# Sign Regulations in Steubenville, Ohio

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Steubenville, Ohio (OH)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/ohio/steubenville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-11
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/steubenville/latest/steubenville_oh/0-0-0-36184)

## At a glance

Steubenville, Ohio regulates 11 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 40 feet tall and 150 square feet, with a 15 feet from street right-of-way setback (Sec. 1185.40(c)(2)). Most commercial signs in Steubenville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 11 | 40 feet | 672 square feet | — |
| R-4 | 1 | — | 100 square feet | — |
| Commercial District (B-1, B-2, B-2A, B-3, B-4, B-5) | 11 | 40 feet | 672 square feet | — |
| Industrial District (I-1, I-1A, I-2, I-3) | 11 | 40 feet | 672 square feet | — |
| River Conservation District (C-2) | 11 | 40 feet | 672 square feet | — |
| Public and Semi-Public District (P) | 11 | 40 feet | 672 square feet | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One wall sign per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 40 feet | 150 square feet | — | 15 feet from street right-of-way | One freestanding sign per business occupancy | — | — | 1185.40(c)(2) |
| Canopy and Marquee Sign | — | 25% of the face area of the canopy or marquee | — | — | Two per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(3) |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(4) |
| Roof Sign | 25 feet above the roof at the point of mounting | 672 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | 1185.40(c)(5) |
| Advertising Sign or Billboard | — | 500 square feet | 25 feet | 25 feet from street right-of-way | One per 500 feet of street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(8) |
| Directional Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | Two per street entrance | — | — | 1185.40(c)(9) |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | 15 feet from curb or street line | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(10) |

### Commercial District (B-1, B-2, B-2A, B-3, B-4, B-5)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One wall sign per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 40 feet | 150 square feet | — | 15 feet from street right-of-way | One freestanding sign per business occupancy | — | — | 1185.40(c)(2) |
| Canopy and Marquee Sign | — | 25% of the face area of the canopy or marquee | — | — | Two per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(3) |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(4) |
| Roof Sign | 25 feet above the roof at the point of mounting | 672 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | 1185.40(c)(5) |
| Advertising Sign or Billboard | — | 500 square feet | 25 feet | 25 feet from street right-of-way | One per 500 feet of street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(8) |
| Directional Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | Two per street entrance | — | — | 1185.40(c)(9) |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | 15 feet from curb or street line | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(10) |

### Industrial District (I-1, I-1A, I-2, I-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 square feet | — | — | One wall sign per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 40 feet | 150 square feet | — | 15 feet from street right-of-way | One freestanding sign per business occupancy | — | — | 1185.40(c)(2) |
| Canopy and Marquee Sign | — | 25% of the face area of the canopy or marquee | — | — | Two per business frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(3) |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(4) |
| Roof Sign | 25 feet above the roof at the point of mounting | 672 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | 1185.40(c)(5) |
| Advertising Sign or Billboard | — | 500 square feet | 25 feet | 25 feet from street right-of-way | One per 500 feet of street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(8) |
| Directional Sign | — | 2 square feet | — | — | Two per street entrance | — | — | 1185.40(c)(9) |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | 15 feet from curb or street line | One per street frontage | — | — | 1185.40(c)(10) |

## Prohibited signs in Steubenville

- No signs shall be erected or attached to, suspended from or supported on a building or structure until a permit for the same has been issued by the Building Inspector.
- No sign shall be altered, rebuilt, enlarged, extended or relocated except in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.
- No sign shall be so placed as to obstruct or interfere with any exit way or so as to prevent free passage from one part of a roof to any other part thereof, or so as to interfere with light and ventilation, or so as to obstruct any opening in an exterior wall required for Fire Division access, nor obstruct or be attached to any fire escape.
- Signs located in such a manner as to obstruct or otherwise interfere with an official traffic sign, signal or device; or obstruct or interfere with a driver's view of approaching, merging or intersecting traffic are prohibited.
- Signs attached to any utility pole, light standard, street tree or other public facility located on public lands or within public right-of-ways are prohibited.
- Signs which flash, rotate, blink or are animated by lighting in any fashion that would have the appearance of traffic safety signs and lights, or emergency or municipal vehicle warnings from a distance are prohibited.
- Portable signs except as allowed for temporary signs are prohibited.
- Any sign attached to, or placed on, a vehicle or trailer parked on public or private property, except signs meeting specific conditions, are prohibited.
- Vehicles and trailers are not used primarily as static displays, advertising a product or service, nor utilized as storage, shelter or distribution points for commercial products or services for the general public are prohibited.
- Signs which use a series of two or more free-standing signs placed parallel to a street carrying a single advertising message, part of which is contained on each sign are prohibited.
- Balloons, streamers or pinwheels except those temporarily displayed as part of a special sale, promotion or community event are prohibited.
- Signs which display or depict vulgar, obscene or sexually oriented or explicit words, phrases, symbols, figures or images are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Steubenville

- The provisions of this chapter, except for the required permit and fees, and except as to safety, shall not apply in cases where exemptions are granted under the Ohio Building Code (OBC).
- Official notices authorized by a court, governmental agency or public safety official are exempt.
- Directional, warning, street identification or informational signs authorized by federal, state or local governments are exempt.
- Memorial plaques and building cornerstones when cut or carved into a masonry surface or when made of noncombustible material and made an integral part of the building or structure are exempt.
- Flags and insignias of any governmental agency, school or civic, charitable, religious, fraternal or similar organization are exempt.
- Seasonal decorations within the appropriate public holiday season are exempt.
- Works of fine art displayed in conjunction with a business when the business does not receive direct financial gain from such display are exempt.
- Street address signs or combination nameplate and street address signs containing no other information or material which do not exceed two square feet in size are exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- At the time of application for a building permit, there shall be submitted drawings and specifications indicating the location, type of material and dimensions of the sign and the manner of fastening the sign to the structure, together with any additional specifications or design later deemed necessary by the Building Inspector.

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

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