# Sign Regulations in Grand Island, Nebraska

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Grand Island, Nebraska (NE)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/nebraska/grand-island
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/grandislandne/latest/grandisland_ne/0-0-0-21697)

## At a glance

Grand Island, Nebraska regulates 6 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Ground Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 50 feet tall and 800 square feet per side, with a 1 foot of setback for each foot of height over 30 feet setback (Sec. §31-25 Ground Signs). Most commercial signs in Grand Island require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 50 feet | 800 square feet per side | — |
| AC-Arterial Commercial Zone | 2 | 30 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| Residential Districts | 2 | 12 feet | 75 square feet | — |
| B2 – General Business Zone, B3 – Heavy Business Zone, TD – Travel Development Zone | 1 | 50 feet | 378 square feet per facing | — |
| AG, TA | 2 | 12 feet | 75 square feet | — |
| LLR, R1, R2, R3, R4, RD, RO | 2 | 12 feet | 75 square feet | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §31-29 Wall Signs |
| Ground Sign | 50 feet | 800 square feet per side | — | 1 foot of setback for each foot of height over 30 feet | One per 100 lineal feet of street frontage | Not in city right-of-way | — | §31-25 Ground Signs |
| Roof Sign | 20 feet above the roof line | 800 square feet for one side | — | 4 feet between face of sign and face of any wall | One per street frontage | On load bearing walls or columns | — | §31-26 Roof Signs |

### AC-Arterial Commercial Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 30 feet | 300 square feet | — | 10 feet from all other property lines | — | Set back 5 feet from front property line | — | §31-41 Permitted Zones |
| Billboard | 30 feet | 300 square feet | — | 10 feet from all property lines | — | Not in required front yard | — | §31-41 Permitted Zones |

### Residential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | §31-20 Signs In Residential Districts |
| Ground Sign | 12 feet | 75 square feet | — | 10 feet from side property line | — | Set back 10 feet from front property line | — | §31-20 Signs In Residential Districts |

## Prohibited signs in Grand Island

- No sign of any description shall cover or project across any window, door, exit, or other opening in the walls of a building, or any part of any such window, door, exit, or opening.
- No sign shall be affixed to or suspended from any other sign.
- It shall be unlawful to display any sign which contains anything which is misleading, fraudulent, obscene, immoral, or objectionable.
- It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any sign upon any fire escape.
- It shall be unlawful to have a sign anchored, painted or attached to vehicles or trailers parked and used solely or primarily as a static advertising display, visible from the public right-of-way.
- It shall be unlawful for any person, persons, firm, or corporation to erect, maintain, or continue any sign, when all or any portion of the supports therefor are located upon any portion of any sidewalk, street, alley, or public place, or within the limits thereof, except as may be required or provided for by laws of the State of Nebraska, without express consent by resolution of the city council of the City of Grand Island.
- No person shall post, print, nail, or otherwise fasten any handbill, sign, poster, advertisement or notice of any kind whatsoever, or cause the same to be done, on any curbing, or any portion or part of any sidewalk, or street, or upon any tree, electrolier, telegraph pole, telephone pole, electric pole, hydrant, bridge, pier, or upon any structure within the limits of any street in the City, except as may be otherwise permitted by the provisions of this Code, City authorized pole attachment agreement or other ordinances of the City.
- No person shall post, print, nail, or otherwise fasten any handbill, sign, poster, or advertisement or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done, upon any private wall, window, door, gate, fence, advertising board or signboard, or upon any other private structure or building unless he is the owner thereof, without the consent in writing of the owner of such wall, window, door, fence, gate, advertising board, signboard, or other private building or structure.
- It shall be unlawful to erect or maintain any cloth sign over any street or other public thoroughfare within the City, except as provided by this section.
- No flat sign shall extend beyond any building line more than fifteen inches.
- No roof sign shall be placed in such a manner as to prevent the free passage from one part of the roof upon which such sign is erected to any other part thereof.
- No part of a roof sign shall project beyond the wall lines of the building whereon it is placed.
- Swinging signs of all types are prohibited.
- It shall be unlawful for any person to place or permit to be placed upon premises any free standing ground sign.

## Signs exempt from permit in Grand Island

- Free Standing Yard signs shall be exempt from Section 31-5 Permits.

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

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