# Sign Regulations in Bowling Green, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Bowling Green, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/bowling-green
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/bowlinggreen_oh/latest/bowling_oh/0-0-0-5496)

## At a glance

Bowling Green, Ohio regulates 10 sign types across 7 zoning districts. Monument Signs in the Commercial (C), Interstate Commerce (IC) zoning district are capped at 8 ft. tall and 64 sq. ft., with a Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way setback (Sec. § 150.82(K)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (7 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Low Density Residential (R-1), Medium Density Residential (R-2), Multi-Unit Residential (R-3), Mixed-Use Neighborhood (MUN), University-Oriented Residential (UR), Agricultural (A-1), Pedestrian Residential (PR) | 7 | 8 ft. | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | — |
| Commercial (C), Interstate Commerce (IC) | 8 | 8 ft. | 112 sq. ft. | — |
| Innovation & Employment (IE) | 8 | 8 ft. | 136 sq. ft. | — |
| Institutional (I) | 9 | 8 ft. | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | — |
| Recreational-Conservation (R-C) | 7 | 8 ft. | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | — |
| Central Business (CB), Gateway (G) | 9 | 8 ft. | 90 sq. ft. | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 7 zones)

### Commercial (C), Interstate Commerce (IC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning or Canopy Sign | — | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | 75% of the width of the canopy | — | One per building entrance | Over storefront windows and doors | — | § 150.82(I) |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft. | 64 sq. ft. | — | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | One per street frontage per lot | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | — | § 150.82(K) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 sq. ft. per sign face | Extends no more than 4 ft. from building face | — | One per building entrance | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(L) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | § 150.84 |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. per side | 2 ft. | — | — | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(M) |
| Temporary Sign | 5 ft. | 12 sq. ft. | — | — | One per calendar year | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(N) |
| Wall Sign | — | 112 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(O) |
| Wayfinding Sign | 3 ft. | 3 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 150.82(P) |

### Institutional (I)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning or Canopy Sign | — | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | 75% of the width of the canopy | — | One per building entrance | Over storefront windows and doors | — | § 150.82(I) |
| Building Identification Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | One per building entrance | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(J) |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft. | 64 sq. ft. | — | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | One per street frontage per lot | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | — | § 150.82(K) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 sq. ft. per sign face | Extends no more than 4 ft. from building face | — | One per building entrance | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(L) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. per side | 2 ft. | — | — | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(M) |
| Temporary Sign | 5 ft. | 12 sq. ft. | — | — | One per calendar year | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(N) |
| Wall Sign | — | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(O) |
| Wayfinding Sign | 3 ft. | 3 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 150.82(P) |

### Central Business (CB), Gateway (G)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning or Canopy Sign | — | 75% of the area of the awning’s sloped portion | 75% of the width of the canopy | — | One per building entrance | Over storefront windows and doors | — | § 150.82(I) |
| Building Identification Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | — | One per building entrance | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(J) |
| Monument Sign | 8 ft. | 64 sq. ft. | — | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | One per street frontage per lot | Minimum of 5 ft. from the right-of-way | — | § 150.82(K) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 sq. ft. per sign face | Extends no more than 4 ft. from building face | — | One per building entrance | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(L) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. per side | 2 ft. | — | — | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(M) |
| Temporary Sign | 5 ft. | 12 sq. ft. | — | — | One per calendar year | Not in public right-of-way | — | § 150.82(N) |
| Wall Sign | — | 90 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Attached to building | — | § 150.82(O) |
| Wayfinding Sign | 3 ft. | 3 sq. ft. | — | — | — | — | — | § 150.82(P) |

## Prohibited signs in Bowling Green

- No sign shall be erected, relocated, or maintained so as to prevent free ingress or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
- No sign of any kind shall be attached to a fire escape.
- Any inflatable, flashing, blinking, moving, or fluttering element that is used to direct or command attention or emphasis from the right-of-way is prohibited.
- No off-premise sign shall be permitted.
- An electronic message center shall not have any element that imitates motion, blinking, swiping, or changes in intensity.
- No electronic message center sign shall be permitted in the Pedestrian Residential District.

## Signs exempt from permit in Bowling Green

- A permit is not required to erect a building identification sign.
- A permit is not required to display a sandwich board sign.
- A permit is not required to erect a wayfinding sign.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No awning or canopy sign may be erected except with a permit.
- No monument sign may be erected except with a permit.
- No projecting sign may be erected except with a permit.
- A permit is required to display a temporary sign for commercial use in the C Commercial Zone, IE Innovation & Employment Zone, MUN Mixed-Use Neighborhood Zone, and IC Interstate-Commerce.
- No wall sign may be erected except with a permit.

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

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