# Sign Regulations in Banks, Oregon

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Banks, Oregon (OR)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/oregon/banks
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-19

## At a glance

Banks, Oregon regulates 29 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Drive Through Menu Boards in the Commercial Zones zoning district are capped at 8 ft tall and 30 sq ft, with a Not placed in required setbacks setback (Sec. §39.07(C)(12)). Most commercial signs in Banks 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 | 2 | 3 ft above ground | 4 sq ft | — |
| Residential Zones | 7 | 6 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Commercial Zones | 13 | 42 in | 60% of window area | — |
| Industrial Zone | 6 | 42 in | 300 sq ft per wall sign | — |
| MU (Mixed-Use) Zone | 6 | 42 in | 50 sq ft | — |
| CF (Community Facilities) Zone | 7 | 42 in | 120 sq ft (individual wall sign allowed up to 120 sq ft) | — |

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

### Residential Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Portable Sign (Public Right-of-Way) | 4 ft above average grade | 2.5 ft x 2.5 ft (6.25 sq ft) | 2.5 ft | — | — | On sidewalk, within 6 inches of curb, outside driving and parking areas | — | §39.06(A)(2) |
| Monument Sign (Subdivision Entrance) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | At entrance to subdivision, on a separate non-developable tract owned/maintained by HOA | — | §39.06(B)(1)(a), (C) |
| Monument Sign (Apartment Complex Entrance) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | — | At entrance to apartment complex | — | §39.06(B)(1)(b), (C) |
| Other Sign (Residential Lot) | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On one residential lot | — | §39.06(B)(2), (C) |
| Bulletin Board, Reader Board, or Monument Sign (Non-residential Use, Lot ≤5,000 sq ft) | 6 ft | 25 sq ft | — | — | — | Associated with lawful non-residential use on lot ≤5,000 sq ft | — | §39.06(B)(3), (C) |
| Entrance Sign (Multiple-Family Development, ≥4 units) | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each entrance to multi-family building complex | — | §39.06(B)(4), (C) |
| Map Sign (Multiple-Family Development, ≥4 units) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each entrance to multi-family building complex | — | §39.06(B)(4), (C) |

### Commercial Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 36 sq ft per wall sign; total per facade not to exceed 15% of facade’s area | — | — | 1 per business per property | On building wall | — | §39.07(C)(1), (A) |
| Portable Sign | 42 in | 7 sq ft (sign face: ≤2’ wide and ≤42” tall) | 2 ft | — | 1 per business | Public right-of-way, within 6 in of curb, outside driving/parking areas | — | §39.07(C)(2) |
| Electronic Reader Board Sign (LED Only) | 25 ft above grade | 20 sq ft message area | — | — | 1 per property | On property | — | §39.07(C)(3) |
| Monument Sign | 5 ft above grade | 40 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | On lot | — | §39.07(C)(7) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 16 sq ft per face; width 36 in; support structure no more than 42 in from wall | 36 in (sign face); support structure max 42 in projection | — | — | Building at property line, extends over public right-of-way | — | §39.07(C)(8) |
| Directory Sign (Freestanding or Wall Mounted) | 5 ft | 12 sq ft | — | — | 1 per premise | Freestanding or wall mounted; for multi-tenant buildings | — | §39.07(C)(10) |
| Drive Through Menu Board | 8 ft | 30 sq ft | — | Not placed in required setbacks | Up to 2 per drive-through | Outside required setbacks at drive-through | — | §39.07(C)(12) |
| Hanging Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business storefront | Above pathway in front of business storefront | — | §39.07(C)(13) |

### CF (Community Facilities) Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 120 sq ft (individual wall sign allowed up to 120 sq ft) | — | — | — | On building per abutting street frontage | — | §39.10(B)(1) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 ft | 120 sq ft | — | — | 1 per building; up to 2 per building site complex | Per building (freestanding), or complex | — | §39.10(B)(2) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per customer entrance | Per customer entrance | — | §39.10(B)(3) |
| Business Complex Sign | 8 ft | 120 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On street frontage | — | §39.10(B)(4) |
| Portable Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | §39.10(B)(5) |
| Directional Sign | 42 in | 6 sq ft per sign side | — | — | 1 per entrance/exit | Entrance/exit | — | §39.10(B)(6) |
| Electronic Reader Board Sign (LED Only) | 25 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per property | On property | — | §39.10(B)(7) |

## Prohibited signs in Banks

- Signs that constitute a public or private nuisance.
- Signs that do not comply with BCO § 39.05 (General Requirements).
- Billboards shall not be allowed in the City of Banks or the Urban Growth Boundary.
- Signs attached to, painted on, or carved into a tree, a utility pole or a traffic pole.
- Search lights, flashing or rotating lights.
- Inflatable signs.
- Any sign for which a city permit is required, and the permit has either expired or not been obtained.
- Signs that are abandoned, discontinued or no longer in good repair or a threat to public safety.
- Any sign on or attached to a vehicle or trailer parked on a public right-of-way with a display larger than two square feet.
- Any sign located on someone else’s property that has not given permission for the sign to be located there.
- Permanent signs in the public right-of-way and any temporary sign in the public right-of-way where the person responsible for the sign either failed to register first with the city or the person’s identification information is not affixed to the sign as required by § 39.03.
- No sign shall be insecurely erected, or constructed so as to constitute a safety hazard, fire hazard or a nuisance.
- No sign shall physically obstruct any door, window or building exit; obstruct or interfere with intersection sight distance for vehicles exiting a driveway or street; obstruct or interfere with public's ability to view government signs; be confused with a government sign due to size, location, movement, content, or coloring; interfere with traffic, visibility or passage within the public right-of-way, including vehicle travel lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes; obstruct free ingress to or egress from anything required for access or emergency; reduce sidewalk passage to less than three feet or interfere with opening of parked car doors.
- Flashing, strobes and rotating lights are prohibited in all situations.
- Any sign erected or maintained which, by use of lights or illumination, creates an unduly distracting and hazardous condition to a motorist, pedestrian or the general public.
- No sign shall be erected on property or a structure (e.g., building or utility pole) owned by someone other than the person responsible for the sign without express written consent of the property’s owner.
- All prohibited signs and signs that do not have a valid sign permit when one is required are unlawful and shall be removed.
- Any sign that is structurally altered, relocated or replaced shall be brought into compliance with all applicable requirements, including permit requirements.
- None of the prohibited signs listed in BCO § 39.02(B) is allowed through a variance procedure.

## Signs exempt from permit in Banks

- Signs not visible from a public right-of-way, provided they are erected and maintained in accordance with this chapter.
- Government signs.
- Signs inside a building, except for strobe lights, flashing or similar lights visible from a public right-of-way or another private property or audible from a public right-of-way or another private property.
- Signs carved into or part of materials that are an integral part of a building.
- Customary holiday decorations.
- Murals.
- Flags less than 100 square feet in area.
- Signs attached to or carried by a person.
- Signs required by law or legal action, including signs warning of hazardous or dangerous conditions on a property and land use application and hearing notices.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A permit is required for all signs unless exempted by BCO § 39.02(A).
- Permit applications must include a complete description, scale drawing, location, responsible parties, and any plans or information necessary to establish code compliance.
- The City Manager may impose additional or waive certain submission requirements depending upon sign type, location, or circumstance.
- The Manager may require additional review, such as building, foundation or electrical permits depending on the nature of the sign proposed.
- Any sign that is structurally altered, relocated or replaced shall be brought into compliance with all code requirements, including the requirement to obtain a permit.
- Variances to numeric or dimensional requirements may be granted as an administrative review in connection with a sign permit application but prohibited signs may not be granted variances.
- Temporary signs do not require a permit so long as they meet the definitional requirements of a temporary sign.
- A single unlit permanent sign per private property, with no one display surface area exceeding 4 square feet, does not require a permit if not otherwise prohibited.
- Signs exempted under BCO § 39.02(A) do not require a permit.
- There is no mention of a required 'master sign plan' or 'comprehensive sign plan' process in these sections.

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

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