# Sign Regulations in Northfield, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Northfield, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/northfield
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/northfieldoh/latest/northfield_oh/0-0-0-47457)

## At a glance

Northfield, Ohio regulates 16 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Permanent Freestanding Signs in the R-2 Residential District, R-3 Residential District zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 24 sq ft, with a 15 ft from street right-of-way, 6 ft from property line setback (Sec. 1280.15(a)(1)A.1). Most commercial signs in Northfield require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1 Residential District | 4 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| R-2 Residential District, R-3 Residential District | 6 | 6 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| B-1 Retail Business District, B-2 Highway Business District | 11 | 16 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| C-1 Industrial District | 1 | — | — | — |
| C-2 Light Industrial District | 8 | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### R-2 Residential District, R-3 Residential District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 24 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street right-of-way, 6 ft from property line | 1 per entrance | At each entrance to a multiple family or townhouse development | — | 1280.15(a)(1)A.1 |
| Permanent Freestanding Sign - Option 1 | 3 ft | 1 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street right-of-way, 6 ft from property line | 2 | — | — | 1280.15(a)(1)A.2 |
| Directional Sign | 3 ft | 3 sq ft | — | 15 ft from street right-of-way, 6 ft from property line | 2 | — | — | 1280.15(a)(1)A.3 |
| Wall Sign | — | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Per street frontage | — | 1280.15(a)(1)B.1 |
| Temporary Sign | 4 ft | 12 sq ft total, 6 sq ft per sign | — | — | — | — | — | 1280.15(a)(2)A |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | During active construction of a residential subdivision | — | 1280.15(a)(2)B |

### B-1 Retail Business District, B-2 Highway Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pole Sign | 16 ft | 40 sq ft | — | 5 ft from property line | 1 per building | Not closer than 5 ft to a front or side property line | — | 1280.16(a)(2)A.1 |
| Ground Sign | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | — | 5 ft from street right-of-way | 1 | Properties at least 100 ft in width with building set back 25 ft from street right-of-way | — | 1280.16(a)(2)A.2 |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per frontage | Per building frontage or individual tenant space | — | 1280.16(a)(2)B |
| Blade or Projecting Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Under a canopy or eave | — | 1280.16(a)(2)D |
| Directional Sign | 3 ft | 3 sq ft | — | — | 2 per access drive | At each access drive to the site | — | 1280.16(a)(2)F |
| Temporary Wall Banner | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | 1280.16(a)(3)B |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On property | — | 1280.16(a)(3)C |
| A-Frame or Sandwich Board Sign | — | 2 ft width, 3 ft height | — | Not more than 35 ft from business entrance | 1 per business | On property, not on public sidewalk or within right-of-way | — | 1280.16(a)(5) |

### C-2 Light Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign | 8 ft | 40 sq ft | — | 5 ft from property line | 1 per building | — | — | 1280.19(a)(1)A.1 |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per frontage | Per building frontage or individual tenant space | — | 1280.19(a)(1)B |
| Canopy or Awning Sign | — | 25% of the canopy or awning | — | — | — | On canopy or awning | — | 1280.19(a)(1)D |
| Directional Sign | 3 ft | 3 sq ft | — | — | 2 per access drive | At each access drive to the site | — | 1280.19(a)(1)E |
| Temporary Wall Banner | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On building | — | 1280.19(a)(2)B |
| Temporary Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building | On property | — | 1280.19(a)(2)C |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of a single window | — | — | — | On window | — | 1280.19(a)(3) |
| A-Frame or Sandwich Board Sign | — | 2 ft width, 3 ft height | — | Not more than 35 ft from business entrance | 1 per business | On property, not on public sidewalk or within right-of-way | — | 1280.19(a)(4) |

## Prohibited signs in Northfield

- Pennants, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs, spinners, feathered flag banner or sign or other similar devices
- Mobile, portable, or wheeled signs
- 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
- High intensity 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 signs except as specifically authorized
- 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
- Neon unless used in window signs or as approved by the Planning Commission

## Signs exempt from permit in Northfield

- 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 eight 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

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Any sign application which requires a variance shall first be submitted to the Planning Commission for consideration
- Signs shall be permitted in the C-1 Industrial District as authorized and approved by the Planning Commission
- The Commission may require the applicant to provide a proposed sign standards package for review and approval as part of the approval of development within the C-1 District

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

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