# Sign Regulations in Smyrna, Tennessee

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Smyrna, Tennessee (TN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/smyrna
- **Data last verified:** 2025-09-10
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://www.townofsmyrna.org/Documents/Departments/Planning%20Zoning/February%202025%20Sign%20Ordinance.pdf)

## At a glance

Smyrna, Tennessee regulates 36 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Ground Sign (Non-Residential Use)s in the Low-Density Residential (R-1, R-2), Medium-Density Residential (R-3, R-4), High-Density Residential (R-5, R-6) zoning district are capped at 4 ft (7 ft if integrated with architectural feature/landscaped) tall and 48 sq ft, with a Minimum 10 ft from street right-of-way setback (Sec. Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 1,3,4). Most commercial signs in Smyrna require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Low-Density Residential (R-1, R-2), Medium-Density Residential (R-3, R-4), High-Density Residential (R-5, R-6) | 8 | 4 ft (7 ft if integrated with architectural feature/landscaped) | 75 sq ft | — |
| Central Business (C-1), General Commercial (C-2), Restrictive Highway Services (C-3), Neighborhood Service Business (C-4), Highway Service (C-5), Professional and Office (P-O-1, P-O-2), Light Industrial (I-1, I-2), Heavy Industrial (I-3), Airport District (A-1) | 14 | 30 ft (pole), 4 ft (ground); ground sign may be up to 7 ft if integrated with feature/landscaped | Up to 500 sq ft (per campus), no single ground sign >300 sq ft | — |
| General Commercial (C-2), Restrictive Highway Services (C-3), Light Industrial (I-1, I-2), Heavy Industrial (I-3) | 1 | 50 ft above elevation of pavement nearest sign | 600 sq ft | — |
| General Commercial (C-2), Restrictive Highway Services (C-3), Light Industrial (I-1, I-2), Heavy Industrial (I-3), Airport District (A-1) | 1 | 120 ft | 250 sq ft | — |
| Planned Residential District (PRD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Planned Commercial District (PCD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Planned Industrial District (PID) | 1 | — | — | — |
| Planned Unit Development (PUD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 10 | 30 in | 9 sq ft per face | — |

_5 additional zoning districts are covered in PermitPal (free account)._

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 14 zones)

### Low-Density Residential (R-1, R-2), Medium-Density Residential (R-3, R-4), High-Density Residential (R-5, R-6)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ground Sign (Non-Residential Use) | 4 ft (7 ft if integrated with architectural feature/landscaped) | 48 sq ft | — | Minimum 10 ft from street right-of-way | One per street frontage | On private property, not in the right-of-way | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 1,3,4 |
| Wall Sign (Non-Residential Use) | — | 32 sq ft | — | — | No explicit limit | Attached to principal building | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 2,3 |
| Changeable Copy (Non-Residential Use) | — | Up to 20 sq ft as part of total allowed signage | — | — | Part of primary sign | As part of other permitted sign (wall or ground) | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 5 |
| Campus Style Development Ground Sign | 4 ft (7 ft if integrated with architectural feature/landscaped) | 48 sq ft per sign | — | — | One per street frontage | One per street frontage; not in right-of-way | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 6a |
| Campus Style Development Wall/Projecting Sign | — | In scale with size of elevation of building | — | — | — | On building elevation | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 6b |
| Campus Style Development Interior Directory | 4 ft | 12 sq ft | — | — | One per building | Mounted to exterior wall or erected within development | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 6c |
| Campus Style Development Changeable Copy Sign | — | 20 sq ft | — | — | — | As part of other permitted sign | — | Chapter 4, Section A, paragraph 6d |
| Entrance Sign (Residential Use, subdivision/multi-family, ≥36 units) | 4 ft (7 ft if integrated with architectural feature) | 75 sq ft | — | — | One per side of entrance | At main entrance; one per side of entrance, private property | — | Chapter 4, Section B, paragraphs 1-7 |

### Central Business (C-1), General Commercial (C-2), Restrictive Highway Services (C-3), Neighborhood Service Business (C-4), Highway Service (C-5), Professional and Office (P-O-1, P-O-2), Light Industrial (I-1, I-2), Heavy Industrial (I-3), Airport District (A-1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projecting Sign | 20 ft (not above roofline) | 60 sq ft | — | See above | 1 per use | Attached to building; not into public right-of-way | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 1 |
| Pole Sign | 20 ft | 100 sq ft | — | 10 ft minimum from right-of-way except as noted | One per street frontage | On private lot | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 3 |
| Ground Sign | 4 ft (7 ft if integrated feature/landscaped) | 100 sq ft | — | 10 ft minimum, or per zone as described | One per street frontage | On private lot, set back | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 3 |
| Commercial Complex Pole/Ground Sign | 30 ft (pole), 4 ft (ground); ground sign may be up to 7 ft if integrated with feature/landscaped | 150 sq ft (no single type >50 sq ft) | — | — | One per complex (pole/ground sign) | On private property at entrance | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 4a |
| Commercial Complex Directional Sign | 7 ft | 25 sq ft | — | — | Two (one per side of entrance) | Either side of entry, on private property | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 4c |
| Commercial Complex Interior Directory | 7 ft | 25 sq ft | — | — | One per building | Mounted on exterior wall or separate within complex | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 6c |
| Commercial Complex Pole Sign (Campus Style Option) | 30 ft or building height, whichever is less | 150 sq ft max total per campus, no single pole sign >100 sq ft | — | — | One per entrance | One per campus entrance from public street/street frontage | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 6a |
| Ground Sign (Campus Style Option) | 15 ft; up to 30 ft on arterial leading to interstate interchange | Up to 500 sq ft (per campus), no single ground sign >300 sq ft | — | — | One or two per entrance (if single-sided) | One per campus entrance; two if single-sided; not in right-of-way | — | Chapter 6, Section A, paragraph 6a |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Governmental Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Seasonal/Holiday Decoration | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Commemorative/Historical Plaque | 6 ft | 9 sq ft per face | — | — | — | — | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Flag | Same as pole sign in district | — | — | — | — | — | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Directional Sign | 30 in | 3 sq ft | — | — | One per side of driveway | On private premises; one per side of driveway | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Inside window | — | Chapter 3, Section D; Chapter 6 |
| Inflatable Sign (Small, permanent) | 10 ft from ground level | 2 ft diameter | — | — | — | — | — | Chapter 3, Section D |
| Temporary Sign (General) | 12 ft (except banners over public street, min clearance 15 ft) | 6 sq ft (residential districts); 16 sq ft (non-residential districts); streamers: up to 3 ft length per 1 ft road frontage (C-2/C-3 only) | — | — | Temp signs: up to 5 per lot; banners: see rules | Not in right-of-way or TDOT fence; not attached to utility poles or similar | — | Chapter 7, Section A, B, C |

## Prohibited signs in Smyrna

- No sign shall resemble or approximate the size, shape, form, or color of any official traffic control sign, signal, or device.
- No sign shall be placed so as to obstruct or interfere with the visibility or effectiveness of any traffic control sign, or with driver vision at any access points.
- No sign other than duly authorized governmental signs shall be erected or maintained within any public street right-of-way.
- No sign shall be painted on or attached to any trees, rocks, fence posts, utility poles, or similar structures or objects.
- No sign shall obstruct any doorway, window, or fire escape.
- The light from any illuminated sign shall not adversely affect surrounding or facing premises nor affect safe vision of operators of moving vehicles. Light shall not be permitted to shine or reflect on or into any residential structure.
- Signs must be maintained in good condition at all times. Defaced, missing illumination or characters, chipped/peeling/broken finishes or facings are violations.
- Signs shall conform to all national, state, and local electrical codes.
- Any sign painted on or attached to a vehicle or vehicular trailer unless such vehicle is operable, licensed and used primarily for transportation of goods/persons in the course of business. Signs constructed in the bed of a pick-up truck are limited to one sign no larger than 16 sq ft and must be anchored in place.
- Signs made structurally sound by guy wires or unsightly bracing are prohibited.
- Signs containing any kind of flashing, strobing or pulsating lights are prohibited.
- Video, continuous scrolling messages, and animated signs are prohibited.
- Banners, except as specifically permitted, are prohibited.
- Any sign with direct illumination provided by exposed bulbs or lamps is prohibited.
- Hand-tacked signs are prohibited.
- Portable signs are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited except for mansard-style roofs where signs may not encroach above the roofline.
- Flashing, swinging, or rotating signs, pennants, or other decorations are prohibited.
- Signs displaying varying light/illumination/intensity, blinking, bursting, dissolving, distorting, fading, oscillating, rotating, scrolling, etc. or conveying the illusion of movement are prohibited.
- Any sign that extends vertically or horizontally outside of the sign structure is prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Smyrna

- Governmental signs and notices issued by the court, person, or officer in the performance of an official public duty.
- Seasonal decorations associated with national, local, or religious holidays.
- Commemorative or historical plaques and tablets authorized by the enforcing officer, with size and height limitations.
- The official flag of a government, governmental agency, public institution, or other similar entity, or flags flown temporarily for national or civic holidays; flags must meet height and size requirements for pole signs of the district.
- Temporary signs as provided in Chapter 7.
- Directional signs not exceeding three square feet in size and thirty inches in height, located on private premises, and only one per driveway side.
- Signs not visible from a public street in campus-style development.
- Incidental signs.
- Window signs as provided in Chapter 6.
- Signage located on athletic fields if oriented towards the field of play.
- Inflatable signs no more than 2 feet in diameter and extending no more than 10 feet from ground level.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- No sign except for those specified as exempt shall be erected until a permit has been obtained in accordance with Chapter 9.
- An application for a sign permit must include a Signage Plan for the lot which shall include all signs, existing and proposed.
- The Signage Plan must contain: surveyed plot, building locations, sign area and dimensions, sign locations, standards for sign consistency, and any other info deemed necessary by Enforcing Officer.
- After approval, no sign shall be erected, placed, painted, or maintained except in conformance with the approved Signage Plan.
- A Signage Plan may be amended by filing a new plan that conforms to all requirements of the ordinance.
- In planned unit developments (PUD) containing mixed uses, the signage plan shall be reviewed in detail as part of the application for a PUD and approved as part of the approved application.
- All sign permits become null and void if construction has not begun within three months of issuance.
- Appeals/variance requests are heard by the Board of Sign Appeals; appeal may require a public hearing.
- Signs referenced in Chapter 3, Section D (exempt signs), official government signs, and commemorative/historical plaques are exempt from permit fees.

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

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