# Sign Regulations in Sumter, South Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Sumter, South Carolina (SC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/south-carolina/sumter
- **Data last verified:** 2025-08-25
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://www.sumtersc.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/Departments/Planning/CityOrdinances/article_8_city.pdf#page=17)

## At a glance

Sumter, South Carolina regulates 16 sign types across 12 zoning districts. Flag (Flagpole)s in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at Limited by zoning district building height unless special exception. tall and Proportional to height (up to 24 sq. ft. for up to 25 ft pole, 40 sq. ft. up to 39 ft pole, 60 sq. ft. to 49 ft, 96 sq. ft. to 59 ft, 150 sq. ft. for 60'+), with a Setback equal to pole height from property line. setback (Sec. 8.h.10). Most commercial signs in Sumter require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (12 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | Limited by zoning district building height unless special exception. | 130 sq. ft. | — |
| Residential Districts (GR, R-6, R-9, R-15, RMF) | 3 | 20 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — |
| Non-Residential Uses in Residential Districts (GR, R-6, R-9, R-15, RMF) | 2 | 20 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — |
| Professional Office (PO) | 6 | 15 ft. | 130 sq. ft. | — |
| Neighborhood Commercial (NC) | 6 | 30 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — |
| Limited Commercial (LC), General Commercial (GC) | 5 | 30 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — |
| Central Business District (CBD) | 5 | 15 ft. | 130 sq. ft. | — |
| Residential uses in Commercial Districts (PO, NC, LC, GC, CBD) | 2 | — | 6 sq. ft. | — |
| Light Industrial-Warehouse (LI-W), Heavy Industrial (HI) | 2 | 15 ft. | 150 sq. ft. | — |
| Agricultural Conservation (AC) | 2 | 10 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — |
| Conservation/Preservation (CP) | 1 | 10 ft. | 36 sq. ft. | — |
| Highway Corridor Protection District (HCPD) | 1 | 35 ft. | 300 sq. ft. (+60 sq. ft. embellishments for billboards) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 12 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Address Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Building wall or freestanding; must be conspicuous from abutting street frontage. | — | 8.h.2.g, Exhibit 8-9 Note 2 |
| Off-Premise Business Directional Sign | — | 16 sq. ft. | — | 5 ft from all property lines | — | Off-premise but within 500 ft of the business; not in residential districts | — | 8.h.4.b |
| Flag (Flagpole) | Limited by zoning district building height unless special exception. | Proportional to height (up to 24 sq. ft. for up to 25 ft pole, 40 sq. ft. up to 39 ft pole, 60 sq. ft. to 49 ft, 96 sq. ft. to 59 ft, 150 sq. ft. for 60'+) | — | Setback equal to pole height from property line. | Up to 9 flags per lot, max 3 per pole, max 3 flagpoles | On flagpole in ground; mast arm flagpoles permitted (max length 10 ft, flag hoist side max. 40% of pole length) | — | 8.h.10 |
| Directional Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. | — | — | — | On-site | — | 8.h.8, Exhibit 8-9 Note 4 |
| Canopy Sign | — | 130 sq. ft. | — | — | — | On building canopy | — | 8.h.8, Exhibit 8-9 |
| Fuel Pump/Oil Rack Sign | — | 3 sq. ft. per sign | — | — | — | On fuel pump or oil rack | — | 8.h.8 |

### Professional Office (PO)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 15 ft. | 50 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft. from property line | — | On premises | — | Exhibit 8-5 |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Building wall | — | Exhibit 8-5 |
| Canopy Sign | — | 130 sq. ft. | — | — | — | Building canopy | — | Exhibit 8-9 |
| Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On marquee | — | Exhibit 8-9 |
| Banner | — | 60 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft. from property lines | 1 per business at one time | On premises; not to interfere with site triangles | — | 8.h.6.c.5, Exhibit 8-9 |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 5 ft. (if >30,000 sq. ft.) | 6 sq. ft. per face (20 sq. ft. per face for lots >30,000 sq. ft. principal structure) | — | 5 ft. from all property lines, outside sight triangles | 1 per street frontage | On commercial zoned property | — | 8.h.6.c.1, Exhibit 8-9 |

### Neighborhood Commercial (NC)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 30 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft. from property line | — | On premises | — | Exhibit 8-5 |
| Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building wall | — | Exhibit 8-5 |
| Canopy Sign | — | 130 sq. ft. | — | — | — | On building canopy | — | Exhibit 8-9 |
| Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On marquee | — | Exhibit 8-9 |
| Banner | — | 60 sq. ft. | — | 10 ft. from property lines | 1 per business at one time | On premises; not to interfere with site triangles | — | 8.h.6.c.5, Exhibit 8-9 |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 5 ft. (if >30,000 sq. ft.) | 6 sq. ft. per face (20 sq. ft. per face for lots >30,000 sq. ft. principal structure) | — | 5 ft. from all property lines, outside sight triangles | 1 per street frontage | On commercial zoned property | — | 8.h.6.c.1, Exhibit 8-9 |

## Prohibited signs in Sumter

- Prohibit all signs not expressly permitted in these regulations.
- Any sign displaying intermittent or flashing illumination or lights of changing degrees of intensity. However, reader boards may communicate an electronic message provided that the message not change more than every 2 seconds.
- Any sign or advertising device applied to a fence, power or telephone pole, tree, stone, or any natural object.
- Signs placed or painted on a motor vehicle, trailer, or other object and parked with the primary purpose of providing a sign not otherwise allowed by this Ordinance.
- Inflatable signs and tethered balloons.
- Pennants and fluttering devices.
- Portable signs other than the sandwich board signs which are permitted as a temporary sign in Article 8.h.6.a.
- Florescent colors may not be used. All normal colors used in a skillfully designed sign are permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Sumter

- Allow signs that are small and incidental to the principal use of the property on which they are located without a requirement for a permit.
- 2 flags per lot may be displayed by hanging or painting on the exterior of a structure in addition to flags permitted on flagpoles. No permits or fees are required for flags.
- A maximum of 9 flagpole flags may be displayed on one lot. Not more than 3 flags may be displayed per pole not more than 3 flagpoles on one lot. No permit or fee is required.
- No permits or fees are required for flags.
- Political signs: A sign permit is not required for political signs.
- 1 free-standing sign with a 6 sq. ft. maximum area is allowed on any residentially used parcels without sign permit approval.
- 1 additional free-standing sign with a 20 sq. ft. area maximum is permitted on all non-residentially used parcels. No permit is required.
- Directional signs are allowed without a sign permit if they do not exceed 2 sq. ft. (Commercial message or logo may be included).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Require a sign plan to be submitted along with each site plan as part of the initial steps in the planning process.
- Permit system established for a variety of signs in commercial and industrial zones, and a limited variety in residential zones.
- A sign may be erected, placed, created, or maintained in the City only in conformance with the standards, procedures, and requirements of these regulations.
- If the letter 'P' appears for a sign type in a column, then the sign is allowed with sign permit approval in the zoning classification represented by that column. If 'P*' appears, then the sign is allowed with no permit approval required.
- Conditional Use approval required for some temporary commercial banners and sandwich board signs.
- Permanent signs must be established in accordance with the development standards outlined in Exhibit 8-5 and Exhibit 8-6 unless standards are provided elsewhere in Article 8.h.
- Sign types must be in accordance with the development standards outlined in Exhibit 8-6 unless standards are provided elsewhere in Article 8.h.

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

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