# Sign Regulations in Bedford, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bedford, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/bedford
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/bedford/latest/bedford_oh/0-0-0-76586)

## At a glance

Bedford, Ohio regulates 11 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Permanent Freestanding Sign - Non-Residentials in the R-1 Residential District zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 20 sq ft, with a Not closer than 10 ft from street right of way or 3 ft from property line setback (Sec. 1949.14(b)(1)(A)(1)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1 Residential District | 6 | 6 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| R-2, R-3 and R-4 Residential Districts | 4 | 6 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| BP and B-1 District | 3 | 16 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| B-2 District | 3 | 16 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| I-1 and I-2 District | 2 | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| B-2A District | 2 | — | 200 sq ft | — |
| HD District | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### R-1 Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign | 4 ft | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1949.14(a)(1)(A) |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign - Option 1 | 3 ft | 1 sq ft | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1949.14(a)(1)(B) |
| Temporary Sign | 4 ft | 12 sq ft total | — | — | Unlimited within area limit | — | — | 1949.14(a)(2)(A) |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1949.14(a)(2)(B) |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign - Non-Residential | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — | Not closer than 10 ft from street right of way or 3 ft from property line | 1 | — | — | 1949.14(b)(1)(A)(1) |
| Wall Sign - Non-Residential | — | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | — | — | 1949.14(b)(1)(B)(1) |

### R-2, R-3 and R-4 Residential Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 24 sq ft | — | Not closer than 15 ft from street right of way or 6 ft from property line | 1 per entrance | — | — | 1949.15(a)(1)(A)(1) |
| Wall Sign | — | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | — | — | 1949.15(a)(1)(B)(1) |
| Temporary Sign | 4 ft | 12 sq ft total | — | — | Unlimited within area limit | — | — | 1949.15(a)(2)(A) |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1949.15(a)(2)(B) |

### BP and B-1 District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pole Sign | 16 ft | 40 sq ft | — | Not closer than 5 ft to a front or side property line | 1 per building | — | — | 1949.16(2)(A)(1) |
| Ground Sign | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | — | Minimum 5 ft from street right of way line | 1 per property | — | — | 1949.16(2)(A)(2) |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per building frontage or tenant space | — | — | 1949.16(2)(B)(1) |

## Prohibited signs in Bedford

- Feathered flag (no more than two per property) banner or sign or other similar devices
- Mobile, portable, or wheeled signs (one per structure)
- Signs placed on parked vehicles or trailers for the purpose of advertising a product or business located on the same or adjacent property, excepting an identification sign which is affixed to a vehicle regularly operated in the pursuance of day-to-day business or activity of an enterprise
- Roof signs
- Inflatable images
- Signs containing flashing, moving, intermittent, or running lights or which imitate traffic control devices
- Signs which employ any part or element which revolves, rotates, whirls, spins, flutters or otherwise makes use of motion to attract attention
- Beacons or searchlights
- Strobe lights
- Signs which hang less than eight and one-half feet above a pedestrian walkway or less than fourteen feet above a vehicular path
- Window frame lighting: light emitting diode or other types of bar, string, or strand lighting, whether white or another color, within or directly outside of window frames of their buildings

## Signs exempt from permit in Bedford

- Official notices or advertisements posted or displayed by or under the direction of any public or court officer in the performance of official or directed duties
- Any sign wholly within the confines of a building and oriented so as to be out of view from outside the building
- One sign per entrance door in a non-residential district limited to two square feet in size and located within five square feet of the entrance door
- Signs located within the grounds of public facilities such as baseball fields, stadiums, community centers, and other public facilities placed by a governmental entity
- Any sign not expressly requiring a permit under this chapter
- Sign faces visible from the public right of way, but not intended for public view and not discernible in message due to the small size of the sign's text, copy, or graphics as viewed from the public Right of Way
- Signs that are an integral part of the original construction of vending or similar machines, fuel pumps, or similar devices
- Signs constructed of paper, cloth, or similar expendable material, attached to the inside of a window, not exceeding 8 square feet in sign face area, and not covering more than twenty-five percent of the area of the window pane
- Temporary Ground Signs as regulated in Residential districts set forth in Sections 1949.14 and 1949.15
- Signs not visible from off the premises

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Applications for sign permits shall be made upon forms provided by the Building Commissioner.
- Upon determining that a sign application is complete and accurate, the Building Commissioner shall approve the application or, if required by this Chapter, submit the sign application to the Planning Commission for approval.
- If Planning Commission review is required, the Building Commissioner shall not issue the permit until receiving the action of the Planning Commission which may be to recommend approval, approval with modifications, or denial of the application.
- Any sign application which requires a variance shall first be submitted to the Planning Commission for consideration.
- Signs may use back lighting or halo lighting subject to the approval of the Planning Commission.
- Electronic Message signs shall be subject to approval by the Planning Commission and City Council.
- Projecting signs may be permitted if approved by the Planning Commission.
- All signs in the HD district, including window signs, shall be reviewed by the Historical Preservation Board.

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

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