# Sign Regulations in St. Paul, Virginia

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

- **Jurisdiction:** St. Paul, Virginia (VA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/virginia/st-paul
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08

## At a glance

St. Paul, Virginia regulates 5 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Detached Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 15 feet tall and 50 square feet, with a Must comply with yard requirements of the district. setback (Sec. Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs.). Most commercial signs in St. Paul require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — |
| C-1 Business District | 5 | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — |
| Residence District | 5 | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to the outside wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Detached Sign | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — | Must comply with yard requirements of the district. | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Affixed to the ground. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to and projects more than 18 inches from the face of a wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Illuminated Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Temporary Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage. | On premises, one per street frontage. | — | Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |

### C-1 Business District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to the outside wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Detached Sign | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — | Must comply with yard requirements of the district. | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Affixed to the ground. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to and projects more than 18 inches from the face of a wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Illuminated Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Temporary Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage. | On premises, one per street frontage. | — | Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |

### Residence District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to the outside wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Detached Sign | 15 feet | 50 square feet | — | Must comply with yard requirements of the district. | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Affixed to the ground. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | One sign of each permitted type per street frontage per permitted use. | Attached to and projects more than 18 inches from the face of a wall of a building. | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Illuminated Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sec. 8.1. - Sign definitions, Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |
| Temporary Sign | — | 6 square feet | — | — | One per street frontage. | On premises, one per street frontage. | — | Sec. 8.2. - General requirements, all signs. |

## Prohibited signs in St. Paul

- Pennants, banners, streamers, and all other fluttering, spinning or similar type signs and advertising devices are prohibited except for national flags and flags of political subdivisions of the United States, and except for flags of bona fide civic, charitable, fraternal, and welfare organizations.
- No flashing signs shall be permitted in any district.
- No sign which is not an integral part of the building design shall be fastened to and supported by or on the roof of a building and no projecting sign shall extend over or above the roof line or parapet wall of a building.
- 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, or for navigation purposes.
- No sign shall be constructed, erected, used, operated, or maintained which is so located and so illuminated as to provide a background of colored lights blending with traffic signal lights to the extent of confusing a motorist when viewed from normal approaching position of a vehicle at a distance of 25 to 300 feet.
- No sign, portable or otherwise, is to be placed or located to conflict with the vision clearance or other requirements of this ordinance or applicable traffic ordinances.
- No signs shall be attached to trees, utility poles, or any other unapproved supporting structure.
- No signs shall project over public right-of-way without express permission of the Town Council except for permitted flat signs which may so project not more than 18 inches.

## Signs exempt from permit in St. Paul

- Official traffic signs or sign structures and provisional warning signs or sign structures, when erected or required to be erected by a governmental agency, and temporary signs indicating danger.
- Changing of the copy on a bulletin board, poster board, display encasement, or marquee.
- Temporary, non-illuminated paper signs in show windows in a business district.
- Temporary non-illuminated election campaign signs.
- Temporary non-illuminated signs, not more than six square feet in area, advertising real estate for sale or lease or announcing contemplated improvements of real estate, and located on the premises, one such sign for each street frontage.
- Temporary non-illuminated signs not more than 16 square feet in area, erected in connection with new construction work and displayed on the premises during such time as the actual construction work is in progress, one such sign for each street frontage.
- Non-illuminated signs warning trespassers or announcing property as posted.
- Temporary non-illuminated portable signs, not exceeding six square feet in area, in a business or industrial district, one for each 50 feet of street frontage.
- Sign on a truck, bus, or other vehicle, while in use in the normal course of business.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Applications for unusual signs or displays which give rise to questions of interpretation of these regulations may be referred by the Administrator to the Board of Zoning Appeals for the purpose of interpretation by the Board and recommendation for action on the application by the Administrator.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for St. Paul, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=St.+Paul+VA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-st-paul

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