# Sign Regulations in Mandan, North Dakota

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Mandan, North Dakota (ND)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/north-dakota/mandan
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/ND/Mandan/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=PT2CO_CH18OFMIPR_ART3HASICO)

## At a glance

Mandan, North Dakota regulates 23 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 25 ft Downtown, 40 ft other commercial/industrial, 60 ft Gateway Overlay tall and Maximum sign area: For pylon/pole, 2.5 sq ft per 1 foot of lot frontage, but max 30% of area of all street facing building sides; for monument, not stated, with a Setback from adjacent/adjoining lot line at least 25 ft, minimum 10 ft from property line or sight triangle (monument); freestanding signs must not encroach on sight triangle. setback (Sec. Sec. 105-1-15(v)). Most commercial signs in Mandan require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 40 feet above lot grade (standard billboards), 50 feet above curb (electronic) | 64 square feet | — |
| R12 Residential District, R7 Residential District, R4 Residential District, R3.2 Residential District | 5 | — | 32 square feet | — |
| RMH Residential District | 1 | — | 2 square feet | — |
| RM Residential District | 1 | — | — | — |
| RH Residential District | 1 | — | 2 square feet | — |
| CA Commercial District, CB Commercial District, CC Commercial District | 3 | 25 ft (Downtown), 40 ft (Other) | Projecting: 50 sq ft max face | — |
| MA Industrial District, MB Industrial District, MC Industrial District, MD Industrial District | 2 | 40 ft (except 60 ft in Gateway Overlay) | 20% of signable wall, max 200 sq ft | — |
| A Agricultural District | 1 | — | 2 sq ft | — |
| DC Downtown Core District | 2 | — | 20% of wall, max 200 sq ft | — |
| DF Downtown Fringe District | 2 | — | 20% of wall, max 200 sq ft | — |
| F Floodplain District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Gateway Overlay District, Memorial Highway Overlay District | 1 | 60 ft | See General Regulations | — |
| Levee Buffer and Overlay District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Planned Unit Development District, Large-scale Development | 1 | — | — | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Banner Sign (Temporary) | — | Not more than 20% of wall surface area per wall; total of 3 banner signs per property | — | — | Up to 3 per property | Attached to building wall (not freestanding), or suspended between permanent poles/columns. | — | Sec. 105-1-15(y)(5) |
| Bench Sign | 4 feet | 20 square feet | — | — | — | Location and number limited and subject to approval by MARC. Must be 75 feet apart from another bench sign. | — | Sec. 105-1-15(n) |
| Billboard (Off-premise sign) | 40 feet above lot grade (standard billboards), 50 feet above curb (electronic) | Billboard: No stated area limit; Electronic billboards: up to 16'x50' (800 sq ft) per face | — | — | One per 300 ft along roadway | Private property, subject to spacing, NDDOT standards near highways. | — | Sec. 105-1-15(o), (q) |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft Downtown, 40 ft other commercial/industrial, 60 ft Gateway Overlay | Maximum sign area: For pylon/pole, 2.5 sq ft per 1 foot of lot frontage, but max 30% of area of all street facing building sides; for monument, not stated | — | Setback from adjacent/adjoining lot line at least 25 ft, minimum 10 ft from property line or sight triangle (monument); freestanding signs must not encroach on sight triangle. | Multiple allowed if 25 ft from lot lines and 155 ft apart | On private property outside utility easement/right-of-way | — | Sec. 105-1-15(v) |
| Monument Sign | 12 ft (up to 16 ft with increased setback) | — | — | Min 10 feet from property line/sight triangle, 2 ft setback from curb for public right-of-way encroachments | — | Minimum 10 ft from property line or sight triangle; must be within landscaped area. | — | Sec. 105-1-15(s) |
| Projecting Sign | No more than 10 ft tall; no part projects above 4 ft over building roof/eave | 50 square feet | 30 inches | — | One per building side | Must be no less than eight feet above grade, extend no more than 36 inches from wall, and no closer than two feet to back of curb | — | Sec. 105-1-15(u) |
| Portable Sign | 8 feet | 64 square feet | — | — | One per property (unless separated by 155 ft) | Private property | — | Sec. 105-1-15(y)(9) |
| Sidewalk Sign | Max 4 ft; min 3 ft | — | 2.5 ft | — | One per business | On sidewalk in business districts only; must leave 3 ft for pedestrian movement; only during business hours; must be stored indoors when closed | — | Sec. 105-1-15(x) |

### R12 Residential District, R7 Residential District, R4 Residential District, R3.2 Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Lot Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | 1 per lot | One per lot; wall, foundation or projecting type | — | Sec. 105-1-15(k)(1)a |
| Residential Subdivision Identification Sign | — | 12 square feet per entrance | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each principal entrance | — | Sec. 105-1-15(k)(1)b |
| Subdivision For Sale/Rent Sign (Subdivision platted >2 years ago) | — | 6 square feet | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each principal entrance | — | Sec. 105-1-15(k)(1)c |
| Subdivision For Sale Sign (Subdivision platted <2 years ago) | — | 32 square feet | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each principal entrance | — | Sec. 105-1-15(k)(1)d |
| Bed and Breakfast Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | — | 1 per lot | At premises for bed and breakfast (conditional use) | — | Sec. 105-3-4(d)(6)b, 105-3-5(d)(6)b, 105-3-6(d)(6)b |

### CA Commercial District, CB Commercial District, CC Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft (Downtown), 40 ft (Other) | See formula | — | At least 25 ft from adjacent/adjoining lot line, 155 ft minimum between multiple signs | Multiple allowed if 155 ft apart, subject to MARC on lots with multiple businesses | On private property outside right-of-way/easement, within required setbacks | — | Sec. 105-1-15(v) |
| Wall Sign | — | 20% of signable wall, max 200 sq ft | — | — | One per building side | Affixed parallel to wall of building side, one per side | — | Sec. 105-1-15(z), (k)(2)c |
| Projecting, Roof, or Marquee Sign | Not more than 10 ft; project not more than 4 ft above roof/parapet | Projecting: 50 sq ft max face | 30 in | — | One per building side | Projecting/roof/marquee: one per building side. | — | Sec. 105-1-15(k)(2)b, (u), (r) |

## Prohibited signs in Mandan

- No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any street, alley or driveway in such a manner as to obstruct the sight triangle.
- No sign shall be illuminated by other than electrical means and electrical devices. Wiring shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of the ND State Electrical Board. No open spark or flame shall be used for display purposes unless specifically approved in writing by the building department and the fire chief.
- No sign shall be erected that closely resembles or approximates the size, shape or form of an official traffic regulation sign or marker.
- No private sign shall be attached to a public building or structure, a utility pole or any existing public signage.
- The light for a sign shall not be directed into any residential dwelling or towards any oncoming vehicle.
- Signs, other than window signs, containing or utilizing flashing, rotating, or moving lights shall be prohibited unless they are used solely for public safety, e.g. construction markers.
- The use of laser lights, strobe lights, searchlights, beacons and similar upward or outward oriented lighting as part of any sign is prohibited.
- No sign shall be attached to, affixed to, painted or drawn on trees, shrubs, rocks, other natural features or organic material unless approved by the MARC or the city commission for a specific site or application.
- No Permanent sign shall use fluorescent type coloring such as that known as "day-glow".
- No sign shall be attached to the stairwell railing of a basement business unless a site specific waiver of this requirement is approved by the MARC or the city commission.
- Obstructive signs are prohibited.
- No advertising sign within 300 feet of a residentially zoned area shall have any bulb that is greater than 11 watts of incandescent lighting or generate more than 165 lumens in light brightness. Public service information signs and other electronic message signs permitted within an area zoned for commercial or industrial use shall have a bulb no greater than 75 watts of incandescent lighting or generate more than 1,125 lumens of light brightness.
- No sign shall hide from a driver's view or interfere in any material degree with the effectiveness within 500 feet of any traffic control device, sign or signal.
- No advertising sign, by reason of location, position, shape, or color may be designed to be confused with any public sign. The use of cautionary words such as: "stop", "danger", "caution", "beware" or similar words is prohibited.
- No sign shall contain statements, words, or pictures of an obscene, indecent, pornographic, or immoral character.
- Except for sidewalk signs in the downtown commercial area and signs above sidewalks, no sign shall be allowed in the public right-of-way unless otherwise provided for in this section.
- No motorized vehicle or trailer on which is attached thereto or located thereon any sign or advertising device that provides the advertisement of products, services, or directs people to a business may be parked in a public right-of-way or on public property (except as allowed for vehicles used in the normal day-to-day operations of a business).
- No sign shall be permitted to obstruct any window, door, fire escape, stairway, or opening intended to provide air, ingress or egress for any building or structure.
- Audio speakers or any form of pyrotechnics are prohibited on or in association with a sign.
- Illuminated signs are not permitted on single-family and two-family residentially zoned lots or subdivisions.
- No sign shall be attached to, or placed on, fire escapes.
- Signs printed directly on exterior walls or surface of a building shall be prohibited.
- No wall sign shall extend beyond the width of a building or project above the roof eave.
- No combination of wall signs and supports shall exceed 20 percent of the signable wall surface area up to a maximum of 200 square feet.
- No paper or solid surface signs shall be permitted on a second floor window or above.
- No window signs shall advertise or identify a business other than the one contained therein.
- Flashing is prohibited on electronic signs.
- The use of streaming video or full-motion video on any electronic message center sign is prohibited.
- Digital billboards must transition instantaneously from one static image to another; the use of streaming video, full-motion video, and animation or frame effects is prohibited.
- Only one electronic message center sign is allowed per property.
- No sign shall be constructed, moved or altered in violation of the provisions of the sign ordinance.
- No sign shall be placed in such a way that it can only be accessed from a state controlled roadway without written approval from NDDOT.

## Signs exempt from permit in Mandan

- Directional or instructional signs not exceeding four square feet in area which provide direction, instruction or identify public facilities; are located entirely on the property to which they pertain; and do not in any way advertise a business.
- Political signs that meet the standards contained in this section.
- Professional name plates not exceeding two square feet in area.
- Real estate, construction and finance signs (signs larger than 16 square feet must be registered with the building department).
- Rental signs—rental companies providing portable signs to businesses must register with the building department and provide an inventory of sign locations monthly.
- Special displays—decorative displays used for holidays, public demonstrations or promotion of civic welfare or charitable purposes and on which there is no commercial advertising.
- Store signs—signs erected on a show window or on the door of a store or business establishment which announces the name of the proprietor and the nature of the business conducted therein as well as temporary signs placed in windows used to advertise a special product or sale.
- Street signs erected by the city for street direction.
- Signs designating the location of a transit line, a railroad station or other public carrier not more than three square feet in area.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Permanent types of signs require a building permit and payment of the established fee. Permanent signs must meet building and utility code requirements.
- An application for issuance of a sign permit shall be submitted to the City of Mandan Building Department, including all necessary drawings and specifications showing dimensions and materials to be used on the sign.
- Alterations to an existing sign, new signs, and relocated signs require a permit (except for exemptions and as outlined).
- If an applicant requests a variation (waiver) from the sign ordinance, application may be made to the Mandan Architectural Review Commission (MARC) for a site specific waiver; a meeting shall occur within 30 days.
- The MARC is responsible to apply standards when reviewing any sign application submitted to it and may grant site specific waivers for variations when appropriate.
- Plans for permanent signs must adhere to building code Appendix H (IBC) requirements.
- Where existing conditions on a lot limit options for sign location within a sight triangle, the applicant may request that MARC approve a specific location.
- If a situation arises and the applicant wants a variance from the code, the application goes to MARC.
- Maintenance and inspection of every sign for which a permit has been issued is required upon completion of erection or installation (by building department).
- If a sign is altered (other than maintenance), rebuilt, or relocated, it must comply with all current applicable regulations, and permit is required.
- Electronic message center signs replacing any existing sign must be permitted and, if the existing sign is nonconforming, the entire sign must be brought into compliance.
- Signage in certain overlay, special, or historic districts may require additional design or content review and approval by MARC or city commission per zoning district requirements.

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

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