# Sign Regulations in Blythewood, South Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Blythewood, South Carolina (SC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/south-carolina/blythewood
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/SC/Blythewood/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CD_ORD_TITIXGERE_CH91SMPUPLPLEM_S91.09POSI)

## At a glance

Blythewood, South Carolina regulates 12 sign types across 15 zoning districts. Sandwich Board Signs in the Neighborhood Office District (NO), Neighborhood Commercial District (NC), Multi-Neighborhood Office District (MO), Multi-Neighborhood Commercial District (MC) zoning district are capped at 3 ft. tall, 6 sq. ft. (3 ft. tall × 2 ft. wide), and 2 ft. wide, with a At least 5 ft outside right-of-way setback (Sec. Section 155.430(S)). Most commercial signs in Blythewood require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (15 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rural Estate District (RE) | 3 | 6 ft. | 32 sq. ft. per side | — |
| Rural District (RU) | 3 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Low Density Residential District (R-40) | 3 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Low Density Residential District (R-20) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Development District (D-1) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Single-Family Residential District (R-12) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| One- and Two-Family Residential District (R-8) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| General Residential District (R-5) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Neighborhood Office District (NO), Neighborhood Commercial District (NC), Multi-Neighborhood Office District (MO), Multi-Neighborhood Commercial District (MC) | 7 | 8 ft. | 50% of window area | — |
| Town Center District (TC), Community Commercial District (CC) | 4 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. (64 sq. ft. for multiple occupancy in TC/CC) | — |
| Light Industrial Research Park District (LIRP), Limited Industrial District (LI), Basic Industrial District (BI), Limited Industrial 2 District (LI-2) | 2 | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Planned Development District (PD) | 1 | As set in approved plan, but cannot exceed district max (8 ft. or as noted for I-77 Overlay) | Not greater than allowed by 155.425 et seq. | — |
| Architectural Overlay District (AO) | 1 | See underlying zoning | See underlying zoning district; may be further restricted by AO or certificate of appropriateness | — |
| Traditional Recreation Open Space (TROS) District | 1 | — | Regulated per sign section | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | 32 sq. ft. | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 15 zones)

### Rural District (RU)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | 5 ft. from right-of-way, 15 ft. from lot line | One per street front, up to two per parcel | On property, minimum 5 ft. from street right-of-way, 15 ft. from adjacent lot line. | — | Chart 1, section 155.428; Chart 2, section 155.429 |
| Wall Sign | — | 20 sq. ft. | — | — | One per building wall that fronts on a public street | Building wall | — | Chart 1, section 155.428; Chart 2, section 155.429 |
| Temporary Sign | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | One per street front | On property, subject to event duration | — | Section 155.428(D); Chart 1, 155.428 |

### Neighborhood Office District (NO), Neighborhood Commercial District (NC), Multi-Neighborhood Office District (MO), Multi-Neighborhood Commercial District (MC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | 5 ft. from right-of-way, 15 ft. from adjacent lot line | 1 per street front, max 2 per parcel | Minimum 5 ft. behind right-of-way, 15 ft. from adjacent lot line, 15 ft. from residential lot if abutting. | — | Section 155.428(A)(1); Chart 1, Chart 2 |
| Wall Sign | — | 20 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per wall facing public street | On each building wall fronting a public street | — | Section 155.429, Chart 1 and section 155.428(B)(1)(d) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | See additional requirements | Projecting from building, not more than 6 ft.; min. 7 ft. clearance to ground | — | Section 155.428(A)(4) |
| Canopy/Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On canopy/awning | — | Section 155.428(A)(3) |
| Window Sign | — | 50% of window area | — | — | — | In window | — | Section 155.430(K) |
| Temporary Sign | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per street front | On property; attached to structure for banners | — | Section 155.428(D) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. (3 ft. tall × 2 ft. wide) | 2 ft. | At least 5 ft outside right-of-way | 1 per business | On business lot, at least 5 ft outside right-of-way | — | Section 155.430(S) |

### Town Center District (TC), Community Commercial District (CC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 8 ft. | 32 sq. ft. (64 sq. ft. for multiple occupancy in TC/CC) | — | 5 ft. from right-of-way, 15 ft. from adjacent lot line | 1 per street front, 2 per parcel | Minimum 5 ft. behind right-of-way, 15 ft. from adjacent lot line; 15 ft. from residential lot line if abutting | — | Section 155.428(A)(1); Chart 1 |
| Wall Sign | — | 20 sq. ft.; or 15% of ground floor area (TC/CC), not to exceed 20 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per wall facing public street | Building wall facing public street | — | Section 155.428(B) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 10 sq. ft. | — | — | See additional requirements | Projecting from building, not more than 6 ft.; min. 7 ft. clearance to ground | — | Section 155.428(A)(4) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. (3 ft. tall x 2 ft. wide) | 2 ft. | 5 ft. outside right-of-way | 1 per business | On business lot, at least 5 ft. outside right-of-way; during business hours only | — | Section 155.430(S) |

## Prohibited signs in Blythewood

- It is unlawful to erect, construct, place, display, repair, structurally alter, enlarge, move or replace any sign without a sign permit from the zoning administrator, unless exempted.
- Placement or display of any sign on any curb, sidewalk (except where otherwise permitted), post, pole, hydrant, bridge, tree, or other surface located on, over, or across any public street or right-of-way, or on stakes on a property, is prohibited unless otherwise permitted.
- No sign shall obstruct the view of bicyclists or motorists using any street, or interfere with effectiveness of or obscure any traffic sign, device, or signal.
- Illuminated, highly reflective signs or spot lights which hamper the vision of motorists or bicyclists are prohibited.
- Signs located outdoors which interfere with free passage from or obstruct any fire escape, downspout, window, door, stairway, ladder or opening intended as a means of ingress or egress or providing light or air are prohibited.
- No sign (excluding government signs) may be intentionally placed to deny an adjoining property owner visual access to an existing sign.
- Flashing, rotating, or blinking signs, signs with flashing or reflective disks, signs with lights of changing intensity or color, or electrically scrolled messages, are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Off premises signs are prohibited.
- Inflatable signs, including balloons over two feet in diameter, are prohibited.
- Video displays, electronic changeable copy signs (outside of designated overlay districts), and electronic graphic display signs are prohibited.
- Signs with no sign copy (blank signs) are prohibited.
- No sign shall be placed on a piece of property without permission of its owner or agent.
- All ground-mounted signs must be located a minimum of five feet behind the street right-of-way.
- No ground-mounted sign greater than five square feet in area may be closer than 15 feet to any adjacent lot line or to a residential district.
- Nonconforming signs may not be moved, replaced, enlarged, or have their nonconformity increased.
- If a nonconforming sign is removed, taken down, moved, or destroyed, it may only be replaced by a conforming sign.
- If a nonconforming sign remains blank for 30 days, it shall be deemed abandoned and must be removed or brought into compliance within 30 days.
- No more than one projecting sign is permitted per building frontage (with exceptions for multiple occupancy buildings, but with spacing).
- Illuminated tubing outlining property lines, open sales areas, or parking areas is prohibited, except for tubing integrated into an original architectural feature upon architectural board approval.

## Signs exempt from permit in Blythewood

- Signs erected by or on behalf of the city, county, state, or federal government identifying streets or public property, conveying public information, and directing or regulating pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Memorial signs, plaques, or grave markers which are noncommercial in nature and erected by or on behalf of government entities.
- Flags, pennants, insignia, or religious symbols of any government or non-profit/non-for-profit organization, not displayed in connection with a commercial promotion or as an advertising device (with limitations on size and number per site).
- Integral decorative or architectural features of buildings, as long as they do not contain letters, trademarks, moving parts, or lights.
- On-premise directional and traffic flow signs not exceeding four square feet in area each and not exceeding the number of ingress and egress points.
- Identification signs for residential uses not exceeding four square feet in area (one per premises).
- Campaign and election signs not exceeding 20 square feet, erected no sooner than 30 days before the election and removed within seven days after.
- Temporary real estate signs advertising a specific property for sale, lease, rent, or development as specified (size and number limits, on premises, not illuminated).
- Temporary construction signs within size and contextual limits (and post-construction removal), per section requirements.
- One on-premise garage sale sign and up to two off-premise directional signs per garage sale, limited duration and size, not in right-of-way.
- Window signs proportional to scale, covering less than 50% of window area, and not obscuring vision at critical heights.
- "Warning", "No Trespassing", and similar informational signs not over four square feet.
- Signs located within a stadium intended only for persons within the stadium.
- Any sign inside a building, not attached to or placed within an external window or glass, and not legible more than three feet beyond the building.
- Signs placed on newspaper boxes designed for newspaper delivery.
- Historical plaques mounted per the US Secretary of the Interior's specifications.
- Changing or replacing sign copy on an existing lawful sign (if nature/structure isn't changed to render nonconforming); change of business does require permit.
- Inconspicuous signs (not visible externally or from public right-of-way).
- One sandwich board sign for onsite business use during operating hours; maximum three feet tall and two feet wide per face, constructed for stability, not blocking visibility, placed at least five feet outside right-of-way.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A permit issued by the zoning administrator is required to erect, construct, enlarge, move, or replace any sign, except for those exempted by section 155.430.
- Applications for sign permits must include a sketch (dimensions, shape, proposed location) and any information required for compliance evaluation; one copy is provided post-approval/denial.
- For changeable copy signs and electronic changeable copy signs, additional restrictions and architectural review (Certificate of Appropriateness) are required in the architectural overlay district.
- Development plans, including site plans, may require a sign plan or sign package to be submitted for subdivisions or group developments, notably in the AO district (see 155.503(B)).
- Within the AO (architectural overlay) district, a Certificate of Appropriateness is required prior to issuance of a zoning or building permit for signs (and most exterior features).
- Nonconforming signs must be brought into compliance: by January 26, 2016, for general ground-mounted signs, and by January 26, 2020, for those in the I-77 sign overlay district.
- Appeals of sign permit decisions are made to the board of zoning appeals; variances may be granted by the board, except for Certificate of Appropriateness decisions by the architectural review board, which are not eligible for variance.
- Removal of signs: insecure signs, unpermitted signs, signs not conforming to International Building/Fire Codes, or signs advertising no longer active businesses must be removed by the owner per instructions from the zoning administrator.
- A sign design package is specifically required for group developments and subdivisions applying for a Certificate of Appropriateness from the architectural review board (section 155.503(B)).
- Board of Architectural Review review required for any sign in historic or AO districts—application should include complete sign plans, including material, color, placement, scale, and method of attachment.

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

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