# Sign Regulations in Ontario, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Ontario, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/ontario
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/ontario/latest/ontario_oh/0-0-0-51154)

## At a glance

Ontario, Ohio regulates 22 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Commercial Real Estate Signs in the Commercial and Industrial Areas zoning district are capped at 6 ft. tall and 4 ft. by 8 ft. for commercial buildings over 5000 sq. ft./land parcels greater than 5 acres; 3 ft. by 4 ft. for commercial buildings under 5000 sq. ft./land parcels between 1 to 5 acres, with a Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way setback (Sec. 1146.03(c)(3)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Areas | 3 | — | 8 sq. ft. | — |
| Commercial and Industrial Areas | 8 | 12 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 10 ft. | 60 sq. ft. | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Residential Areas

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Garage Sale Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way | One per lot | One sign per lot | — | 1146.03(c)(1) |
| Residential Real Estate Sign | — | 8 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way | Two per lot | On premises | — | 1146.03(c)(2) |
| Home Occupation Name and Address Plate | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | One per dwelling | Attached to dwelling | — | 1146.03(c)(11) |

### Commercial and Industrial Areas

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial Real Estate Sign | 6 ft. | 4 ft. by 8 ft. for commercial buildings over 5000 sq. ft./land parcels greater than 5 acres; 3 ft. by 4 ft. for commercial buildings under 5000 sq. ft./land parcels between 1 to 5 acres | — | Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way | One per lot | On premises | — | 1146.03(c)(3) |
| New Business Sign | — | 24 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 15 feet from the edge of the road and 10 feet from the property line | — | On premises | — | 1146.03(d)(1) |
| Business Promotional Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. per face | — | Minimum set back of 15 feet from the edge of the road and 10 feet from the property line | No more than 5 signs located on premises of event | On premises | — | 1146.03(d)(2) |
| Inflatable Sign | — | — | — | Minimum set back of 15 feet from the edge of the road and 10 feet from the property line | — | On premises | — | 1146.03(d)(3) |
| Outdoor Display Sign | — | 8 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 15 feet from the edge of the road and 10 feet from the property line | — | Attached or displayed within one foot of the merchandise on display | — | 1146.03(d)(4) |
| Banners | — | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Attached to building façade or poles | — | 1146.03(d)(5) |
| Changeable Copy Sign | — | 18 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 15 feet from the edge of the road and 10 feet from the property line | One per business | Located not less than 15 ft. from the right of way line, and 20 ft. from lot line, and no less than 50 ft. from residential lot lines; May be attached on pole sign, the wall of a building, or on two (2) permanent posts | — | 1146.03(d)(6) |
| Feather Banner/Flag | 12 ft. | — | 3 ft. | Minimum setback equal to pole height | No more than two (2) for every one hundred (100) ft. of frontage | On premises | — | 1146.03(d)(7) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Project Identification Sign | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way | One per each street frontage and one additional sign if street frontage exceeds 1000 ft. | Developments larger than 3 acres may display one sign per each street frontage and one additional sign if street frontage exceeds 1000 ft. | — | 1146.03(c)(4) |
| Construction Sign | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | Minimum set back of 10 feet from the right of way | — | During construction | — | 1146.03(c)(6) |
| Directional Sign | 4 ft. | 4 sq. ft. | — | — | — | On premises | — | 1146.03(c)(7) |
| Open House Directional Sign | 3 ft. | 4 sq. ft. | — | — | One per street intersection | One per street intersection | — | 1146.03(c)(8) |
| Memorial Sign | 10 ft. | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | One per site or building | One per site or building | — | 1146.03(c)(9) |
| Entrance/Exit Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. (area/side) for residential; 4 sq. ft. for business; 5 sq. ft. for industrial | — | — | Two per site | Two per site | — | 1146.03(c)(12) |
| Flag | — | 60 sq. ft. | — | Minimum setback equal to pole height | — | On premises | — | 1146.03(c)(13) |
| Community Activity/Special Event Sign | — | 6 sq. ft. signs may be placed fifteen feet (15') from the edge of the road; Signs larger than six (6) square feet not to exceed twenty seven (27) square feet are restricted to no more than four (4) within the city | — | Six (6) square foot signs may be placed fifteen feet (15') from the edge of the road; Signs larger than six (6) square feet may be placed fifteen feet (15') from the edge of the road and in intersections must be twenty feet (20') from the edge of both roads | Maximum of twenty (20) offsite | Maximum of twenty (20) offsite | — | 1146.03(c)(14) |

## Prohibited signs in Ontario

- No signs are permitted within the public right of way.
- No roof signs.
- No beacons.
- No banners larger than 27 square feet.
- No accessory signs off of the premises.

## Signs exempt from permit in Ontario

- Traffic control or other regulatory signs erected by federal, state, county, township, or city governmental authority.
- Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable state or local law, regulation, ordinance, or court.
- Signs advocating political, religious, or philosophical points of view located on private property.
- Temporary signs, banners, or decorations customarily associated with or in recognition of holidays, personal celebrations, or achievements such as birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings, grand openings, and similar activities located on the premises of the event and not displayed for more than thirty (30) days.
- Hand-held signs.
- Temporary signs promoting institution activities and non-profit activities located on private property, not displayed for more than fourteen (14) days, not in the right-of-way, and with a maximum size of 60.4 sq. ft.
- Any announcements for City wide activities held by the City.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Signs located within the seventy five foot (75') setback from right-of-way or closest to the road will still have to go through the sign plan process, area fee and variance if required.
- Permit must be filed with the City of Ontario Zoning Inspector indicating all information required on existing sign permit, address of where sign is to be located, a site plan with measurements as to where sign will be placed and length of time sign will be in that location.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Ontario, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Ontario+OH&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-ontario

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