# Sign Regulations in Forest City, North Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Forest City, North Carolina (NC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-carolina/forest-city
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-01
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/NC/Forest_City/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_APXAUNDEOR_CH6SI)

## At a glance

Forest City, North Carolina regulates 11 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (on-premises)s in the C-3 zoning district are capped at 20 feet tall and 72 square feet + 12 square feet per tenant (up to 144 square feet), with a Minimum 5 feet from the right-of-way or utility easement setback (Sec. 6.4.4 Freestanding Sign (on-premises)). Most commercial signs in Forest City require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| C-1 | 2 | 4 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| National Register Historic District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Any District | 1 | 4 feet | 6 square feet | — |
| O-I | 3 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| C-T | 1 | 4 feet | 16 square feet | — |
| C-2 | 3 | 15 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| C-3 | 4 | 35 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| M-1 | 4 | 35 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| R-20 | 3 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| R-15 | 3 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| R-8 | 3 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| R-6 | 3 | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — |
| PRD | 3 | 8 feet | 100 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | — | — |

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

### C-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Development Entrance Sign | 10 feet | 64 square feet | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6.4.2 Development Entrance Sign |
| Wall Sign | — | 300 square feet | — | — | 4 | — | — | 6.4.3 Wall Sign |
| Freestanding Sign (on-premises) | 20 feet | 72 square feet + 12 square feet per tenant (up to 144 square feet) | — | Minimum 5 feet from the right-of-way or utility easement | 1 per street front | — | — | 6.4.4 Freestanding Sign (on-premises) |
| Billboard | 35 feet | 300 square feet | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6.4.6 Billboards |

### M-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Development Entrance Sign | 10 feet | 64 square feet | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6.4.2 Development Entrance Sign |
| Wall Sign | — | 300 square feet | — | — | 4 | — | — | 6.4.3 Wall Sign |
| Freestanding Sign (on-premises) | 20 feet | 72 square feet + 12 square feet per tenant (up to 144 square feet) | — | Minimum 5 feet from the right-of-way or utility easement | 1 per street front | — | — | 6.4.4 Freestanding Sign (on-premises) |
| Billboard | 35 feet | 300 square feet | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6.4.6 Billboards |

### R-8

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Development Entrance Sign | 8 feet | 32 square feet | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6.4.2 Development Entrance Sign |
| Wall Sign | — | 24 square feet | — | — | 1 | Shall front on a public street or face a parking lot where a main building entrance is located. | — | 6.4.3 Wall Sign |
| Freestanding Sign (on-premises) | 6 feet | 16 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from the right-of-way or utility easement | 1 | — | — | 6.4.4 Freestanding Sign (on-premises) |

## Prohibited signs in Forest City

- It shall be unlawful to hang or suspend any sign over or above the sidewalks or streets at less than eight (8) feet from the ground over the sidewalk and less than fifteen (15) feet from the ground above the street.
- No person shall post any bills, signs, or advertisements on any buildings, fences, or other property belonging to another without the consent of the owner.
- It shall be unlawful to post, nail, or in any way fasten any sign, notice, bill, or any advertisement to or upon any telegraph, telephone, or electric light pole or any shade tree.
- It shall be unlawful to tear down, deface, destroy, or mutilate, or in any manner injure any advertisement or notice posted or placed for public view by due authority.
- Except as otherwise provided in this Ordinance, it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, place, enlarge, move, or replace any sign, without first having obtained a sign permit.
- Signs that substantially interfere with the view necessary for motorists to proceed safely through intersections or to enter onto or exit from public streets or private roads or driveways are prohibited.
- Signs with light sources or reflectivity of such brightness that result in glare, blinding or any other such adverse effect on motorist vision are prohibited.
- Signs that obstruct the motorist's view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic are prohibited.
- Signs that obstruct ingress or egress are prohibited.
- Snipe signs are prohibited.
- Signs below minimum clearance are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Off-premises signs are prohibited except in specified districts.
- Signs in rights-of-way are prohibited except for major special event signs by special permit and governmental signs.
- Obscene signs are prohibited.
- Pennants or streamers are prohibited.
- Signs without permission are prohibited.
- Unspecified temporary signs are prohibited.
- Motion signs are prohibited.
- Facsimile signs are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Vehicle signs are prohibited.
- Inflatable signs are prohibited.
- Transportable signs are prohibited.
- Feather flags are prohibited.
- Other signs not expressly permitted in this Ordinance are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Forest City

- Wall signs of less than one (1) square foot.
- Murals as defined in Appendix A.
- Repair, replacement or replicas of historic signs within the C-1 zoning district and National Register Historic District.
- Incidental signs not legible from off-site or a public right-of-way.
- Government signs posted or authorized by various local, state and federal agencies.
- Address signs affixed to structures, mailboxes, decorative light posts, driveway entrances, etc.
- Flags attached to a permanent flag pole that is permanently affixed to the ground.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A uniform sign plan shall be required for all office and retail complexes and multi-tenant buildings.

## 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 Forest City — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Forest+City+NC&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-forest-city

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