# Sign Regulations in Mount Juliet, Tennessee

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Mount Juliet, Tennessee (TN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/mount-juliet
- **Data last verified:** 2025-08-25
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/tn/mt._juliet/codes/land_development_code?nodeId=PTBZORE_ARTXISIRE)

## At a glance

Mount Juliet, Tennessee regulates 24 sign types across 13 zoning districts. Real Estate Sign (Residential)s in the AR-40, Agricultural/Residential Districts, RS-40, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-30, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-20, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-15, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-10, Single-Family Residential Districts, R-10, One- and Two-Family Residential Districts, RM-8, Multifamily Residential Districts, RM-16, Multifamily Residential Districts, R-MHP, Manufactured Home Park Development Districts zoning district are capped at 4 ft tall and 9 sq ft per sign face, with a 10 ft from curb, edge of pavement, or stabilized shoulder; 2 ft from edge of ROW/roadway setback (Sec. Sec. 11-108.C.3.a). Most commercial signs in Mount Juliet require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (13 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AR-40, Agricultural/Residential Districts, RS-40, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-30, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-20, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-15, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-10, Single-Family Residential Districts, R-10, One- and Two-Family Residential Districts, RM-8, Multifamily Residential Districts, RM-16, Multifamily Residential Districts, R-MHP, Manufactured Home Park Development Districts | 6 | Flagpole: 40 ft | Non-commercial flags: 60 sq ft per face; Decorative flags: 24 sq ft | — |
| CG, Commercial-General Districts | 6 | 10 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, total 480 sq ft per business | — |
| CI, Commercial Interchange Districts | 4 | 75 ft | 240 sq ft | — |
| CMU, Commercial Mixed Use District | 4 | 12 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, up to 480 sq ft total per business | — |
| CNS, Convenience Neighborhood Service Districts | 3 | 8 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, total 480 sq ft per business | — |
| OPS, Office/Professional Service Districts | 3 | 7 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, 480 sq ft per business | — |
| CTC, Commercial Town Center Districts | 3 | 8 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, 480 sq ft per business | — |
| CRC, Commercial Retail Center Districts | 3 | 10 ft | 120 sq ft per sign; 480 sq ft per business | — |
| I-R, Restrictive Industrial Districts, I-G, General Industrial Districts, I-S, Special Industrial Districts | 2 | 15 ft | 120 sq ft per sign, 480 sq ft per business; or by variance, up to 180 sq ft per sign, 720 sq ft per business for large buildings (>300 ft front, >100,000 sq ft GFA) | — |
| F-P, Floodplain Districts | 1 | — | — | — |
| PUD, Planned Unit Development Districts | 1 | — | — | — |
| A-E, Adult Entertainment Districts | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 9 ft | 16 sq ft per sign face | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 13 zones)

### AR-40, Agricultural/Residential Districts, RS-40, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-30, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-20, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-15, Single-Family Residential Districts, RS-10, Single-Family Residential Districts, R-10, One- and Two-Family Residential Districts, RM-8, Multifamily Residential Districts, RM-16, Multifamily Residential Districts, R-MHP, Manufactured Home Park Development Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Real Estate Sign (Residential) | 4 ft | 9 sq ft per sign face | — | 10 ft from curb, edge of pavement, or stabilized shoulder; 2 ft from edge of ROW/roadway | One per lot; up to two for corner/double frontage lots | On private property for sale, auction, rental, lease | — | Sec. 11-108.C.3.a |
| Temporary Residential Development Sign | 8 ft | 32 sq ft per sign face | — | 10 ft from edge of pavement or public ROW, or greater to preserve sight distance triangle | One per street frontage | On-site per street frontage, at entrance to development | — | Sec. 11-108.C.3.c |
| Permanent Residential Subdivision Sign | 6 ft | 24 sq ft per sign face | — | 10 ft from edge of pavement or public ROW, or more for sight triangle | One per entrance, up to four per subdivision | Primary entrance(s) to development, on private property | — | Sec. 11-108.C.8 |
| Temporary Non-Commercial Signs | 4 ft | 6 sq ft per sign face (max 2 faces) | — | — | Two per lot, increased to ten per lot during election period | On private property | — | Sec. 11-106.B.1 |
| Non-Commercial Flags/Decorative Flags | Flagpole: 40 ft | Non-commercial flags: 60 sq ft per face; Decorative flags: 24 sq ft | — | — | Unlimited non-commercial/government flags; one decorative flag per lot | Residential structures and flagpoles; all zones | — | Sec. 11-107.A.5-6 |
| Building Marker | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | At entrances or designated locations | On building wall | — | Sec. 11-107.A.7 |

### CG, Commercial-General Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Lot Frontage < 200 ft) | 10 ft | 30 sq ft | — | 2 ft from ROW or 8 ft from curb/edge, whichever is greater | One per street frontage, maximum two per lot | On private property, oriented toward adjacent street | — | Sec. 11-108.C.5, Table B |
| Freestanding Sign (Lot Frontage ≥ 200 ft) | 10 ft | 50 sq ft | — | 2 ft from ROW or 8 ft from curb/edge, whichever is greater | One per street frontage, maximum two per lot | On private property, oriented toward adjacent street | — | Sec. 11-108.C.5, Table B |
| Wall Sign (Retail/Service, Individual Principal Entrance) | — | 120 sq ft per sign, total 480 sq ft per business | — | — | Up to 4 per business, totaling 480 sq ft | Attached flat to building wall, awning, or canopy (portion may be awning/canopy, not to exceed 30 sq ft) | — | Sec. 11-108.C.6 |
| Wall Sign (Retail/Service, Multiple Tenants/Shared Entrance) | — | 20 sq ft per sign face | — | — | One per business | On common wall near entrance | — | Sec. 11-108.C.6.2 |
| Freestanding Changeable Copy Sign (Fuel Price) | 10 ft | Up to 75% of sign area for changeable copy portion; total max area as above | — | Same as freestanding signs | Per frontage/sign limit | On-site; on canopy or as freestanding | — | Sec. 11-108.C.1.b-c |
| Window Sign (Commercial) | — | — | — | — | N/A | Located fully within interior or mounted within 12 inches of interior of commercial building window/door | — | Sec. 11-107.A.8 |

### CI, Commercial Interchange Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Standard) | 12 ft | 40 sq ft | — | 2 ft from ROW or 8 ft from curb/edge, whichever is greater | One per street frontage, max two per lot | On private property, oriented to street | — | Table B, Sec. 11-108.C.5 |
| Freestanding Sign (Interstate Radius) | 75 ft | 240 sq ft | — | 30 ft from ROW/street | Subject to spacing/intervals | Within interstate radius, min 30 ft from ROW/street, private property | — | Table B, Sec. 11-108.C.5, A |
| Wall Sign (Retail/Service/Individual Entrance) | — | 120 sq ft per sign, 480 sq ft total | — | — | Up to 4 per business | Mounted flat to building wall | — | Sec. 11-108.C.6 |
| Wall Sign (Retail/Service/Multiple Tenants) | — | 20 sq ft per tenant | — | — | One per tenant | Common entrance wall | — | Sec. 11-108.C.6.2 |

## Prohibited signs in Mount Juliet

- All signs not expressly permitted under this section or exempt from regulation are prohibited.
- Abandoned, dilapidated or obsolete signs are prohibited and must be removed by the property owner or their agent.
- Any commercial sign located in a residential district not otherwise provided for in this article is prohibited.
- Any sign that obstructs free ingress or egress through a required door, window, fire escape or other required exit way is prohibited.
- Any sign which by reason of its location, position, size, shape, materials or other physical characteristics poses a safety hazard to drivers, pedestrians or residents is prohibited.
- Animated signs or other attention-attracting devices are prohibited except where they fully conform to applicable standards; includes signs emitting sound, odor, visible matter, projection, search lights, sign spinners/holders/walkers, or live animals.
- Banners, beacons, pennants, and streamers are prohibited except as specifically provided; banners in or over a public right-of-way or street are specifically prohibited.
- Bench signs are prohibited.
- Blade banners, feather flags, swoop flags, teardrop flags, vertical flags, temporary flags and similar devices are prohibited.
- Flashing signs, including those visible from the street through a window, are prohibited.
- Inflatable signs including balloon type devices not otherwise provided for are prohibited.
- Obscene signs, as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court, are prohibited.
- Off-site signs are prohibited.
- Portable signs including a-frame, sidewalk, and sandwich board are prohibited.
- Projecting signs are prohibited.
- Roof signs, or signs extending beyond the main roofline, are prohibited (with exceptions for architectural features as occupied space).
- Signs on natural features such as trees, rocks, and vegetation are prohibited.
- Signs painted, pasted, or printed on any curbstone, flagstone, pavement, sidewalk or street are prohibited, except house numbers and traffic control signs.
- Signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited except specified exceptions for government/public signs.
- Signs which constitute a traffic hazard, such as those that resemble or interfere with traffic control signs/signals, are prohibited.
- Snipe signs, including those affixed to utility poles, fences, and benches, are prohibited.
- Strings of lights are prohibited.
- Suspended signs are prohibited.
- Trash receptacle signs are prohibited except for waste company contact info.
- Vehicle signs are prohibited except those painted or wrapped on a business-owned or employed vehicle, and cannot be hung/draped/temporarily attached/placed for off-site advertising.
- Any other sign not specified and not lawful nonconforming is prohibited.
- No person may damage, trim, destroy or remove any trees, shrubs or other vegetation to increase/enhance sign visibility if not permitted by an approved plan or owner's written authorization.
- Internally illuminated sign cabinets that allow the entire face to illuminate are prohibited.
- Commercial window signage may not include LED electronic message center window signs.
- Changeable copy signs may not constitute an off-site sign.

## Signs exempt from permit in Mount Juliet

- Any public, legal or official instrument, notice or warning required by federal, state or local law, regulation or ordinance.
- Traffic control signs (such as stop, yield, etc.) meeting Department of Transportation standards and containing no commercial message.
- Signs internal to a building that are set back more than three feet from a window or door.
- Non-commercial flags attached to residential structures in residential zones.
- Freestanding flag poles in residential zones.
- Scoreboards and athletic/ball field fence signs (limited to fence height).
- Decals, numbers, names, addresses, hours, and similar attached to doors/windows, total area not exceeding two square feet.
- Other signs and stamps required by state or federal law, not exceeding minimum legal size.
- Time and temperature signs.
- Works of art not including a commercial message.
- Decorative signs displayed on light poles within commercial retail or planned unit developments, which do not include commercial names, logos or messages.
- Municipal information signs installed within public City rights-of-way conforming to specified standards and directing only to locations within city limits or UGB; also, municipal non-commercial messages in right-of-way.
- Temporary non-commercial signs on private property with owner's permission, limited to two per lot (ten in election period), size and duration restricted; no permit required.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is required for most signs, except those that are specifically exempt or not requiring a permit.
- All permanent commercial, non-commercial, and temporary commercial signs must be registered on a form provided by the Planning Department prior to construction/erection or change of design; all such signs are required to be reviewed.
- Sign applications must be complete before processing and will be reviewed for conformance with this ordinance and other ordinances.
- The Planning Department conducts design review for all new permanent signs, including replacement signs, prior to permit issuance for conformance with design standards.
- Denials and waivers in design review may be appealed through the Planning Commission.
- Separate electrical permits may be required for electrified signs and separate building permits for ground/monument signs exceeding four feet in height requiring footers.
- Approval from Planning Department does not constitute approval from Building Codes Department for construction/electrical aspects.
- Temporary commercial signs require registration but no fee.
- All permanent subdivision signs and their placement at entrances must be identified and approved on a preliminary/final plan by the Planning Department.
- Waivers and variances to sign area and specific sign allowances may be granted by the Regional Planning Commission for select uses/buildings (such as community facilities, big box, industrial buildings, buildings w/4+ stories).

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/mount-juliet