# Sign Regulations in Occoquan, Virginia

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Occoquan, Virginia (VA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/virginia/occoquan
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20

## At a glance

Occoquan, Virginia regulates 21 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Flags in the Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4) zoning district are capped at 15 ft tall and 16 sf per flag, with a See § 157.303(B) setback (Sec. § 157.303(B), § 157.320 Table 1). Most commercial signs in Occoquan require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4) | 12 | 15 ft | 16 sf per flag | — |
| Business District (B-1) | 8 | 15 ft | Up to 25% of the area of a window | — |
| Old and Historic Occoquan Overlay District (HOD) | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | 6 ft (up to 25 mph); 8 ft (> 25 mph) | 16 sf (abutting road up to 25 mph); 32 sf (abutting road > 25 mph) | — |

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

### Residential District (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flag | 15 ft | 16 sf per flag | — | See § 157.303(B) | No limit specified | See § 157.303(B); generally wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.303(B), § 157.320 Table 1 |
| Temporary Sign (Residential Use) | 6 ft | 16 sf per sign | — | None | One or more, up to total 8 sf area | See § 157.303(D); generally on property | — | § 157.303(D)(2), § 157.320 Table 1 |
| Permanent Sign (Box/Freestanding/Monument/Pole/Projecting/Wall) | 6 ft | 3 sf per sign | — | None | Unspecified, see Table 1 | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.320 Table 1 |
| Minor Sign | 6 ft | 1 sf per sign, 4 sf aggregate | — | None | 4 per parcel, more by permit | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.303(E), § 157.320 Table 1 |
| Waterfront Sign | 6 ft | 16 sf | — | None | Unspecified | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox, facing riverfront property | — | § 157.320 Table 1 |
| Monument Sign (Non-residential Use) | 6 ft | 16 sf | — | None | Unspecified | Freestanding | — | § 157.320 Table 2 |
| Permanent Sign (Box/Freestanding/Monument/Pole/Projecting/Wall, Non-residential Use) | 6 ft | 16 sf per sign | — | None | Unspecified | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.320 Table 2 |
| Waterfront Sign (Non-residential Use) | 6 ft | 16 sf | — | None | Unspecified | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.320 Table 2 |

### Business District (B-1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Sign (Freestanding/Monument/Pole/Projecting/Wall) | 6 ft | 16 sf per sign | — | — | 4 (signs and/or flags together) | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Temporary Sign | 6 ft | 16 sf total for commercial use; 8 sf total for residential use | — | — | Unlimited (see duration and size restriction); counts toward total max with permanent signs and flags | See § 157.303(D) | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Flag | 15 ft | 16 sf per flag | — | See § 157.303(B) | 4 (signs and or flags together) | See § 157.303(B); wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Minor Sign | 6 ft | 1 sf per sign, 4 sf total without permit; up to 2 additional with permit | — | — | 4 total (without permit); up to 6 with permit | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Waterfront Sign | Height of building | — | — | — | Unlimited up to maximum allowed area | Wall, bracket, freestanding, or affixed to mailbox, facing the river | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Marquee Sign | Height of building | By Special Use Permit (SUP) | — | — | 1 | By Special Use Permit (SUP) | — | § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Box Sign | — | 4.5 sf (by definition) | 1 ft depth | — | No limit (do not count toward maximums above) | — | — | § 157.301 Definitions; § 157.321 Table 3 |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 25% of the area of a window | — | — | No specific limit, aggregate area restriction | Window | — | § 157.321(B) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A-Frame/Sandwich Board Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per property | Not in public right-of-way; consistent with tables in §§ 157.320 and 157.321 | — | § 157.303(F), § 157.304(B)(14) |
| Box Sign | — | 4.5 sf | 1 ft depth | — | No specific limit | Consistent with tables in §§ 157.320 and 157.321 | — | § 157.303(H), § 157.301 Definitions |
| Signs for Official Notices or by Government | — | — | — | — | — | As posted by or under public/court officer, or as required by law | — | § 157.303(A), § 157.303(D)(5) |
| Yard Sign | 6 ft (up to 25 mph); 8 ft (> 25 mph) | 16 sf (abutting road up to 25 mph); 32 sf (abutting road > 25 mph) | — | — | 1 | On property for sale or rent, abutting road | — | § 157.303(D)(4), § 157.304(C)(6) |

## Prohibited signs in Occoquan

- Signs not expressly permitted as being allowed by right or by special use permit under this subchapter, by specific requirements in another portion of this chapter, or otherwise expressly allowed by the Town Council are forbidden.
- Signs that violate any law of the state relating to outdoor advertising.
- Signs attached to natural vegetation.
- Signs simulating, or which are likely to be confused with, a traffic control sign or any other sign displayed by a public authority.
- Vehicle or trailer signs.
- Freestanding signs more than 15 feet in height.
- Vending machines within the Old and Historic Occoquan District that are outside of a wholly enclosed structure.
- Any sign displayed without complying with all applicable regulations of this chapter.
- Signs painted directly on a building, driveway, or road, except where expressly permitted by this chapter.
- Animated signs.
- Flashing signs.
- Non-white colored signs consisting of illuminated tubing or strings of lights outlining property lines or open sales areas, rooflines, doors, windows, or wall edges of any building, except during the period October 15 through February 15.
- Signs that emit smoke, flame, scent, mist, aerosol, liquid, or gas.
- Signs that emit sound.
- Any electronic sign that is generated by a series of moving images, such as a TV, digital display, or other video technology, whether displayed on a building, vehicle, or mobile unit.
- Strings of flags (two or more connected together) visible from, and within 50 feet of, any public right-of-way.
- Pole signs less than six feet in height.
- Feather signs.
- Inflatable signs.
- Internally lighted signs, except for marquees and box signs.
- Neon signs.
- A-frame signs made of plastic, vinyl, and/or non-durable materials.
- Off-premises signs.
- Signs erected on public land other than those approved by an authorized town official in writing, required by law without such approval, or permitted under VA Code § 24.2-310 E.
- Signs on the roof surface or extending above the roofline of a building or its parapet wall.
- Any sign which obstructs visibility for motorists or pedestrians at an intersection.
- Window signs whose aggregate area on a window or door exceed 25% of the total area of the window or door.
- Commercial signs are not permitted as yard signs in business districts.

## Signs exempt from permit in Occoquan

- Signs erected by a governmental body or required by law.
- Flags up to 16 square feet in size, subject to limitations on their number contained elsewhere in this chapter; provided, that no freestanding pole shall be erected in the public right-of-way nor be within five feet of a service drive, travel lane, or adjoining street.
- The changing of messages on marquees and the repair of an existing permitted sign, except that repair of a nonconforming sign must comply with § 157.308(E).
- Temporary signs as follows: (1) For non-residential use property one sign, no more than 16 square feet in area, located on property where a building permit is active; (2) On residential-use property, one or more temporary signs with a total area of no more than eight square feet, and which are removed within 90 days after being erected. Once removed, temporary signs may not be erected again for 30 days; (3) On residential-use property, window signs, provided that the total extent of window signs do not obstruct more than 25% of the total area of all windows on each building façade; (4) On any property for sale or rent, not more than one sign with a total area of up to 16 square feet and a maximum height of six feet when the sign abuts a road with a speed limit of 25 mph or less, and when the sign abuts a road with a speed limit greater than 25 mph not more than one sign with a total area of up to 32 square feet and a maximum height of eight feet; (5) On any property official notices or advertisements posted or displayed by or under the direction of any public or court officer in the performance of his or her official or directed duties; provided, that all such signs shall be removed no more than ten days after their purpose has been accomplished.
- Not more than four minor signs, consistent with the tables in §§ 157.320 and 157.321. Additional minor signs are permitted in certain districts with a permit.
- One A-frame sign not in the public right-of-way, consistent with the tables in §§ 157.320 and 157.321.
- Window signs, provided that the aggregate area of all window signs on each window or door does not exceed 25% of the total area of the window or door.
- Box signs, consistent with the tables in §§ 157.320 and 157.321.
- Signs consisting of illuminated tubing or strings of lights outlining property lines or open sales areas, rooflines, doors, windows, or wall edges of any building provided such lights are white, off-white, or a color commonly considered white. Lights other than white are permitted only from October 15 through February 15.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A Comprehensive Sign Plan is required for properties that include multiple tenants or owners with shared parking or other facilities, and must be approved by Town Council in the B-1 District.
- The comprehensive sign plan shall establish the time, manner, and placement of signs, frequency of message changes, the materials, the hours of lighting, the height of signs (which shall not be modified above the height permitted in the chapter), the total number of square feet of sign surface, and the number of signs to be placed on a site.
- A Special Use Permit (SUP) is required prior to installation of a marquee sign.
- Signs in the Old and Historic Occoquan Overlay District (HOD) require compliance with Architectural Review Board (ARB) guidelines except when a sign permit is not required.
- Signs and sign structures regulated under this chapter are generally exempt from the certificate of appropriateness process, except for structures with a height greater than 15 feet and/or components with a width greater than five inches.

## 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 Occoquan — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Occoquan+VA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-occoquan

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