# Sign Regulations in Somerville, Tennessee

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Somerville, Tennessee (TN)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/tennessee/somerville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/TN/Somerville/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT14ZOLAUSCO_CH2ZOOR_PT8SI)

## At a glance

Somerville, Tennessee regulates 15 sign types across 4 zoning districts. On-Premise Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at No higher than the corresponding building tall and 100 ft2 (all districts except CB, LB); 60 ft2 (CB, LB) (Sec. Sec. 14-2-805(7)A). Most commercial signs in Somerville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 15 | No higher than 2.5 ft above sidewalk | 100 ft2 (all districts except CB, LB); 60 ft2 (CB, LB) | — |
| RR rural residential, LDR low density residential, HDR high density residential, MFR multifamily residential, MHP manufactured home park | 1 | — | 100 ft2 | — |
| CB central business district, LB limited business district | 3 | 2.5 ft above sidewalk | 60 ft2 | — |
| GB general business district, LM light manufacturing district, HM heavy manufacturing district, RD redevelopment district, PD planned development district | 1 | No higher than corresponding building | 100 ft2 | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Off-Premise Sign (Personal Property Sales) | — | 4 ft2 | — | — | — | Off-premise | — | Sec. 14-2-805(5)A |
| Off-Premise Sign (Individual Lots) | — | 4 ft2 | — | — | — | Off-premise, individual lot sales | — | Sec. 14-2-805(5)B |
| Off-Premise Sign (Subdivision Developments) | — | 32 ft2 | — | — | 2 per subdivision | Off-premise, subdivision development | — | Sec. 14-2-805(5)C |
| Off-Premise Signs (All Others) | — | 4 ft2 | — | — | — | Off-premise, other | — | Sec. 14-2-805(5)D |
| Projecting Sign | — | 25 ft2 | — | — | — | Permanent sign attached to and projecting perpendicular from a building. | — | Sec. 14-2-805(10); 14-2-801 |
| On-Premise Sign | No higher than the corresponding building | 100 ft2 (all districts except CB, LB); 60 ft2 (CB, LB) | — | — | 3 per lot for first 300 ft of frontage; 1 additional sign for each additional 100 ft | On-premise (not attached to building but on same property advertised) | — | Sec. 14-2-805(7)A |
| On-Premise Sign (Yard/Estate/Garage Sale) | — | 4 ft2 | — | — | — | On-premise (yard, estate, garage sale) | — | Sec. 14-2-805(7)B |
| On-Premise Sign (Apartments, Subdivisions, Churches, Schools, Similar Entities) | — | 100 ft2 | — | — | 1 per public street frontage | On-premise | — | Sec. 14-2-805(7)C |

### CB central business district, LB limited business district

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| On-Premise Sign | No higher than corresponding building | 60 ft2 | — | — | 3 per lot for first 300 ft of road frontage; 1 additional sign per additional 100 ft | On-premise | — | Sec. 14-2-805(7)A |
| Suspended Awning Sign | — | 4 ft2 | — | — | — | Suspended from awning/canopy, perpendicular to building, minimum 8 ft above ground/sidewalk | — | Sec. 14-2-805(8) |
| Portable Sidewalk Sign | 2.5 ft above sidewalk | — | — | — | — | On sidewalk in front of business, only during business hours | — | Sec. 14-2-805(9) |

### GB general business district, LM light manufacturing district, HM heavy manufacturing district, RD redevelopment district, PD planned development district

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| On-Premise Sign | No higher than corresponding building | 100 ft2 | — | — | 3 per lot for first 300 ft of road frontage; 1 additional sign per additional 100 ft | On-premise | — | Sec. 14-2-805(7)A |

## Prohibited signs in Somerville

- Abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Incidental home business signs are prohibited.
- Mobile signs are prohibited.
- Obsolete signs are prohibited.
- Pennant signs are prohibited.
- Vehicular signs are prohibited.
- Signs on public property are prohibited, except for public signs in conjunction with town, state, and federal government uses, and excluding temporary signs upon permission by the public authority having jurisdiction; however, any temporary signs allowed by public entities must not be displayed for more than 14 consecutive days per quarter.
- Signs illegally placed in any public right-of-way shall be forfeited to the public and shall be immediately confiscated.
- Signs which obstruct vision between two and one-half and ten feet above ground level within 14 feet of the edge of pavement of any street or alley are prohibited.
- Signs attached to existing supports, such as utility poles or traffic control sign supports, are prohibited.
- Signs mounted on berms, etc. for the sole purpose of increasing the height of the signs are prohibited.
- Signs obstructing any fire escape, required exit way, window or door opening are prohibited.
- Signs which are not permanent are limited to one per lot.
- Signs which interfere with any opening required for ventilation are prohibited.
- Signs with lighting considered to constitute a hazard to the safe and efficient operation of vehicles upon a street or highway or to pedestrian traffic are prohibited.
- Signs erected in the general area of streets or alleys in such a manner as to obstruct free and clear vision; or in any location where, by reason of the position, shape or color, it may interfere with, obstruct the view of or be confused with any authorized traffic signs, signal or device, or which makes use of the words Stop, Look, Drive-In, Go Slow, Caution, or similar wording or other symbols that could interfere with, mislead, or confuse traffic, are prohibited.
- Signs which blend with or can be confused with traffic signals are prohibited.
- Signs which contain reflective materials which may present a hazard or danger to traffic or the general public are prohibited.
- Signs which display thereon or advertise any obscene, indecent or immoral matter are prohibited.
- Inflatable characters, lighter than air devices or similar balloon-type devices, and hand-held signs displayed within the public right-of-way are prohibited.
- The town planner or their representative may cause any sign or sign structure to be removed immediately upon written notice at the expense of the owner of the sign and premises if the sign is an immediate hazard to persons or property by virtue of its construction or if the sign is displayed within any public right-of-way.

## Signs exempt from permit in Somerville

- Signs less than or equal to two square feet which identify street numbers, owner names, occupant name, and professional names, as allowed herein.
- Official national, state, or municipal flags properly displayed.
- Architectural signs constructed as a part of the permanent facade.
- Signs identifying merchandise, or manufacturer, offering sale if on a dispensing or vending machine, or on windows.
- Signs wholly within buildings, doors, or windows.
- Public signs by any government-owned entity.
- Private property informational signs such as 'No Parking,' 'Exit,' 'No Trespassing,' etc. less than or equal to four square feet.
- Campaign signs; however, they must not be exhibited more than 90 days prior to any election, and must be removed within ten days following said election. Each candidate or the candidate's organization must obtain a general sign permit, at no charge, covering all of the candidate's signs in the town.
- Real estate signs (on-premise); however, residential real estate signs are limited to no more than one sign per street frontage of the lot and each sign is limited to less than or equal to 20 square feet and shall have a height not to exceed eight feet above the ground. Business real estate signs are limited to less than or equal to 32 square feet. Real estate signs must be removed from the property within 20 days of closing or removal from the market.
- A sign permit is not required to erect exempt signs described above, but the sign must conform to the regulations of this chapter.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Usage of signs not otherwise exempted throughout this zoning ordinance shall be required to be permitted by the town, and application for sign permits shall be accompanied by a site plan which shall include all necessary information to allow proper deliberation by the town.
- Applicants may meet with the town planner to determine information necessary for deliberation by the planning commission.
- A sign permit application must include a site plan showing all necessary information for review.
- Signs which were legally permitted prior to passage of the current zoning ordinance shall be permitted to continue usage as nonconforming signs, but alteration is not permitted beyond minor repairs as allowed by state law.
- Single-family residential dwellings, duplexes, and their accessory buildings, and signs not requiring inspections shall not be required to submit a formal site plan; however, a sketch of the projected use, illustrating conformance with all lot standards, shall be required.
- For multifamily residential or nonresidential use which results in the change of a building footprint or requires inspection, a site plan must be submitted, reviewed, and approved before a permit is considered.
- For master or planned developments (PD), an overall architectural plan and outline plan including signage must be submitted as part of the outline plan application and reviewed by the planning commission and board of mayor and aldermen.
- Murals, decorative paintings, or unique signage may be permitted by the board of zoning appeals as a variance/special exception.
- Appeals for variances or special exceptions in signage may require adjudication by the board of zoning appeals.

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

---

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