# Sign Regulations in Big Stone Gap, Virginia

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Big Stone Gap, Virginia (VA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/virginia/big-stone-gap
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/VA/Big_Stone_Gap/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CO_CH21STSI_ARTIISI)

## At a glance

Big Stone Gap, Virginia regulates 13 sign types across 5 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (Detached or Ground Sign)s in the B-1 Local Business District zoning district are capped at 15 ft tall and Not specified (≤50 sq ft if in required yard), with a no sign in triangle area beyond 3 ft height at corners. setback (Sec. Article 6, Section 3.2(11), (13), (14)). Most commercial signs in Big Stone Gap require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (5 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-R, R-1, R-2) | 5 | — | 10 sq ft | — |
| B-1 Local Business District | 6 | 15 ft | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations, e.g., may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — |
| Business District | 6 | 15 ft | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations; may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — |
| Industrial District | 6 | 15 ft | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations; may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | Not specified | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 5 zones)

### B-1 Local Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations, e.g., may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — | Must comply with applicable yard requirements. One accessory sign may occupy required yards if ≤50 sq ft. | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Any wall not facing and within 100 ft of a residential district | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(8), general and B-1 regulation fallback. |
| Freestanding Sign (Detached or Ground Sign) | 15 ft | Not specified (≤50 sq ft if in required yard) | — | Subject to yard and corner visibility—see Section 4.7: no sign in triangle area beyond 3 ft height at corners. | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Affixed to ground | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(11), (13), (14) |
| Projecting Sign / Marquee Sign | — | Not specified | — | Must comply with vision clearance regulations (Section 4.7) | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Projects more than 18 in from wall (marquee signs included) | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(10), (12) |
| Temporary Portable Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per 50 ft street frontage | One per 50 ft street frontage | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(3)(g) |
| Temporary Real Estate or Construction Sign | — | 6 sq ft real estate / 20 sq ft construction | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On the premises; one per street frontage | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(3)(c)-(d) |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | — | On awning, canopy, roller curtain, or umbrella | — | Article 6, Section 3.2(3)(e) |

### Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations; may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — | Must comply with applicable yard requirements. One accessory sign may occupy required yards if ≤50 sq ft. | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Any wall not facing and within 100 ft of a residential district | — | Article 6, Section 3.2 (general applies if not superseded) |
| Freestanding Sign (Detached or Ground Sign) | 15 ft | ≤50 sq ft if in required yard | — | Subject to yard/corner visibility (Section 4.7) | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Affixed to ground | — | Article 6, 3.2(11), (13), (14) |
| Projecting Sign / Marquee Sign | — | Not specified | — | Subject to vision clearance (4.7) | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Projects >18 in from wall (marquee signs) | — | Article 6, 3.2(10), (12) |
| Temporary Portable Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per 50 ft street frontage | One per 50 ft street frontage | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(g) |
| Temporary Real Estate or Construction Sign | — | 6 sq ft real estate / 20 sq ft construction | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On premises; one per street frontage | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(c)-(d) |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | — | On awning, canopy, roller curtain, or umbrella | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(e) |

### Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | Not specified (defaults to General Regulations; may occupy required yards if ≤ 50 sq ft) | — | Yard requirements apply. One accessory sign may occupy required yards if ≤50 sq ft. | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Any wall not facing and within 100 ft of a residential district | — | Article 6, 3.2 (general applies if not superseded) |
| Freestanding Sign (Detached or Ground Sign) | 15 ft | ≤50 sq ft if in required yard | — | Subject to yard/corner visibility (Section 4.7) | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Affixed to ground | — | Article 6, 3.2(11), (13), (14) |
| Projecting Sign / Marquee Sign | — | Not specified | — | Subject to vision clearance (4.7) | 1 per sign type per street frontage | Projects >18 in from wall (includes marquee) | — | Article 6, 3.2(10), (12) |
| Temporary Portable Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per 50 ft street frontage | One per 50 ft street frontage | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(g) |
| Temporary Real Estate or Construction Sign | — | 6 sq ft real estate / 20 sq ft construction | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On premises; one per street frontage | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(c)-(d) |
| Awning/Canopy Sign | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | — | On awning, canopy, roller curtain, or umbrella | — | Article 6, 3.2(3)(e) |

## Prohibited signs in Big Stone Gap

- No sign shall be erected, constructed, posted, altered, maintained, or relocated without a permit unless specifically excepted.
- No sign shall be approved for use unless inspected and found to be in compliance with all requirements of this Ordinance and applicable technical codes.
- No flashing signs or exposed gas filled or illuminated tubing such as neon shall be permitted in any residential district.
- No sign shall be constructed, erected, used, operated, or maintained which displays intermittent lights resembling, or seeming to resemble, the flashing lights customarily associated with danger, or such as are customarily used by police, fire, or ambulance vehicles.
- No sign shall be located and illuminated so as to provide a background of colored lights blending with traffic signal lights to the extent of confusing a motorist from 25 to 300 feet away.
- Except as otherwise specifically provided, all signs are subject to the provisions governing nonconforming uses.
- Except as otherwise provided, only one sign of each permitted type is allowed per street frontage, per permitted use.
- Except as otherwise provided, any sign may be flat, detached, or projecting, but no detached sign shall exceed 15 feet in height.
- Signs may be placed on non-front walls except on side or rear walls facing and within 100 feet of a residential district.
- All signs must comply with yard requirements of the district, except for one accessory sign under specific conditions.
- No sign, portable or otherwise, may be located to conflict with vision clearance or traffic ordinance requirements.
- No signs shall be attached to trees, utility poles, or any other unapproved supporting structure.
- Signs must be maintained in good condition; dilapidated or neglected signs may be removed by the Administrator after notice.
- Signs erected or maintained in conflict with these regulations shall be removed if not corrected within 30 days after written notice.
- No 'view billboards' may be erected.

## Signs exempt from permit in Big Stone Gap

- Official traffic signs or structures and provisional warning signs or structures required by a governmental agency, and temporary signs indicating danger, are exempt and do not require a permit.
- Changing the copy on a bulletin board, poster board, billboard, display encasement, or marquee does not require a permit.
- Temporary non-illuminated signs, not more than 6 sq ft in area, advertising real estate for sale or lease or announcing contemplated improvements of real estate and located on premises (one per street frontage) are exempt from permit requirements.
- Temporary non-illuminated signs, not more than 20 sq ft in area, erected in connection with new construction work and displayed on the premises during the period of construction (one per street frontage), are exempt from permit requirements.
- Non-illuminated signs, not exceeding 10 sq ft in area with letters not exceeding 1 foot in height, painted, stamped, perforated, or stitched on the surface area of an awning, canopy, roller curtain, or umbrella, are exempt from permit requirements.
- Non-illuminated signs warning trespassers or announcing property as posted are exempt from permit requirements.
- Temporary non-illuminated portable signs, not exceeding 6 sq ft in area, in a business or industrial district (one per 50 feet of street frontage) are exempt from permit requirements.
- Signs on trucks, buses, or other vehicles while in use in the normal course of business are exempt from permit requirements; this does not permit parking vehicles for display purposes as signage where signs would not otherwise be permitted.
- Billboards existing before the adoption of this ordinance are exempt to the extent that they may be maintained or re-erected on the same site if destroyed or torn down as long as they are properly maintained.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Before any sign permit is issued, an application must be filed, including three sets of drawings and/or specifications as necessary to fully advise the Administrator of the location, construction, materials, manner of illuminating, securing/fastening, number of signs, and the wording or advertisement to be carried on the sign.
- Applications for unusual signs or displays which give rise to questions of interpretation may be referred by the Administrator to the Board of Zoning Appeals for interpretation and recommendation.
- Special use permits requiring signage must include the design and location of signage as part of the review process, ensuring conformance with established district regulations.
- If a sign is proposed as part of a bed and breakfast, a plan showing the sign location, size, and design must be submitted with the permit application.
- Site plan review is required for certain major uses per Section 6, and where signage is a component, plans must address compliance with sign regulations.

## 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 5 zoning districts in Big Stone Gap — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Big+Stone+Gap+VA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-big-stone-gap

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