# Sign Regulations in Dickson, Tennessee

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Dickson, Tennessee (TN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/dickson
- **Data last verified:** 2025-01-06
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/fc32ce20/files/uploaded/SIGN%20ORDINANCE%20REVISION%202020%20FINAL.pdf)

## At a glance

Dickson, Tennessee regulates 15 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Directional/Informational Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 3 feet tall and 6 square feet (Sec. Section 5.01 (6)). Most commercial signs in Dickson require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 7 | 3 feet | 32 square feet | No |
| Residential Zones (A-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, and R-3A, RPUD) | 3 | 10 feet | 32 square feet | Yes |
| B-1, Office Medical Professional Zones | 3 | 20 feet | 32 square feet | Yes |
| Commercial B-2 District, Downtown Commercial | 4 | 20 feet | 60 square feet | Yes |
| B-3, Highway Commercial | 3 | 40 feet | 200 square feet | Yes |
| B-4, Heavy Commercial | 3 | 40 feet | 200 square feet | Yes |
| M-1, Light Industry | 3 | 40 feet | 200 square feet | Yes |
| M-2, Heavy Industry | 3 | 40 feet | 200 square feet | Yes |
| B-5 Planned Commercial Centers | 3 | 40 feet | 200 square feet | Yes |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Construction Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage | Each street frontage of a construction project | No | Section 5.01 (2) |
| Real Estate Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage | Per street frontage | No | Section 5.01 (3) |
| Nameplate | — | 2 square feet | — | — | One per occupancy | Attached per occupancy | No | Section 5.01 (4) |
| Political Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property | No | Section 5.01 (5) |
| Directional/Informational Sign | 3 feet | 6 square feet | — | — | Two per entrance | Per entrance | No | Section 5.01 (6) |
| Temporary Special Events Sign | — | — | — | — | Two per premises | Per premises | No | Section 5.01 (7) |
| Temporary Advertising Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | Two per premises | Per premises | No | Section 5.01 (8) |

### Residential Zones (A-1, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, and R-3A, RPUD)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Neighborhood/Subdivision Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | One per principal entrance | Principal entrance into a neighborhood, subdivision, or development | Yes | Section 5.02 (2) |
| Identification Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | — | One per complex | Per apartment or condominium complex | Yes | Section 5.02 (3) |
| Freestanding Sign - Nonresidential Uses | 10 feet | 16 square feet | — | — | One per nonresidential use | Per nonresidential use | Yes | Section 5.02 (4) |

### Commercial B-2 District, Downtown Commercial

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 60 square feet | — | — | One per premises | Per premises | Yes | Section 5.04 (2) |
| Wall Sign or Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | One per occupancy | Per occupancy | Yes | Section 5.04 (3) |
| Under-Canopy Sign | — | 5 square feet | — | — | One per occupancy | Per occupancy | Yes | Section 5.04 (5) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 30 square feet | — | — | One per occupancy | Instead of wall or freestanding sign | Yes | Section 5.04 (8) |

## Prohibited signs in Dickson

- Abandoned signs
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic or government signs or signals
- Snipe signs or signs attached to trees, utility poles, street lights, or placed on any public property or any other sign not specifically allowed by this ordinance
- Signs placed on vehicles or trailers which are parked or located for the primary purpose of displaying said sign for more than twenty-four (24) consecutive hours
- Signs with flashing or chasing lights, search lights or flashing or chasing lights on buildings
- Any sign in a public right-of-way not on a sidewalk and within any sight distance triangle at an intersection with a public street, unless erected and maintained by a governmental entity as a government sign for traffic direction, or otherwise permitted by this Ordinance
- Animated signs
- String-type LED lights placed on existing signs, or on buildings as door and window trim outside of the Holiday season
- Festoons

## Signs exempt from permit in Dickson

- Construction signs of thirty-two (32) square feet or less
- Directional/Information signs of three (3) square feet or less
- Holiday decorations provided they do not contain a commercial message or logo, flags, pennants, or emblems of a philanthropic, fraternal, educational, sports, or religious organization, or memorial plaques or tablets, if erected on private property
- Nameplates of two (2) square feet or less each occupancy
- Political signs not to exceed thirty-two (32) square feet
- Public signs or notices, or any sign relating to an emergency
- Auction signs not to exceed thirty-two (32) square feet per sign with one (1) sign being permitted to face each road that adjoins the property
- Incidental signs
- Flags: American flag, state flag and/or two company logo flags or specialty flags when attached to a flag pole will be permitted and not counted as part of the sign package. Company logo signs shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in size
- Temporary signs such as real estate, auction, county fairs, etc., as defined in Section 3, of this ordinance. Signs may not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in size
- A peddler licensed by the City of Dickson shall be allowed no more than two (2) temporary or portable signs not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in size each. Such signs shall be located at the location of the peddler's sales area and only when such peddler is open for business
- Temporary or permanent signs located on the inside of a window of a structure not to exceed fifty (50) percent of the window or door in which they are located
- Gasoline trade signs affixed to the pump or dispensers which shows required legal information, the brand name, and the type of product being dispensed
- Government signs, as defined

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

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