# Sign Regulations in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina (NC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-carolina/boiling-spring-lakes
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/NC/Boiling_Spring_Lakes/codes/Unified_Development_Ordinance?nodeId=ART10SIRE)

## At a glance

Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina regulates 29 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Ground-Mounted/Monument Signs in the Residential Zoning District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, PRD) zoning district are capped at 6 feet tall, 64 square feet, and 20 feet wide (Sec. Sec. 10-8 (A)(B)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Zoning District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, PRD) | 3 | 6 feet | 64 square feet | — |
| Non-residential Zoning District (C-1, C-1A, C-2, C-C, O&I, I-1, CON, REC) | 9 | 16 feet | 64 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 17 | 42 inches above pavement edge | 864 sq in (6 sq ft) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Residential Zoning District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, PRD)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground-Mounted/Monument Sign | 6 feet | 64 square feet | 20 feet | — | Up to 2 per subdivision entrance | Up to 2 per subdivision entrance | — | Sec. 10-8 (A)(B) |
| Yard Sign | 4 feet | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per lot | Each lot | — | Sec. 10-3 (L) |
| Temporary Yard Sign (For Sale or Rent) | 4 feet | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per lot | While property is listed for sale or rent | — | Sec. 10-3 (M)(1) |

### Non-residential Zoning District (C-1, C-1A, C-2, C-C, O&I, I-1, CON, REC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monument or Freestanding Sign (Per Lot) | 16 feet | 64 square feet | — | — | 1 per lot, with exception for parcels over 500 ft principal frontage | 1 per lot | — | Sec. 10-9-1 (A), (C) |
| Freestanding Sign - Shopping Center/Main Sign | — | 64 square feet | — | — | 1 per center | Shopping/Condo Center | — | Sec. 10-9-1 (B) |
| Freestanding Sign - Tenant Business in Shopping Center | — | 12 square feet | — | — | 1 per tenant | For individual tenants in a shopping center | — | Sec. 10-9-1 (B) |
| Freestanding Sign - Fuel Station Canopy | — | 8 square feet or 50% of canopy area, whichever is less | — | — | 1 per side of canopy facing primary street | One per side of canopy facing a primary street | — | Sec. 10-9-1 (D) |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building facade | — | Sec. 10-9-2 (A)-(E) |
| Blade Sign | — | 4 square feet per display surface | Projects up to 3 feet from building wall | — | 1 per business establishment | Attached to building, minimum 8' vertical clearance from ground/sidewalk | — | Sec. 10-9-3 (A)-(D) |
| Awning Sign | — | 24 square feet per establishment (awning/canopy) | — | — | 1 per business establishment (awning); 1 additional under-canopy sign | On canopy/awning | — | Sec. 10-9-4 (A)-(E) |
| Electronic Message Center Freestanding Sign (EMC) | 8 feet | — | — | 7.5 feet minimum from all property lines | — | Freestanding/Monument signs | — | Sec. 10-9-6 (A)-(C) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| On-site Traffic/Parking Directional Sign | 3 feet | 4 square feet | — | — | 1 per point of ingress/egress | 1 per ingress/egress point to parking area | — | Sec. 10-3 (C) |
| Safety Sign | 5 feet | 2 square feet per sign (max total 64 sq ft per lot, max 16 total) | — | — | Up to 16 per lot | Each lot, including construction/open building permit sites | — | Sec. 10-3 (K)(1-5) |
| Temporary Banner (Non-residential) | 4 feet | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Each lot or commercial establishment, non-residential zoning | — | Sec. 10-3 (N) |
| Temporary Off-premise Event Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | 5 feet from road surface | 4 per event | Must be at least 5 feet from designated road surface, with property owner's permission | — | Sec. 10-3 (O) |
| Feather Flag (Non-residential) | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 per business establishment | Each business establishment, non-residential zoning | — | Sec. 10-3 (Q) |
| Flag (non-feather, any zone) | — | 4 feet x 6 feet (per flag) | — | — | Up to 3 per property | On flagpole(s) | — | Sec. 10-3 (R) |
| Portable A-frame Sign (Non-residential) | — | 8 square feet | — | — | 1 per business establishment | Within property boundaries, not in right-of-way | — | Sec. 10-3 (S) |
| Political Sign (Right-of-way) | 42 inches above pavement edge | 864 sq in (6 sq ft) | — | At least 3 feet from pavement edge | — | ROW of Fifty Lakes Dr, Eden Dr, Alton Lennon Dr, during allowed election period and with property owner permission | — | Sec. 10-3 (T)(1) |

## Prohibited signs in Boiling Spring Lakes

- Any sign not specifically permitted under article 10 or not specifically exempted is prohibited.
- Any signs on benches and refuse containers.
- Electronic message centers in residential zoning districts.
- Signs attached or painted to piers or bulkheads except for one on-premise building identification sign not to exceed nine square feet per establishment.
- Pavement markings, except those of a customary traffic control nature.
- Signs made of or attached to trees, lampposts, hydrants, traffic signs, rocks, natural features, telephone or utility poles, or painted on the roofs of buildings visible from any public thoroughfare.
- Any permanent off-premise signs, including billboards.
- Circulars, throwaways, handbills, balloons, streamers, spinners, posters, placards, pennants or inflatable devices.
- Any sign or sign structure (other than freestanding signs) which extends above the top of the wall parapet, building roof line, or facade, or signs placed on any roof.
- Any sign or outdoor advertising display with obscene statements, words, or pictures as defined in G.S. 14-190.1.
- The use of festoon lighting, lines or luminous material of foil except as seasonal decorations.
- Any sign which restricts or appears to reserve any portion of the public right-of-way or public property for exclusive or private use.
- Glass tubes filled with neon, argon, krypton or others used as signs or similar to festoon lighting exceeding three square feet in size.
- Prohibited advertisement of illegal activities in the state.
- No sign shall be attached to or placed against a building to prevent ingress or egress through any door or window, or obstruct or be attached to a fire escape.
- Any sign or flag the UDO administrator deems to be significantly worn, torn, dilapidated, damaged, tattered, or otherwise in disrepair (removal required after 60-day notice).
- Nonconforming, obsolete, or abandoned signs (serving vacant buildings or sites unused for 180 days or more) must be removed after notice.
- No sign illumination system shall use unshielded floodlights where the light source is visible from a right-of-way or adjacent property.
- No sign may reflect or emit glaring light that impairs driving vision.
- No sign illumination may exceed 500 watts per side; max LED brightness is 5000 nits (day), 150 nits (night).
- No sign illumination systems may use beacons, searchlights, stroboscopic light, or reflector visible from public right-of-way or adjacent property.
- No sign may display lights resembling colors/designs of emergency vehicles or navigation lights.
- No sign may be confused with or obstruct the view of official traffic signs or signals, or use words implying danger or need to stop or maneuver.
- No sign shall rotate or otherwise move.
- No sign shall obstruct the view of motor vehicle operators entering a public roadway.
- No sign shall be placed in the right-of-way, unless exempted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Boiling Spring Lakes

- Traffic directional signs.
- Address signs, private street or road name signs meeting NCDOT and Brunswick County 911 addressing standards as to size, color, and placement; such signs may be illuminated.
- Signs directing and guiding traffic and parking on private property not exceeding 4 square feet each and with a maximum height of 3 feet; maximum one such sign per ingress or egress point.
- Pavement markings of a traffic directional nature consistent with standard and customary markings.
- Signs not visible beyond the boundaries of the lot or parcel or from any public right-of-way or lake.
- Changing copy on a legal bulletin board or maintenance where no structural changes are made, or changing of interchangeable letters on signs designed for them, or changing the color of illumination systems.
- Holiday season decorations.
- Historical markers, memorial signs, or plaques if placed flat against a building and less than 3 square feet.
- Integral decorative features of buildings, except letters, trademarks, moving lights or moving parts.
- Fence-wrap signs affixed to fences surrounding a construction site in accordance with NCGS 160D-908.
- Safety signage subject to specified aggregate area, number, height, and non-illumination constraints.
- Yard signs: one per lot in residential zoning not exceeding 6 square feet or 4 feet in height, non-permanent.
- Temporary yard signs: one per lot for sale or rent subject to size and height constraints by zoning type; must not be illuminated.
- Temporary banners: one per lot/establishment per street frontage in non-residential zoning, not exceeding 32 square feet, up to 14 days for 6 times per year; must not be illuminated.
- Temporary off-premise event signs: up to 4 per event, with permission, subject to placement, size, duration, and removal rules.
- Temporary legal notices: as required by state law, not to exceed 6 square feet; must be removed following the action.
- Feather flags: one per business in non-residential zoning, up to 32 square feet and 8 feet high, not illuminated.
- The flying of up to three flags (not feather flags), each not exceeding 4 by 6 feet, flagpole not over 25 feet.
- Portable signs: one A-frame per business establishment in non-residential zoning not exceeding 8 square feet; must not be in ROW and must be removed at end of business day.
- Political signs as allowed under NCGS 136-32 during election periods, with placement and size restrictions.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Each application for a sign permit must be accompanied by a plan showing the owner's name/address, sign size, shape, design, area, height, type, value, method and type of illumination, exact location, a graphic representation, and any additional information required by the UDO administrator.
- No explicit reference to a "master sign plan" or required variance meeting is found in the provided ordinance text.
- The UDO administrator may require additional information as necessary to determine compliance with the requirements of the article.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Boiling Spring Lakes, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Boiling+Spring+Lakes+NC&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-boiling-spring-lakes

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