# Sign Regulations in Huntington, West Virginia

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Huntington, West Virginia (WV)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/west-virginia/huntington
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/WV/Huntington/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=CO_PTTHIRTEENPLZOCO_ART1345SIRESILI)

## At a glance

Huntington, West Virginia regulates 33 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Freestanding Sign (C-1, C-3)s in the Commercial District (C-1, C-2, C-3) zoning district are capped at 20 ft. tall, 72 sq. ft., and 10 ft. wide, with a 5 ft. from property line setback (Sec. Table 1345; 1345.10). Most commercial signs in Huntington require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District | 7 | 5 ft. | 32 sq. ft. | — |
| Commercial District (C-1, C-2, C-3) | 17 | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — |
| Industrial District (I-1) | 8 | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — |
| Manufacturing District | 6 | 20 ft. | 100 sq. ft. | — |
| C-1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| C-2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| C-3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| I-1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 4 | — | — | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### Commercial District (C-1, C-2, C-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign (C-1, C-3) | 20 ft. | 72 sq. ft. | 10 ft. | 5 ft. from property line | 1 per lot or parcel | On same lot as use. | — | Table 1345; 1345.10 |
| Freestanding Sign - Connector/Freeway-Oriented (C-1, C-2) | 35 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per street frontage (connector signs) | Facing Interstate 64, on C-1, C-2, or I-1 lots only. | — | 1345.10.D |
| Freestanding Sign (C-2) | 20 ft. | 72 sq. ft. | 10 ft. | 5 ft from property line | 1 per lot/parcel | On same lot as use. | — | Table 1345; 1345.10 |
| Suspended/Projecting Sign | 3 ft. | 6 sq. ft. (swinging)/6 sq. ft.; 1 per street frontage, max 6 sq. ft. | — | Building setback minus 4 ft. | 1 per street frontage | Must be in front of establishment served, on marquee/overhang/building feature | — | Table 1345; 1345.11 |
| Wall Sign (C-2) | No higher than height of building. If projecting >3" from wall, min 10 ft above ground. | 100 sq. ft. per establishment per street ROW | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | See above. | — | Table 1345; 1345.12.C.2, E |
| Off-Premise Sign (Billboard) (C-1, Conditional Use) | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — | 10 ft front, 5 ft side/rear | Per spacing and permitting requirements | Per setback/spatial requirements. | — | 1345.15 |
| Off-Premise Sign (Billboard) (C-2 Permitted) | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — | 10 ft front, 5 ft side/rear | Per spacing and permitting requirements | Per setback/spatial requirements. | — | 1345.15 |
| Off-Premise Sign (Billboard) (C-3 Conditional Use) | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — | 10 ft front, 5 ft side/rear | Per spacing and permitting requirements | Per setback/spatial requirements. | — | 1345.15 |

### Industrial District (I-1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Changeable Copy Sign | — | As allowed per authorized freestanding or wall sign size allowed in I-1. | — | — | — | On authorized sign types only. | — | 1345.08.B; Table 1345 |
| Electronic Message Center Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On authorized freestanding or wall signs only. | — | 1345.09; Table 1345 |
| Freestanding Sign (Industrial) | 20 ft. | 72 sq. ft. | 10 ft. | 5 ft from property line | 1 per lot/parcel | On same lot as use. | — | Table 1345; 1345.10 |
| Freestanding Sign - Connector/Freeway-Oriented | 35 ft. | 200 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Facing Interstate 64, on I-1 lots. | — | 1345.10.D |
| Suspended/Projecting Sign | 5 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — | Building setback minus 5 ft. | 1 per street frontage | Front of establishment, on marquee/overhang/building feature | — | Table 1345; 1345.11 |
| Wall Sign (I-1) | No higher than building; if projecting >3" from wall, min 10 ft above ground. | 100 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | Parallel to wall (max 12" out). | — | Table 1345; 1345.12.C.2, E |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 50% of window area | — | — | — | — | — | 1345.13; Table 1345 |
| Off-Premise Sign (Billboard) (I-1, Permitted) | 50 ft. (interstate); 35 ft. (non-interstate) | 672 sq. ft. (interstate); 400 sq. ft. (non-interstate) | — | 10 ft front, 5 ft side/rear | Per spacing and permitting requirements | Per setback/spatial requirements. | — | 1345.15; Table 1345 |

### Manufacturing District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Changeable Copy Sign | — | Same as allowed freestanding or wall sign for zone. | — | — | — | On authorized freestanding or wall signs. | — | 1345.08.B; Table 1345 |
| Electronic Message Center Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On authorized freestanding or wall signs. | — | 1345.09; Table 1345 |
| Freestanding Sign (Manufacturing) | 20 ft. | 72 sq. ft. | 10 ft. | 5 ft from property line | 1 per lot | On same lot as use. | — | Table 1345; 1345.10 |
| Suspended/Projecting Sign | 5 ft. | 40 sq. ft. | — | Building setback minus 5 ft. | 1 per street frontage | — | — | Table 1345; 1345.11 |
| Wall Sign (Manufacturing) | No higher than height of building; if projecting >3", min 10 ft above ground. | 100 sq. ft. | — | — | 1 per establishment per street frontage | On or parallel to wall. | — | 1345.12.C.2, E; Table 1345 |
| Window Sign | — | Up to 50% of window area | — | — | — | — | — | 1345.13; Table 1345 |

## Prohibited signs in Huntington

- No sign may be installed in a way that obstructs free and clear vision, or free use, of any public right-of-way, intersection, ingress or egress point, transit stop, parking space, drive aisle, driveway, building entrance, fire escape, or accessibility ramp.
- No sign may be placed so as to obstruct any window or door, with the exception of window signs in compliance with this article.
- No sign of any description shall be installed, erected, or maintained so as to obstruct any fire escape or any door or window leading to any fire escape.
- No sign of any kind shall be attached or affixed in any form or manner to a fire escape.
- No sign may be constructed, reconstructed, altered, or relocated without prior written consent from the property owner or authorized representative.
- No direct or reflected light from the primary light source of a sign may create hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, or motor vehicle operators.
- Colored light must not be used at a location or in a manner so as to be confused with or construed as traffic control devices.
- Blinking, flashing, fluttering, strobe-light effects, and streaming video are prohibited on signs.
- Portable signs or attention-getting devices, flags, pennants, and banners are prohibited except as allowed by the temporary sign regulations in section 1345.04(F) and Table 1345.
- Signs painted, attached, or affixed to trees, rock, natural surfaces, public utility poles, equipment, bridges, towers, or other similar public structures are prohibited.
- Roof signs are prohibited.
- Signs with moving, rotating, or oscillating parts are prohibited, excluding tri-vision signs per section 1345.15.
- Signs which by their size, location, movement, content, coloring, or manner of illumination may be confused with or construed to be a traffic-control sign, railroad sign or signal, or emergency vehicle signal, or attempt to direct the movement of traffic, or hide from view or interfere with any official traffic-control device or railroad sign are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Huntington

- Painting, cleaning, or other normal maintenance and repair of a sign that does not involve any change to structural or electronic components is exempt from permitting.
- Changing displayed information, the message of an existing changeable or electronic message component of a sign, or the sign face within an existing sign structure is exempt from permitting, provided no change is made to any structural or electronic component.
- Decorations displayed for recognized holidays recognized by Federal, State, or local government or generally recognized by the community are exempt from permitting.
- Signs engraved or otherwise a permanent component of a building, monument, tombstone, or similar structure, or integrated into public-use equipment such as ATMs, coin-operated machines, or vending machines, are exempt from permitting.
- Signs erected by a public entity for a public purpose are exempt from permitting.
- Window signs that do not exceed 50% of the total area of the window in which they are located are exempt from permitting.
- Temporary signs that are less than 12 square feet or sidewalk signs are exempt from permitting, subject to section 1345.14.
- Signs promoting or assisting in the health and safety of persons or personal property, such as trespassing signs, emergency notification, and directional signs, are exempt from permitting provided they do not exceed two square feet in sign surface area.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All sign types, unless exempted, require a sign permit before construction, reconstruction, alteration, or relocation.
- Signs that are exempt from requiring a permit must still comply with the regulations of the ordinance.
- Any sign encroaching upon or over a public right-of-way requires review and approval from public works and must be included in a liability insurance policy holding the city free of all responsibility.
- Written consent from the property owner or authorized representative is required for the sign permit application.
- A sign permit becomes null and void if work is not completed within one year of issuance, but an extension of up to three months may be approved upon written request.
- No explicit reference is made to a master sign plan or variance hearing specifically for signage in this section; however, general variance and appeals procedures are contained in Article 1349 and elsewhere in zoning code.

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

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/west-virginia/huntington