# Sign Regulations in New Bern, North Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** New Bern, North Carolina (NC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-carolina/new-bern
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/NC/New_Bern/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_APXALAUS_ARTXVIISI)

## At a glance

New Bern, North Carolina regulates 20 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Overlay: 500-999 ft frontage, 10-20 acres)s in the New Bern freeway sign corridor overlay district zoning district are capped at 20 ft tall and 125 sq ft, with a Within 50 ft of R-O-W. setback (Sec. Sec. 15-336(a)(1)). Most commercial signs in New Bern require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential zoning district | 7 | — | Primary entrance: 50 sq ft; Secondary: 25 sq ft | — |
| Agricultural district | 3 | 20 ft maximum (Sec. 15-331(c)) | Under 200 ft frontage: 50 sq ft; 200-399 ft: 75 sq ft; 400+ ft: 100 sq ft (single side) | — |
| Commercial district, Office and Institutional district, Industrial district | 3 | 20 ft maximum (Sec. 15-331(c)) | Under 200 ft frontage: 50 sq ft; 200-399 ft: 75 sq ft; 400+ ft: 100 sq ft (single side) | — |
| C-5A office and institutional district (historical) | 1 | 10 ft | 16 sq ft | — |
| New Bern freeway sign corridor overlay district | 2 | 30 ft | 200 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | — | 32 sq ft | — |

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

### Residential zoning district

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| All Signs (Residential zoning district) | — | 2 sq ft (total for all signs on any lot) | — | — | — | On the lot; must conform to location/height rules in Sec. 15-331. | — | Sec. 15-327(b), 15-322, 15-331 |
| Temporary Sign (Real Estate - Residential) | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | On property being advertised. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(1) |
| Temporary Sign (Construction Site Identification) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One per site | At construction site | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(2) |
| Temporary Sign (Noncommercial Message) | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | One per abutting street | One per abutting street. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(3) |
| Temporary Sign (Political/Election) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On lot. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(5) |
| Subdivision/Multifamily Entrance Sign (less than 400 units) | — | Primary entrance: 50 sq ft; Secondary: 25 sq ft | — | — | Primary: 1; Secondary: 1 per | At primary or secondary entrance. | — | Sec. 15-330(a), (d) |
| Shingle Sign (Residential Use) | — | 3 sq ft | 2 ft (maximum dimension) | — | — | Hanging/protruding on property. | — | Sec. 15-321(8) |

### New Bern freeway sign corridor overlay district

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Overlay: 500-999 ft frontage, 10-20 acres) | 20 ft | 125 sq ft | — | Within 50 ft of R-O-W. | One per development | Within 50 ft of US Hwy 70 Bypass R-O-W. | — | Sec. 15-336(a)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign (Overlay: 1,000+ ft frontage, 20+ acres) | 30 ft | 200 sq ft | — | Within 100 ft of R-O-W. | One per development | Within 100 ft of US Hwy 70 Bypass R-O-W. | — | Sec. 15-336(a)(2) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign (Real Estate - Commercial/Industrial) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage | On property being advertised. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(1) |
| Temporary Sign (Construction Site Identification) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | One per site | At construction site. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(2) |
| Temporary Sign (Noncommercial Message) | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | One per abutting street | One per abutting street. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(3) |
| Temporary Sign (Holiday Display) | — | — | — | — | — | On lot | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(4) |
| Temporary Sign (Political/Election) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | On lot. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(5) |
| Temporary Sign (Special Event) | — | — | — | — | — | On lot. | — | Sec. 15-324(a)(6) |
| Temporary Sign (Portable Sidewalk Sign) | — | 6 sq ft | — | Within 5 ft of building. | — | Within 5 ft of commercial building; permitted only during normal business hours. | — | Sec. 15-324(c)(b) |

## Prohibited signs in New Bern

- No sign may be located so that it substantially interferes with the view necessary for motorists to proceed safely through intersections or to enter onto or exit from public streets or private roads.
- No sign may be erected on city-maintained or private rights-of-way so that by its location, color, size, shape, nature, or message it would tend to obstruct the view of or be confused with official traffic signs or other signs erected by governmental agencies.
- No sign or supporting structure may be located in the traveled portion of any public right-of-way unless attached to a structural element of a building and an encroachment permit has been obtained from the city (and state, if necessary).
- All signs must be constructed and erected in accordance with the Southern Building Code and its related North Carolina building code amendments.
- Freestanding signs shall be securely fastened to the ground or to a substantial supportive structure to prevent movement by wind or other forces of nature.
- Outdoor advertising signs must maintain at least ten feet of horizontal and vertical clearance from any overhead electrical conductor or public utility guy wire, and must comply with the National Electrical Code.
- Whenever an outdoor advertising sign or structure becomes structurally unsafe, the owner must make the sign safe or remove it within ten days of notification by the building inspector.
- Outdoor advertising structures that have outlived their useful purpose must be removed forthwith.
- No sign may extend above any parapet or be placed upon any roof surface, except on roof surfaces constructed at an angle of 75 degrees or more from horizontal (with an exception for holiday displays on roofs of residential structures).
- No part of a freestanding sign may exceed a height of 20 feet, measured from the grade of the street from which access to the property is provided.
- No sign may contain or be illuminated by flashing lights or lights of changing intensity, except for signs indicating the time, date, and weather conditions, or electronic signs with a fixed message that changes no more than once every 15 minutes (with area and review restrictions).
- Festoons of lights that outline property lines, sales areas, rooflines, doors, windows, or similar areas are prohibited (except for temporary holiday signs).
- No off-premises sign may be located within 2,000 feet of a residential district (with limited directional exceptions); no off-premises sign may be within 1,000 feet of another off-premises sign.
- Sign illumination must be shielded to illuminate only the face of the sign and must not shine directly into public rights-of-way or residential premises.
- Internally illuminated freestanding signs may only be illuminated for up to one hour before and after the business’s normal operating hours.
- Temporary signs cannot be located within street rights-of-way or public property unless approved by the board of aldermen or its designee.

## Signs exempt from permit in New Bern

- Signs not exceeding two square feet in area that are customarily associated with residential use and not of a commercial nature (e.g., property identification, names of occupants, mailbox signs, private parking, trespassing or animal warnings).
- Signs erected by or on behalf of or pursuant to the authorization of a governmental body, including legal notices, identification and informational signs, and traffic, directional, or regulatory signs.
- Official signs of an informational nature erected by public utilities.
- Flags, pennants, or insignia of any governmental or nonprofit organization when not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device.
- Signs directing and guiding traffic on private property that do not exceed two square feet each and that bear no advertising information.
- Signs painted on or otherwise permanently attached to currently licensed motor vehicles that are not primarily used as signs.
- Temporary help wanted signs, not exceeding six square feet, that do not contain the company's name or logo (or, in multi-tenant properties, no more than 30% of sign area is occupied by company name or logo).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- For lots occupied or intended to be occupied by multiple business enterprises (e.g., shopping centers), a master sign plan allocating permissible sign surface area must be approved by the zoning administrator; sign permits for individual tenants may be issued only in accordance with the allocation contained in the master sign plan.
- If the owner of a multi-tenant property is unwilling or unable to devise a master sign plan, one shall be developed by the zoning administrator using building frontage as a calculation for total sign surface area.
- Subdivision and multifamily development entrance signs require a proposed planting plan submitted as part of the required sign permit application documents.

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

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