# Sign Regulations in Scotland Neck, North Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Scotland Neck, North Carolina (NC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-carolina/scotland-neck
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Scotland Neck, North Carolina regulates 32 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Service Station Sign (Price of Fuel)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 5 ft. tall, 20 sq. ft., and Double-faced allowed wide (Sec. § 152.109 Table: 'Service station signs', All districts (item 5)). Most commercial signs in Scotland Neck require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-A | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| B-1, B-2, B-3 | 9 | 20 ft. | 70 sq. ft. | — |
| I-1, I-2 | 6 | 35 ft. | 150 sq. ft. | — |
| Residential districts | 1 | — | 6 sq. ft. | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 20 | Flagpole: 20 ft. in residential, 35 ft. in I-1/I-2 | 64 sq. ft. | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### B-1, B-2, B-3

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Front of building | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Awning, silk-screened or sewn on front of a building' |
| Canopy Sign | — | 4 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment entranceway | Non-raising marquees, canopy | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Canopy signs' |
| Ground Sign | 20 ft. | 70 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Ground signs', B-1, B-2, B-3 |
| Portable Sign | 10 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Portable signs', B-1, B-2 |
| Projecting Sign | — | 20 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per face or 2 per establishment, whichever is less | On building/corner | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Projecting signs', B-1, B-2, B-3 |
| Real Estate Sign (B-1, B-2, B-3) | — | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Real estate signs', B-1, B-2, B-3 |
| Wall or Roof Sign | Cannot project over the roof line of the building attached to | — | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | On wall or roof of establishment | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Wall or roof signs', B-1, B-2, B-3 |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Window | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Window signs', B-1, B-2, B-3 |

### I-1, I-2

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 35 ft. | 150 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per street frontage | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Ground signs', I-1 and I-2 |
| Portable Sign | 10 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Portable signs', I-1, I-2 |
| Temporary Banners, Pennants, Streamers | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Temporary banners, pennants, streamers', I-1, I-2 |
| Real Estate Sign (I-1, I-2) | — | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Real estate signs', I-1, I-2 |
| Wall or Roof Sign | Cannot project over the roof line of the building attached to | — | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | On wall or roof of establishment | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Wall or roof signs', I-1, I-2 |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Window | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Window signs', I-1, I-2 |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bulletin Board (Church or Public) | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Bulletin board, church or public', All districts |
| Construction Site Placard | 12 ft. | 64 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Construction site placards', All districts |
| Entrance or Monument-type Sign | Free-standing signs may not exceed 8 ft. | 10 or 32 sq. ft. | — | — | 2 per entrance | Entrance to subdivisions, neighborhoods, public/commercial/industrial/institutional establishments. | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Entrance or monument-type signs', All districts |
| Flag, Pennant or Insignia (Noncommercial/Non-advertising) | Flagpole: 20 ft. in residential, 35 ft. in I-1/I-2 | Wall/projecting insignia: 10 sq. ft.; Flags/pennants: 15 sq. ft. or 1/4 pole height, whichever is larger. | — | — | — | Wall, projecting, or on pole | — | § 152.109 Table: 'The flag, pennant or insignia...' |
| Professional or Announcement Sign | — | 4 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Professional or announcement signs' |
| Service Station Sign (Price of Fuel) | 5 ft. | 20 sq. ft. | Double-faced allowed | — | 1 per street frontage | On site, off right-of-way | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Service station signs', All districts (item 5) |
| Service Station Sign (On Racks, Pumps, Canopies) | — | — | Sign not longer than rack | — | — | On racks, pumps, pump islands, open tire racks, or doors/racks or canopies | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Service station signs', All districts (items 1-4, 6) |
| Temporary Sign (Farm Auctions, Agricultural Sales, Charitable/Civic/Fraternal Events) | — | 20 sq. ft. (off-site), 32 sq. ft. (on-site) | — | — | Off-site: 1 per lot; On-site: 3 per lot | — | — | § 152.109 Table: 'Temporary signs relating to farm auctions...' |

## Prohibited signs in Scotland Neck

- No sign or sign structure may be erected, posted, hung, painted, re-hung, repainted, repaired, replaced, changed or maintained in any district except in compliance with this subchapter.
- No sign or sign structure shall be erected or constructed to interfere with vision clearance as defined in § 152.043.
- No ground sign structure may be placed in the right-of-way.
- Signs and sign structure shall meet all requirements of the North Carolina State Building Code.
- Obsolete signs and their supporting structures shall be removed within 90 days after they have become obsolete by reason of abandonment of the activity, business, product or usage which the sign identifies or advertises at the location to which the sign refers.
- Signs with moving, revolving or rotating parts, or any sign which moves or gives an illusion of movement, except for time and temperature units and traditional barber poles, are prohibited.
- Signs with lights or illumination which flash, move, rotate, blink, flicker, vary in intensity or color, or use intermittent electrical pulsations, except for time and temperature units, are prohibited.
- Signs which obstruct the view of or could be confused with any authorized traffic sign, signal or device, or make use of the words 'stop', 'look', 'danger' or any other word, phrase, symbol or character in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead or confuse traffic, are prohibited.
- Signs which obstruct openings required to be left uncovered or unobstructed by building codes, housing codes or other laws relating to buildings, are prohibited.
- Billboards are prohibited.
- Nonconforming signs, when removed for other than normal maintenance, may not be erected again, nor may any such sign be replaced with another nonconforming sign.
- Strings of light bulbs used in connection with commercial premises for commercial purposes shall be limited to white, yellow or bug repellant bulbs, and shall not cause glare on traffic or adjoining premises.
- Illuminated and spotlighted signs shall be placed so as to prevent light rays, illumination or glare from being cast directly on any building or on traffic.
- Signs and sign structures shall be maintained at all times in a state of proper repair, with all braces, bolts, clips, guys, anchors, supporting frames and fastening free from deterioration, insect infestation, rot, rust or loosening. All signs shall be kept neatly finished, with lettering intact, and if of a type which require painting, free from visible peeling or chipping.

## Signs exempt from permit in Scotland Neck

- Any sign authorized in this subchapter is allowed to display noncommercial copy in lieu of other copy. Noncommercial copy is copy which is not commercial advertising, business or identification copy, and which carries a substantive message, statement or expression protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
- No provision of the chapter for which signs are required shall be enforced against an alleged violator if, at the time and place of the alleged violation, an official sign is not in proper position and sufficiently legible to an ordinarily observant person.
- Whenever a particular section does not state that signs are required, such section shall be effective without signs being placed to give notice thereof.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signs do not require separate zoning permits unless a building permit is required for the sign, or unless otherwise noted in divisions (C) and (E) of § 152.106. No substantive mention of a master sign plan or required variance meeting found in this excerpt.

## 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 5 zoning districts in Scotland Neck — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Scotland+Neck+NC&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-scotland-neck

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