# Sign Regulations in York, South Carolina

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

- **Jurisdiction:** York, South Carolina (SC)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/south-carolina/york
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-04
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/SC/York/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CH10BU_ARTIVPASEDE_S10-121RESI)

## At a glance

York, South Carolina regulates 15 sign types across 11 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the B-1 zoning district are capped at Special exception tall and Special exception, with a 1 per 400 feet of street frontage setback (Sec. Table XII-2, Table XII-4).

## Sign rules by zoning district (11 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-15, R-12 | 6 | 3 feet | 2 square feet | — |
| R-7 | 6 | 3 feet | 2 square feet | — |
| R-5 | 6 | 3 feet | 2 square feet | — |
| R7MH | 6 | 3 feet | 2 square feet | — |
| MH | 6 | 3 feet | 6 square feet | — |
| TU | 6 | 3 feet | 2 square feet | — |
| IU | 6 | Special exception | Special exception | — |
| B-1 | 8 | Special exception | 200 square feet | — |
| HC | 8 | 6 feet | 500 square feet | — |
| GI | 8 | 6 feet | 500 square feet | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | — | 2 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 11 zones)

### B-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | Special exception | Special exception | — | 1 per 400 feet of street frontage | 1 per 400 feet of street frontage | — | — | Table XII-2, Table XII-4 |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Wall Sign | — | 200 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-3, Table XII-4 |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Flag | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Portable Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |

### HC

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet | 50 square feet | — | Minimum setback of 10 feet | 1 per 400 feet of street frontage | — | — | Table XII-2, Table XII-4 |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Wall Sign | — | 500 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-3, Table XII-4 |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Flag | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Portable Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |

### GI

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 feet | 35 square feet | — | Minimum setback of 11 feet | 1 per 1000 feet of street frontage | — | — | Table XII-2, Table XII-4 |
| Building Marker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Identification Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Temporary Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Wall Sign | — | 500 square feet | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-3, Table XII-4 |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Flag | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |
| Portable Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Table XII-1 |

## Prohibited signs in York

- No person shall place, maintain or display upon or in view of any street any unauthorized sign, signal, marking or device.
- No person shall place or maintain, nor shall any public authority permit upon any street, any traffic sign or signal bearing any commercial advertising.
- All signs not expressly permitted under this ordinance or exempt from regulation are prohibited within the city.
- Signs located in public rights-of-way, except as described in subsection 1.8.
- Signs located in any manner or place so as to constitute a hazard to pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Signs, flags, streamers, banners, or balloons which use wind pressure or motors or mechanical devices for moving or swirling.
- Flashing signs or devices displaying flashing or intermittent lights or lights of changing degrees of intensity, except for time and temperature signs.
- Any illuminated tubing or string of lights except during the Christmas season.
- Portable signs, including any signs painted on or displayed on vehicles or trailers and parked with the primary purpose of providing a sign not otherwise allowed.
- Signs copying or imitating official government signs or which purport to have official government status.
- Roof signs.
- Sign structures no longer containing signs.
- Signs which emit a sound, odor, or visible matter.
- Signs containing statements, words or pictures of obscene, pornographic or immoral character.
- Signs extending above the height of the building roofline features.
- Any sign which obstructs free ingress to or egress from a required door, window, fire escape, or other required exitway.
- Signs imitating traffic or emergency signals.
- Signs using the words 'STOP,' 'DANGER,' or any word, phrase, symbol, or character in a manner that misleads, confuses or distracts a vehicle driver.
- Signs placed on or within any public right-of-way except historical markers or those approved by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
- Signs painted on or attached to any tree, fence post, rock, telephone or utility pole, or painted on the roof of any building.
- Abandoned or dilapidated signs.
- Signs advertising an activity, service, or product no longer produced on the premises where the sign is located.
- Signs painted directly on the wall or any other structural part of a building.
- Signs on private property without consent of the owner.
- Signs in vicinity (within 300 feet) of historical sites or monuments, except pertaining to that particular site or monument, that detract from the visibility of the historic sign.
- Outdoor advertising display.
- Other signs not expressly allowed by these regulations.

## Signs exempt from permit in York

- Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance.
- Any sign that is inside a building, not attached to a window or door, that is not legible from a distance of more than three feet beyond the lot line of the zone lot or parcel on which such sign is located.
- Works of art that do not include a commercial message.
- Holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message, but only between November 15 and January 15.
- Any freestanding municipal gateway sign that has been approved by city council.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- If a sign requiring a permit under the provision of this ordinance is to be placed, constructed, erected, or modified on a zone lot, the owner of the lot shall secure a sign permit prior to the construction, placement, erection, or modification of such a sign.
- No sign permit of any kind shall be issued for an existing or proposed sign unless such sign is consistent with the requirements of this ordinance.
- The owner of a zone lot containing signs requiring a permit under this ordinance shall at all times maintain in force a sign permit for such property.

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

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