# Sign Regulations in St. Joseph, Missouri

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

- **Jurisdiction:** St. Joseph, Missouri (MO)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/missouri/st-joseph
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08

## At a glance

St. Joseph, Missouri regulates 6 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 30 feet tall and 100 square feet, with a Minimum one foot from property line setback (Sec. Sec. 31-130(c)(2)). Most commercial signs in St. Joseph require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | 30 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| Residential Zoning Districts | 1 | — | 20 square feet | — |
| Non-residential Zoning Districts | 2 | 30 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| P-1 Downtown Precise Plan District | 3 | 20 feet | 10% of the facade | — |
| C-3 | 1 | 60 feet | 725 square feet per side | — |
| M-1 | 1 | 60 feet | 725 square feet per side | — |
| M-2 | 1 | 60 feet | 725 square feet per side | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 20 feet | 10% of the facade | — | — | — | On the building facade | — | Sec. 31-130(c)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 30 feet | 100 square feet | — | Minimum one foot from property line | One per parcel with up to 100 feet of frontage; two for parcels with more than 100 feet of frontage | On the parcel | — | Sec. 31-130(c)(2) |

### Non-residential Zoning Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 20 feet | 10% of the facade | — | — | — | On the building facade | — | Sec. 31-130(c)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 30 feet | 100 square feet | — | Minimum one foot from property line | One per parcel with up to 100 feet of frontage; two for parcels with more than 100 feet of frontage | On the parcel | — | Sec. 31-130(c)(2) |

### P-1 Downtown Precise Plan District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 20 feet | 10% of the facade | — | — | — | On the building facade | — | Sec. 31-130(d)(7) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 8 square feet | — | — | — | On the building | — | Sec. 31-130(d)(6) |
| Banner | — | 5 feet by 2.5 feet | — | — | — | Attached to the building | — | Sec. 31-130(d)(1) |

## Prohibited signs in St. Joseph

- Signs that interfere with free use of building entrances and exits, including emergency exits, or which obstruct doors or windows or impede light and ventilation otherwise required by city ordinance, code or regulation.
- Signs in a public right-of-way other than those permitted in this article.
- Signs within a driveway or street intersection sight visibility triangle which are between three feet and ten feet in height.
- Vehicle signs which are signs on vehicles or trailers that are parked or located so that they can be seen from a street right-of-way and for the primary purpose of displaying the sign.
- Inflatable displays.
- Strobe lights, animated or moving signs, attention attracting devices and beacons.
- Signs painted directly onto structures.
- Obsolete signs or any sign or sign structure determined by the city to be structurally unsafe or a hazard to safety or health by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, or abandonment.
- Obscene sign.
- Portable sign.
- Roof sign.

## Signs exempt from permit in St. Joseph

- Advertising and identifying signs located on currently licensed vehicles such as taxicabs, buses and trucks as well as on bus benches, except for those vehicle signs prohibited under Section 31-114.
- Any legal or public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state or local law, regulation or ordinance.
- Temporary signs in all zoning districts, no greater than nine square feet in area within a residential zoning district or 32 square feet in a nonresidential district.
- Holiday and seasonal lights and decorations which would not otherwise meet the definition of any type of sign set forth herein.
- Signs advertising temporary activity on the property such as sale, rent or lease of the property; construction; grand openings; garage and yard sales; and special events.
- Hard balloons, streamers, pennants.
- Historical markers.
- Government flags.
- Signs carried by a person.
- Warning signs placed on private property which contain no commercial message of any sort and are a maximum of three square feet in area.
- Window signs which shall be limited to obscuring a maximum of 25% of transparent or translucent surfaces.
- Signs preempted from regulation by state or federal law.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Exceptions to this sign ordinance shall be made only by issuance of an exception permit as provided for in Sections 31-090 and 31-093 of the zoning ordinance.
- In the case of sign exceptions relating to historic districts and properties, the landmark commission shall have the power to grant an exception permit.
- In all other cases of sign exceptions, the zoning board of adjustment shall have the power to grant an exception permit.

## 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 7 zoning districts in St. Joseph — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=St.+Joseph+MO&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-st-joseph

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