# Sign Regulations in Anderson, South Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Anderson, South Carolina (SC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/south-carolina/anderson
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/SC/Anderson/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=COOR_APXAZO_ARTXIISI)

## At a glance

Anderson, South Carolina regulates 17 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Single-Tenant Monument Signs in the NP, NC, LO, Neighborhood/Professional/Local Office Districts (NP, NC, LO) zoning district are capped at 5 ft tall and 25 sq ft, with a Min 5 ft from property lines, rights-of-way, or easements setback (Sec. Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(B)). Most commercial signs in Anderson require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RA, R-40, R-20, R-15, R-10, R-5, Residential Districts (RA, R-40, R-20, R-15, R-10, R-5) | 4 | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — |
| RG, RM-10, RM-18, Multifamily Residential Districts (RG, RM-10, RM-18) | 5 | 6 ft | 6 sq ft | — |
| NP, NC, LO, Neighborhood/Professional/Local Office Districts (NP, NC, LO) | 13 | 12 ft or roofline (whichever is less) | 80 sq ft (aggregate), 60 sq ft (individual) | — |
| CBD, Central Business District (CBD) | 9 | 12 ft or roofline (whichever is less) | 80 sq ft per lane (aggregate), 60 sq ft per sign | — |
| GC, LI, HI, General Commercial and Industrial Districts (GC, LI, HI) | 13 | 16 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | — | — |

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

### NP, NC, LO, Neighborhood/Professional/Local Office Districts (NP, NC, LO)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | May not protrude above sill of second-story windows | 10% of wall face | — | — | Single-tenant: Up to 3 (one per facade); multi-tenant: one per tenant | Building facade | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(A) |
| Single-Tenant Monument Sign | 5 ft | 25 sq ft | — | Min 5 ft from property lines, rights-of-way, or easements | 1 per lot frontage | Minimum 5 ft from property lines, rights-of-way, utility easements | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(B) |
| Multi-Tenant Monument Sign | 10 ft | 50 sq ft | — | Min 5 ft from property lines, right-of-way, easements | 1 per lot frontage | — | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(C) |
| Projecting Sign | 12 ft or roofline (whichever is less) | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per ground floor tenant | May project over ROW | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(E) |
| On-Site Traffic Directional Sign | 4 ft | 4 sq ft | — | Min 5' from property lines, rights-of-way, utility easements | As determined by director | — | — | Table 12-02 (●); Sec. 12.4(G) |
| Fuel Pump Canopy Sign | May not protrude above or below the canopy | 20 sq ft | — | — | Max 3 per canopy, 1 per facade | On canopy | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(H) |
| Drive-Through Sign | 10 ft | 80 sq ft (aggregate), 60 sq ft (individual) | — | — | 2 per lane | Within 5 ft of drive-through lane | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(I) |
| A-Frame/Sandwich Board Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per single-tenant or tenant of multi-tenant bldg | Within 6 ft of building entrance | — | Table 12-02 (○); Sec. 12.5(E) |

### CBD, Central Business District (CBD)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Not to protrude above sill of 2nd-story windows | 5% of wall face | — | — | Up to 3 for single-tenant (1 per facade); 1 per tenant in multi-tenant | Building facade | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(A) |
| Projecting Sign | 12 ft or roofline (whichever is less) | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per ground floor tenant | May project over right-of-way with approval | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(E) |
| Window Sign, Permanent | — | 4 sq ft or 25% of window area | — | — | — | On window | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(F) |
| On-Site Traffic Directional Sign | 4 ft | 4 sq ft | — | Min 5' from property line, ROW, or utility easement | As determined by director | — | — | Table 12-02 (●); Sec. 12.4(G) |
| Fuel Pump Canopy Sign | Cannot protrude above or below canopy | 20 sq ft | — | — | 3 per canopy (1 per facade) | On canopy | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(H) |
| Drive-Through Sign | 10 ft | 80 sq ft per lane (aggregate), 60 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 per lane | Within 5 ft of drive-through lane | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.4(I) |
| Wall-Mounted Banner Sign | — | 5 sq ft | — | — | Single tenant: 1; multi-tenant: 1/tenant; max 3 per property | Affixed to building only | — | Table 12-02, Sec. 12.5(B) |
| A-Frame/Sandwich Board Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per tenant | Within 6 ft of entrance | — | Table 12-02 (○); Sec. 12.5(E) |

### GC, LI, HI, General Commercial and Industrial Districts (GC, LI, HI)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Not above sill of second-story windows | 15% of wall face | — | — | Up to 3 (single tenant, one per facade); one per tenant in multi-tenant | Building facade | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(A) |
| Single-Tenant Monument Sign | 8 ft | 50 sq ft | — | 5 ft from property lines, rights-of-way, and utility easements | 1 per lot frontage | Min 5 ft from property line, ROW, or utility easement | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(B) |
| Multi-Tenant Monument Sign | 16 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 5 ft from property lines, rights-of-way, utility easements | 1 per lot frontage | — | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(C) |
| Projecting Sign | 12 ft or roofline (whichever less) | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 per ground floor tenant | May project over ROW | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(E) |
| On-Site Traffic Directional Sign | 4 ft | 4 sq ft | — | 5 ft from property lines, ROW, utility easements | As needed | — | — | Table 12-02 (●); Sec. 12.4(G) |
| Fuel Pump Canopy Sign | Not above/below canopy | 20 sq ft | — | — | 3 per canopy (1 per facade) | On canopy | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(H) |
| Drive-Through Sign | 10 ft | 80 sq ft per lane (aggregate); no sign over 60 sq ft | — | — | 2 per lane | Within 5 ft of drive-through lane | — | Table 12-02; Sec. 12.4(I) |
| A-Frame/Sandwich Board Sign | 4 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per tenant | Within 6 ft of building entrance | — | Table 12-02 (○); Sec. 12.5(E) |

## Prohibited signs in Anderson

- Off-premises outdoor advertising signs are prohibited.
- Feather signs are prohibited.
- Pole/pylon signs are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Marquee signs are prohibited.
- Outline/rope lighting is prohibited.
- Signs attached to a utility pole, a tree, a fence, a standpipe, gutter, drain or fire escape are prohibited.
- Signs erected so as to impair access to a roof are prohibited.
- Signs located, erected or maintained upon, over, or project into any public or private right-of-way or easement unless otherwise allowed by this ordinance are prohibited.
- Pennants, streamers, and portable signs not specifically permitted or allowed by this ordinance are prohibited.
- Signs (not specifically permitted or allowed by this ordinance) which move or have moving parts, whether caused by wind or mechanically, are prohibited.
- Signs in conflict with traffic signals, vehicular or pedestrian travel, access to fire hydrants and fire lanes/exits, or signs that impede or impair public health, safety, and welfare are prohibited.
- Signs on vehicles, boats, or trailers parked so as to be visible from a public right-of-way are prohibited.
- Attention getting devices are prohibited.
- Signs hung across any street or alley are prohibited.
- Signs painted on or otherwise affixed to fences are prohibited.
- Text or graphics of an indecent or immoral nature and harmful to minors are prohibited.
- Text or graphics that advertise unlawful activity are prohibited.
- Text or graphics that are obscene, fighting words, defamation, incitement to imminent lawless action, or true threats are prohibited.
- Text or graphics that present a clear and present danger due to their potential confusion with traffic control signs or public safety information signs (e.g., use of 'Stop,' 'Yield,' 'Caution,' or 'Danger' to imply a safety hazard that does not exist) are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Anderson

- Yard signs in residential districts displayed for a period of 48 hours or less are exempt from the requirements of Section 12.5.
- Temporary wall-mounted banner or ground-mounted temporary signs do not require a sign permit if the property is actively marketed for sale or lease, provided all requirements of Section 12.5 are met.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Irregularly shaped lots with minimal lot frontage may petition for additional aggregate sign area through the comprehensive sign plan process (Section 12.3(C)).
- A comprehensive sign plan may be elected for any building or development; after approval, no permanent sign shall be erected, placed, or maintained except in conformance with the comprehensive sign plan (Section 12.11(B)).
- The director may approve alternate color schemes for monument signs as part of a comprehensive sign plan.
- Comprehensive sign plan applications in historic overlay districts are reviewed by the board of architectural review; in all other districts, they are reviewed by the planning commission, with appeals to the board of zoning appeals (Section 12.11(F)-(G)).

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

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