# Sign Regulations in Oak Hill, Tennessee

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Oak Hill, Tennessee (TN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/oak-hill
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/TN/Oak_Hill/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CH14ZOLAUSCO_PT5SIRE)

## At a glance

Oak Hill, Tennessee regulates 12 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Subdivision Identification)s in the Residential zoning district are capped at 6 feet tall and 50 sq ft total; no single face exceeding 15 sq ft, with a At least 10 feet from street right-of-way setback (Sec. Sec. 14-509(1)(a), (2), (3), (4)). Most commercial signs in Oak Hill require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential | 1 | 6 feet | 50 sq ft total; no single face exceeding 15 sq ft | — |
| Institutional, Institutional/Public | 2 | 6 feet (historical type signage allowed 6 ft + 1.5 ft berm + 1.5 ft structure increase) | 50 sq ft total; no single face exceeding 32 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 9 | 20 feet | 100 sq ft sign face per sign | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Residential

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Subdivision Identification) | 6 feet | 50 sq ft total; no single face exceeding 15 sq ft | — | At least 10 feet from street right-of-way | No more than 4 sign faces | Primary entrance(s) to the development/subdivision or at the beginning of the street on arterial or collector street; or in a recorded sign easement as approved. | — | Sec. 14-509(1)(a), (2), (3), (4) |

### Institutional, Institutional/Public

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (Institutional Use) | 6 feet (historical type signage allowed 6 ft + 1.5 ft berm + 1.5 ft structure increase) | 50 sq ft total; no single face exceeding 32 sq ft | — | At least 10 feet from street right-of-way | 1 per institutional use | On the premises of the institution | — | Sec. 14-509(1)(b), (2), (3), (4) |
| Wall Sign (Institutional/Public Facade) | — | 32 sq ft per facade, or 10% of facade area, whichever is less | — | — | 1 per facade per building | Mounted flat against building facade (not extending more than 12 in from building face) | — | Sec. 14-510, Sec. 14-508 |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Signs - General | 6 feet | 40 sq ft | — | At least 10 feet from street edge | 1 per property | At least 10 ft from street edge (except residential real estate, outside ROW) | — | Sec. 14-511(4), (5) |
| Temporary Sign (Real Estate, Residential property) | — | 6 sq ft per face, max 2 faces | 2 ft by 3 ft per face | Must not be within ROW | 1 per property or 1 per street frontage if corner lot | Outside the right-of-way. If corner lot, 1 per street frontage. | — | Sec. 14-504(6), 14-511(4)(a), (4)(c), (6)(c) |
| Temporary Sign (Political) | — | 6 sq ft per face | — | 6 ft from edge of right-of-way | — | At least 6 ft from edge of right-of-way on private property. Not permitted on public property or ROW. | — | Sec. 14-504(15), 14-511(7) |
| Traditional Hand-Made Sign Made of Natural Materials | 20 feet | 100 sq ft sign face per sign | 18 feet | — | 2 per property max | — | — | Sec. 14-504(16), 14-511(3)(d), (5), (6)(e) |
| Incidental Sign | — | 4 sq ft per face | — | — | 3 per site | On-site | — | Sec. 14-504(8) |
| Ingress/Egress Sign | — | 4 sq ft per face | — | — | — | At ingress/egress | — | Sec. 14-504(7) |
| Non-Governmental Flag | Limited to roof line of principal structure | 15 sq ft per face | — | — | 1 per site | Freestanding flag pole location must be within approved building envelope | — | Sec. 14-504(14) |
| Governmental Flag | Limited to roof line of principal structure | 60 sq ft per flag | — | — | 3 per site | Flag pole location must be within approved building envelope | — | Sec. 14-504(11) |

## Prohibited signs in Oak Hill

- It is unlawful to erect, cause to be erected, maintain, or cause to be maintained, any sign not expressly authorized by, or exempted from, this chapter.
- Signs which obstruct free ingress to or egress from a required door, window, fire escape, or other required exit way are prohibited.
- Signs and/or sign structures which obstruct the view, may be confused with, or purport to be, a governmental or traffic direction/safety sign are prohibited.
- Signs that contain any lighting or control mechanism that causes unreasonable interference with radio, television, or other communication signals are prohibited.
- Snipe signs erected on public property or on private property located on public property, other than signs erected by a public authority for public purposes or as otherwise approved by the city manager or his designee, are prohibited.
- Signs which contain any moving, flashing, animated lights, visible moving or movable parts, or giving the appearance of animation, including animated signs and electronic message display signs, are prohibited.
- Signs or sign structures other than freestanding and vertical wall extension, any portion of which extends above the parapet, building roofline, or canopy against which the sign is located, are prohibited.
- No sign shall be permitted in the public right-of-way except those authorized or issued by a public agency or regulated utility, unless otherwise provided.
- Abandoned or dilapidated signs are prohibited.
- Signs mounted on a roof are prohibited.
- Portable signs are prohibited unless temporary as provided in the ordinance.
- Inflatable signs are prohibited.
- Internally lit signs are prohibited.
- Banners, pennants, festoons, and balloons are prohibited except those otherwise provided for in the ordinance.
- Signs that are painted on the facade of a building are prohibited.
- Window signs are prohibited.
- Business signs are prohibited.
- Marquee signs are prohibited.
- Off-premises signs are prohibited other than for governmental purposes.

## Signs exempt from permit in Oak Hill

- Official signs or notices issued by any court, public agency, or office are exempt.
- Traffic directional, warning, or information signs authorized by any public agency are exempt.
- Private street name signs not exceeding 4 square feet per sign face or traffic directional signs meeting the Manual on Traffic Control Devices and located on a private street are exempt.
- "No trespassing," "no hunting," "no fishing," "no loitering," and similar signs not exceeding 1 square foot in area are exempt.
- On-premises signs such as alarm signs or notice of home alarm system signs not exceeding 1 square foot in area (up to three per site) are exempt.
- Residential real estate signs not exceeding 6 square feet (2' x 3' per sign face, two sign faces, maximum one per property unless a corner lot, in which case one per street frontage) are exempt.
- Ingress/egress signs not exceeding 4 square feet per sign face are exempt.
- Incidental signs not exceeding 4 square feet per face (maximum three per site), including alarm system signage at the driveway at the street, are exempt.
- Building marker or historical type signage authorized by the city manager (and not exceeding 4 square feet per face; Tennessee Historical Commission signs are also exempt from size/height limits) are exempt.
- Temporary holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message are exempt.
- Governmental flags not exceeding a total of 60 square feet (up to three per site, flag poles within approved building envelope, limited in height to the roof line of the principal structure) are exempt.
- Building markers, names of buildings, and dates of erection when cut into any masonry surface or made of permanent metallic or masonry materials and attached to the building are exempt.
- Signs legally existing at the time of adoption of this chapter are exempt.
- Non-governmental flags (no commercial message), not exceeding 15 square feet per sign face, one per site, flag pole within approved building envelope and height limited to roof line of principal structure, are exempt.
- Political signs within size limit as stated in 14-511(7)(a) are exempt.
- Traditional hand-made signs made of natural materials are exempt and also exempt from specific listed provisions of the ordinance.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Except as otherwise provided, it is unlawful to construct, enlarge, move, or replace any sign without first obtaining a sign permit from the city.
- A sign permit must be obtained from the city manager or his designee prior to erecting, altering, or relocating a sign unless specifically exempted.
- Sign permit applications must provide a detailed description (material, dimensions, color, style, location, setback, and illustration) and comply with all aspects of the chapter.
- The board of zoning appeals must review and approve any signs to be erected as part of a conditional use permit.
- The use of solar panels for sign illumination must be approved by the planning commission.
- Applicants must request planning commission approval for any deviations from requirements related to material, background color, or lettering.
- Signage in developments or at a common entrance must be coordinated for material and color compatibility.
- Freestanding subdivision signs may be erected in a recorded sign easement only upon planning commission approval.
- Wall sizes for integrated sign structures must be approved by the planning commission.

## Full detail

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