sign cannot be granted administratively (for instance, when exceeding number, area, or height, or other deviations)—see Sec. 9.150.
- Planning Commission may consider applications for permitted permanent sign types that exceed standard limitations; no approval will be given for prohibited signs (Sec. 9.160).
- Signs in certain overlay districts (e.g., local landmarks or historic districts) require a Certificate of No Effect (CNE) or Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) prior to issuance of a sign permit. Staff may issue a CNE if the sign complies with design guidelines; otherwise, a COA is required and reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission (Sec. 5.390.A).
- In some overlay or planned/mixed-use districts (e.g., M-150 Corridor Development Overlay, EnVision LS Area Development Plan), signage must comply with the development plan sign package or Article 9; check the applicable plan for additional requirements (Sec. 5.660).
- Billboards require a special use permit in addition to a sign permit, per Article 6, Division III and Sec. 9.240.
- Master or uniform sign plans (coordinated drawings/specs for unified sign design) may be required for developments with multiple buildings or tenants (definition: Sec. 9.070.B.89), though submittal requirements are not detailed in the excerpt—refer to full Article 9 and any applicable preliminary/final development plan approvals for specifics.

## 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 14 zoning districts in Lees Summit — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Lees+Summit+MO&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-lees-summit

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