# Sign Regulations in Louisville, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Louisville, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/louisville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/louisville/latest/louisville_oh/0-0-0-10298)

## At a glance

Louisville, Ohio regulates 11 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Low Profile Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 6 ft. tall, 30 s.f., and 8 ft. wide, with a 10 ft. from ROW, 15 ft. from side & rear setback (Sec. 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Low Profile Sign, All Districts). Most commercial signs in Louisville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | — |
| B District | 2 | — | 300 s.f. | — |
| B-1, B-4, B-5 | 1 | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | — |
| B-5 | 1 | 36 ft. | 160 s.f. | — |
| B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5 | 1 | 6 ft. | — | — |
| I-1, I-2 | 1 | 20 ft. | 20 s.f. for 1 business, 48 s.f. for 2 businesses, 20 s.f. plus 10 s.f. for each additional business | — |
| R Districts | 1 | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | — |
| A-1 | 1 | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Incidental Signs | 3 ft. | 1 s.f. | — | 2 ft. from ROW, 5 ft. from side & rear | 2 per lot | — | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Incidental Signs, All Districts |
| Nameplate Signs | — | 1 s.f. | — | — | 1 per dwelling | — | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Nameplate Signs, All Districts |
| Recognition Signs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Recognition Signs, All Districts |
| Window Signs | — | 25% of the window surface | — | — | — | — | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Window Signs, All Districts |
| Low Profile Sign | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | 8 ft. | 10 ft. from ROW, 15 ft. from side & rear | 1 per frontage | — | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Low Profile Sign, All Districts |

### B District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Signs | — | 20 s.f. | — | — | 1 per frontage | Building frontage where no front yard setbacks are required, or for pedestrian-oriented signs | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Projecting Signs, B District |
| Wall Signs | — | 300 s.f. | — | — | 1 per frontage, no more than 3 wall signs per building | Building frontage | — | 1160.11 Permanent Sign Standards, Wall Signs, B District |

### B-1, B-4, B-5

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Portable Signs | 6 ft. | 30 s.f. | — | 2 ft. from edge of street pavement | 1 sign | 2 ft. from edge of street pavement | — | 1160.10 Temporary Sign Regulations, Portable Signs (B-1, B-4 and B-5 Districts) |

## Prohibited signs in Louisville

- No person shall intentionally deface, obliterate, tear down or destroy any proclamation, publication, advertisement or notification set up or posted in any public place by legal authority, or any guide board, street sign or any traffic sign in any public street or highway.
- No person shall erect, stick or post any notice, bill, poster, sign or advertising of any kind upon any private or public building or premises, or upon any fence, wall, telephone or electric light pole, or upon any other structure, without consent of the owner or person having charge and control of the premises.
- No sign may be erected or displayed which violates any provision of any law or regulation of the City, the State, or the United States.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Advertising vehicles are prohibited.
- Air activated signs are prohibited.
- Animated and intensely lighted signs are prohibited.
- Balloons or other gas-filled figures are prohibited.
- Bench signs are prohibited.
- Billboards are prohibited.
- Off-premises signs are prohibited.
- Hazardous signs are prohibited.
- Moving and swinging signs are prohibited.
- Obscene signs are prohibited.
- Banner signs are prohibited unless used in accordance with specific regulations.
- Portable signs are prohibited unless used as temporary signs in accordance with specific regulations.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Sandwich-board signs are prohibited unless used in accordance with specific regulations.
- Searchlights are prohibited.
- Snipe signs are prohibited.
- Signs that emit sound are prohibited.
- Signs that resemble or may be confused with official traffic-control signals are prohibited.
- Signs located in the public right of way are prohibited unless exempt or authorized.

## Signs exempt from permit in Louisville

- Holiday signs displayed for no more than forty-five consecutive days nor more than sixty days in one year.
- Institution directional signs that do not exceed one sign per abutting street, four square feet in area, and are not internally illuminated.
- Mail and newspaper delivery signs with non-illuminated or non-reflective lettering not exceeding two inches in height.
- Memorial signs or tablets, historical plaques, names of buildings, and date of erection.
- Official notices or warnings posted by public officers or employees in the performance of their duties.
- Public signs required or specifically authorized and erected by or on behalf of a governmental body.
- Official signs of a noncommercial nature erected by public utilities.
- Pedestrian-oriented signs in the display window of a business not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the lot line.
- Governmental signs for the control of traffic and other regulatory purposes.
- Signs painted or otherwise permanently attached to a currently licensed motor vehicle used in the normal day-to-day operations of the business.
- Warning signs of a temporary nature that warn the public of the existence of an imminent danger or hazard.
- Works of art that do not contain a commercial message, trademarks, moving parts, or lights.
- Recognition signs acknowledging notable academic or athletic achievement or meritorious military service.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Development Permits for signs are required for erection, alteration, or relocation of signs.
- Conditional use review is required for electronic message board signs.
- Sign bonuses may be awarded by the Planning Director for enhanced signage meeting aesthetic standards.

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

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