# Sign Regulations in Cary, North Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Cary, North Carolina (NC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-carolina/cary
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Cary, North Carolina regulates 27 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Vehicle-oriented Directional Ground Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 5 ft tall and 10 sq ft, with a At least 50 ft from any public right-of-way setback (Sec. Sec. 9.2.5(B)(1)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 22 | 54 in | 42 sq ft | — |
| Town Center District, Mixed Use Overlay District | 3 | 60 in | 10 sq ft per side | — |
| Residential Zoning Districts, Planned Development Districts (PDDs) | 5 | Flagpole: 25 ft | 25% of each window pane | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Vehicle-oriented Directional Ground Sign | 5 ft | 10 sq ft | — | At least 50 ft from any public right-of-way | See permit or plan | Near entrance to parking area or principal intersections within parking; at least 50 feet from right-of-way | — | Sec. 9.2.5(B)(1) |
| Permanent Flagpoles with Flags | Flagpoles: 25 ft (standard), 50 ft for large venues, 25 ft above roof for certain buildings | Flags: 5 ft x 8 ft (typical); flagpoles: 25 ft height (typical); variations allowed by use | — | Special setback for flagpoles; e.g. 2' from property line for each 1' of flagpole height (for spectator venues) | Up to 3 flagpoles per principal building; variations per use | On building wall or within 20' of main entrance, outside right-of-way | — | Sec. 9.2.5(C) |
| Drive-through Lane Sign | 5 ft 6 in | 42 sq ft | — | — | 2 per drive-through lane | Accessory to use with drive-through window | — | Sec. 9.2.5(E) |
| Principal Ground Sign | 54 in | 32 sq ft per side; 64 sq ft total | — | Protect clear sight triangle per Town Standards | 1 per entrance; rules for subdivisions and multi-family | Per entrance to project; not within 300 ft of another ground sign; specific placement for subdivisions and medians | — | Sec. 9.2.5(F) |
| Entry Monument Alternative to Principal Ground Sign | 12–16 ft depending on development size | See table: 32–50 sq ft depending on development size | — | — | See location notes | Along each street frontage (1 per frontage; larger centers may have more) | — | Sec. 9.2.5(G) |
| New Construction Alternative to Principal Ground Sign | Same as principal ground sign | Same as principal ground sign | — | — | See requirements | Same as principal ground sign | — | Sec. 9.2.5(H) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 2 sq ft per side (outside Town Center); 6 sq ft per side (Town Center); 45 sq ft per side for vertically mixed-use buildings (alternative) | — | Min 7' above grade if over walkway | See requirements | Under canopies or along arcades; may project over right-of-way if min 7' clearance; not above roof or parapet | — | Sec. 9.2.5(I) |
| Suspended Sign | — | 4 sq ft (standard, except Town Center); in Town Center, area over 2 sq ft counts toward overall allowed sign area; suspended ground sign: up to 16 sq ft per side | — | See requirements | See notes | Under canopies or along pedestrian arcades | — | Sec. 9.2.5(J) |

### Town Center District, Mixed Use Overlay District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A-Frame Sign (Temporary Sign) | 60 in | 10 sq ft per side | 2 ft | — | 1 per street frontage per business | Within 10 ft of business building, on parcel | — | Sec. 9.3.3(A) |
| Wall Sign at Entrance to Restaurant or Café | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per restaurant/café entrance | At or near main entrance | — | Sec. 9.2.6(A) |
| Neon Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business | On interior side of window | — | Sec. 9.2.6(B) |

### Residential Zoning Districts, Planned Development Districts (PDDs)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Flagpoles with Flags | Flagpole: 25 ft | Flag: 5 ft x 8 ft | — | — | Max 3 flagpoles, 2 flags each | — | — | Sec. 9.2.7(A) |
| Wall Signs (Single-unit residence or duplex) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 per unit | On residential unit | — | Sec. 9.2.7(B) |
| Wall Sign - Multi-family or Institutional Buildings (Residential Zoning or PDDs) | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per public entrance | On building at public entrance | — | Sec. 9.2.5(L)(3) |
| Incidental Sign | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 9.2.7(C) |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of each window pane | — | — | — | Inside or outside of window glass | — | Sec. 9.2.7(D) |

## Prohibited signs in Cary

- Any sign that copies or imitates an official sign or purports to have official status.
- Beacons.
- Windblown signs.
- Pennants.
- Canopy signs.
- Animated signs.
- Portable signs.
- Any sign that obstructs or substantially interferes with any window, door, fire escape, stairway, ladder, or opening intended to provide light, air, ingress, or egress to any building.
- Off-site signs, billboards, and pole signs.
- Discontinued signs, including all structural, support, and other related elements.
- Signs made wholly or partially of highly reflective material, so as to generate a contrast between the sign and adjacent surfaces or the surrounding area.
- Signs on roofs.
- Signs located in the clear sight triangle as defined by the Town's Standard Specifications and Details Manual.
- Signs erected or lighted in such a manner or in such location as to obstruct the view of, or be confused with, any authorized traffic signal, notice or control device.
- Signs in the public right-of-way, except for certain specified sign types as listed in Section 9.1.4(C)(15).
- Neon signs located in such a manner as to attract public attention from outside the building except as permitted in Section 9.2.6(B).
- Vehicular signs when the vehicle is parked such that the sign is visible from a right-of-way within 100 feet of the vehicle, except where there is no reasonable alternative location on the site to park the vehicle.
- Feather signs.
- Electronic changeable message signs.
- Digital signs.
- Intermittent signs.
- Flashing signs.
- Any freestanding sign (except for an entry monument alternative to a principal ground sign) that is more than six feet above the elevation of the normal grade at the base of the sign.
- Any wall sign that is greater than the lesser of three square feet per linear foot of building frontage, or ten percent of the wall area to which the sign is affixed.
- Any sign which emits a sound, odor, or visible matter.
- Snipe signs.
- Holographic display signs.
- Moving signs.
- Scrolling signs.
- Signs attached or painted on trees, rocks, or natural features.
- Ground signage placed on a supporting base for public art or on the actual artwork.

## Signs exempt from permit in Cary

- Any official or public notice or warning sign required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation or chapter; by a public utility company; or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
- Any sign located within the right-of-way or on private property that is used as a traffic control device, including signs described and identified in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and approved by the Federal Highway Administrator.
- Any sign, other than a window sign, inside a building, that is not visible from off the site on which it is located.
- Any sign inside a breezeway or entranceway, under the roof and within the foundation line of the building but outside the actual entrance door, where such sign cannot be seen by a person of ordinary eyesight who is not under the roof of the building or is otherwise outside the building.
- Any sign inside an athletic field or other enclosed outdoor space, where the sign is not legible from more than three feet beyond the lot line of the site on which it is located.
- Signs erected by or on behalf of a governmental or quasi-governmental agency including, but not limited to, noncommercial signs identifying a government building or service, traffic control signs, street name signs, street address signs, warning signs, safety signs, informational signs, traffic or other directional signs, public notices of events, public notice of government actions, proposed changes of land use, any proposed rezoning, or any other government speech.
- Signs on single-use sites, where the sign is not visible from a public right-of-way or adjacent residential property.
- One building marker or engraved cornerstone per building, containing no logo or commercial message and made of a permanent material that is permanently attached to or incorporated into the building wall.
- A sign on a vehicle, other than a prohibited vehicular sign or signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A Master Sign Plan approved by the Planning Director is required for all residential subdivisions, multi-family and townhouse developments, planned developments, non-residential subdivisions, and all multi-building or multi-occupant commercial developments before any permanent signs for such development may be erected.
- All owners, tenants, subtenants, and purchasers of individual units within the development shall comply with the approved Master Sign Plan.
- Residential developments that only have one entrance monument and have no other signage requests shall not be required to submit a Master Sign Plan.
- Permits are required for specific permanent sign types (see ordinance Section 9.1.6), and no sign permit shall be issued for the erection of a prohibited sign.
- No sign permit or permit fee shall be required for changing the copy of a sign, including any change of copy on a changeable copy sign, so long as no changes are made to the sign's height, size, location, or structure. Structural alterations require a new permit.
- No permanent sign shall be erected, placed, painted, or maintained except in accordance with an approved Master Sign Plan when one is required.
- For any new or amended Master Sign Plan for non-residential developments, all permanent signs not conforming to the proposed plan must be brought into conformance within 90 days of approval.
- For signs requiring a permit, the owner must secure a sign permit prior to construction, placement, erection, or modification, as per Section 3.16.
- No sign permit shall be issued unless the sign is also consistent with any Master Sign Plan approved and in effect for the property.

## Full detail

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

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