# Sign Regulations in Akron, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Akron, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/akron
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://www.akronohio.gov/departments/planning_urban_development/zoning_map_code.php)

## At a glance

Akron, Ohio regulates 20 sign types across 22 zoning districts. Projecting Signs in the Retail Business District (U3), Commercial Business District (U4) zoning district are capped at 30 ft (must not exceed wall or parapet) tall and 36 sq ft maximum if over public property (Sec. 153.350(A), 153.360(B)(2)(b)). Most commercial signs in Akron require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (22 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flood Plain District (UFP) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Dwelling District (U1), Apartment House District (U2) | 2 | — | 32 sq ft | — |
| University District (UD), Institutional District (UHD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Limited Business District (ULB), Government Business District (UG) | 2 | — | 20 sq ft for wall signs, or up to 40 sq ft including directory and individual listings | — |
| Retail Business District (U3), Commercial Business District (U4) | 4 | 30 ft (must not exceed wall or parapet) | 36 sq ft maximum if over public property | — |
| Biomedical Use District (UB) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Ordinary Industry District (U5), Heavy Industry District (U6) | 1 | — | Max total 300 sq ft per establishment | — |
| Planned Development District (UPD), Unified Planned Development Districts (UPD-1, ..., UPD-49) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Open Space District (O) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Neighborhood Districts (N, N2.5, N2.5-12, N-F2.5, N-F3), Mixed-Use District (MX, MX3, MX-S3, MX-F), Form-Based District (UFB) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Downtown | 1 | — | As approved by Board of Zoning Appeals | — |
| Kenmore Urban Overlay Area | 1 | — | — | — |
| East Market Street Urban Overlay Area | 1 | — | — | — |
| Biomedical Incentive Zone | 1 | — | — | — |
| Area Districts (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Height Districts (HA, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6, H7) | 1 | By applicable height district (e.g., H1 = 35 ft, H2 = 50 ft, etc.) | — | — |
| Grant-Washington Urban Renewal District | 1 | — | — | — |
| Opportunity Park Urban Renewal District (URD-R89) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Spicertown Urban Renewal Area (UPD-47) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Highland Square Urban Renewal and Redevelopment Plan (UPD-5) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Eastgate Urban Renewal Plan (UPD-11) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 30 ft or not to exceed wall/parapet of building | Maximum 36 sq ft if over public property | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 22 zones)

### Dwelling District (U1), Apartment House District (U2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Dwelling Use) | — | 2 sq ft per dwelling unit (max 15 sq ft) | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit | Affixed to wall of the dwelling unit | — | 153.360(A)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign or Wall Sign (Nondwelling Use) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | Ground or wall mounted | — | 153.360(A)(1) |

### Retail Business District (U3), Commercial Business District (U4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Wall | — | 153.360(B)(2)(a) |
| Freestanding Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per street | Freestanding on property; 1 per street | — | 153.360(B)(2)(b) |
| Projecting Sign | 30 ft (must not exceed wall or parapet) | 36 sq ft maximum if over public property | — | — | 1 per street | Projecting outward from building | — | 153.350(A), 153.360(B)(2)(b) |
| Business Center Sign (Freestanding Pole Sign) | — | — | — | — | 1 per street; up to 2 if frontage exceeds 150 ft; see formula | Freestanding, one per street, minimum separation applicable. | — | 153.360(B)(2)(c) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | 30 ft or not to exceed wall/parapet of building | Maximum 36 sq ft if over public property | — | — | — | Extending out from building – up to 6 ft into right-of-way; cannot exceed certain proximity to curb | — | 153.350(A) |
| Pole Sign | 30 ft | — | — | — | — | Freestanding, not over public property; 10 ft ground clearance | — | 153.350(B) |
| Ground Sign | 2.5 ft allowed up to right-of-way; 5 ft allowed up to 10 ft from right-of-way; otherwise general pole sign rules | — | — | — | — | Placement dependent on height | — | 153.350(C) |

## Prohibited signs in Akron

- No portable sign shall be permitted.
- No roof sign shall be permitted.
- No sign, with the exception of an identification sign, shall be painted on the exterior walls of a building. Any repainting of a sign that is painted on the exterior wall of a building shall conform to the provisions of this chapter.
- No sign or outside lighting shall flash, be animated, rotate, or have the appearance of moving, except that nonrotating signs which depict the time, temperature, current weather, or news and changeable copy signs as permitted by subsection 153.350(G) shall be permitted.
- No sign shall contain banners, posters, pennants, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs, spinners, or similarly fixed or moving devices, unless specifically permitted as a temporary sign as a conditional use.
- No exterior lighting shall in any way impair safe movement of traffic on any street or highway or otherwise create a nuisance.
- No sign permitted under 153.365 shall be placed within five feet of any property line nor within twelve feet of the paved portion of the public right-of-way.
- No freestanding sign permitted under 153.365 shall exceed forty-two inches in height, measured from grade at the sign, if placed in front of the established building line.
- No sign permitted under 153.365 shall be permitted within the public right-of-way except as permitted under subsection (A)(4) [signs within the public right-of-way or on public property as approved under rules/regulations by the Service Director].
- Only those signs listed within this chapter, including those permitted under the article on Conditional Uses at Sections 153.460 et seq. or any other special use approved by the City Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, or Council under procedures enumerated in this Zoning Code and those permitted in Title XIX of the Building Code are permitted.
- Nonconforming signs are declared a nuisance.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained except in conformity with the requirements and in a use district where such sign is permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Akron

- Federal, state, or municipal signs pertaining to the city, house numbers, or legal notices.
- Signs required by state or federal law or by this code of ordinances.
- Railroad crossing signs, or such temporary, emergency, nonadvertising signs as may be approved by the Superintendent of Building Inspection.
- Signs within the public right-of-way or on public property as approved under rules or regulations adopted by the Service Director.
- Private freestanding on premises traffic direction signs not exceeding three square feet in sign area for each sign, directing traffic movement into or from premises and horizontal directional signs on, below, or flush with paved areas on private property.
- Two single-faced on-premises signs which convey information pertinent to the internal functions of the particular use, located no nearer the street or streets than the fronts of the building, and not exceeding eighteen square feet in area each, nor more than six feet in height measured from adjacent grade (and not legible off-premises).
- Tablets, such as the name of a building, date of erection, or use of the building, when built into the walls of the building and constructed of bronze, stone, or similar noncombustible material.
- Real estate signs, which are not electric signs and which are not more than six square feet in area in a residential district or twenty-five square feet in area in a commercial or business use district.
- On-premises window signs no larger than seventy-five percent of the window surface or fifteen square feet of total window signage, whichever is the larger area, unless otherwise restricted by this code of ordinances, or any sign, not a window sign, inside a building.
- Temporary displays of merchandise.
- Temporary, on-premises signs advertising the date, time, and location of a garage or yard sale and not exceeding four square feet in area. Such signs shall be posted no more than three days prior to and removed one day after the sale.
- Temporary political signs, provided the signs shall be displayed no sooner than forty-five days prior to an election and removed from public view within ten days following the election. In residence use districts, no such sign shall exceed thirty-two square feet in area.
- Temporary displays or decorations customarily associated with any national, state, local, or religious holiday or celebration.
- Signs being carried for the purpose of display by one or more persons.
- One temporary, noncommercial sign, not exceeding six square feet in area, on any parcel devoted to a residential use.
- Electronic message centers are permitted for gasoline service station pricing, provided the display does not flash, rotate, or have the appearance of moving and the size of the characters does not exceed fourteen inches in height; these displays shall be permitted on freestanding signage only.
- Any permitted sign may contain, in lieu of or in addition to any other message or copy, any lawful noncommercial message.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Plans for landscaping between parking areas and the street, as required for business and industry uses (see Section 153.310(D)(3)(d)), must be approved by the planning staff. Approval or disapproval shall be given within one working day.
- Plans for landscaping for parking areas and refusal containers adjacent to residential districts (see 153.305(E)(4)(g), 153.310(D)(3)(e), G), must be approved by the planning staff.
- Improvement plans for new parking lots in Downtown must be submitted to the Department of Planning and Urban Development for review of compliance with parking lot development requirements (153.310(L)(9)).
- Plans for landscape planting must be submitted and approved by the Department of Planning and Urban Development when required (such as in UPD and urban overlay areas, or as specified in building line setback landscaping requirements, or where a buffer is required).
- For conditional use petitions and amendments, detailed site plans including sign layout and location must be submitted per 153.468(F).
- Any exterior sign in a UPD or renewal district may require design review and approval by planning staff (see e.g., 153.504(A)(11)).
- The design, size, and location of all exterior signs in some planned districts must be approved by the Department of Planning and Urban Development (see e.g., UPD-28, UPD-33, UPD-43, etc.).
- Site plan review may be required for multifamily and large development, which would include review of signage, by the Department of Planning and Urban Development and Planning Commission with Council approval, prior to building permit issuance (e.g., UPD-26, UPD-32, etc.).
- In Downtown, the Board of Zoning Appeals may vary the size limitations for signage, consistent with Section 153.409(F), which requires application and BZA approval.

## 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 22 zoning districts in Akron — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Akron+OH&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-akron

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