# Sign Regulations in Genesee Town, Wisconsin

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Genesee Town, Wisconsin (WI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/wisconsin/genesee-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/31773770#31773770)

## At a glance

Genesee Town, Wisconsin regulates 25 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Parking Lot Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 6 feet tall and 4 square feet, with a 5-foot setback from the right-of-way and adjacent property lines setback (Sec. § 478-4F). Most commercial signs in Genesee Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 22 | 30 feet in residential areas, 40 feet in nonresidential areas | 60 square feet | — |
| Business Zone | 2 | 20 feet | 40 square feet | — |
| Commercial Zone | 2 | 20 feet | 40 square feet | — |
| Industrial Zone | 2 | 20 feet | 40 square feet | — |
| Institutional Zone | 2 | 20 feet | 40 square feet | — |
| Residential Zone | 1 | — | 16 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Product Sign | — | 10 square feet | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 478-4A |
| Residential Real Estate Sign | — | 10 square feet | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 478-4B |
| Bulletin Board | — | 32 square feet | — | 1/4 of the building setback requirements | — | Public, charitable or religious institutions | — | § 478-4D |
| Parking Lot Sign | 6 feet | 4 square feet | — | 5-foot setback from the right-of-way and adjacent property lines | — | Parking lots in business, commercial, industrial, and institutional zones | — | § 478-4F |
| Flag | 30 feet in residential areas, 40 feet in nonresidential areas | 60 square feet | — | Must meet all setback requirements | — | — | — | § 478-4M |
| Off-Premises Sign | — | 4 square feet | — | Minimum spacing of 500 feet between any two signs in this category | — | Off of the street right-of-way | — | § 478-4R |
| Suspended Sign | — | 12 square feet per face | — | — | One per building entrance | Above a walkway | — | § 478-4S |
| Construction Sign | — | 32 square feet | — | 10 feet from any street right-of-way | No more than two | On the site of construction | — | § 478-4T |

### Business Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 40 square feet | — | — | One per store side of building | On store side of building | — | § 478-5A |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 20 square feet | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 478-5A |

### Commercial Zone

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 40 square feet | — | — | One per store side of building | On store side of building | — | § 478-5A |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 20 square feet | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 478-5A |

## Prohibited signs in Genesee Town

- Signs shall not resemble, imitate or approximate the shape, size, form or color of railroad or traffic signs, signals or devices.
- Signs shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of railroad or traffic signs, signals or devices.
- Signs shall not be erected, relocated or maintained so as to prevent free ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape, and no sign shall be attached to a standpipe or fire escape.
- Signs shall be placed so as not to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility and shall not be lighted in a way which causes glare or impairs driver visibility upon public ways.
- Banners, pennants, streamers, balloons, inflatable signs, and other gas-filled figures are not permitted, except as a temporary sign, as may be permitted by the Town Plan Commission.
- Billboard signs are not permitted, unless otherwise stated in this chapter.
- All signage promoting products and/or services integral to the use of a business or service, located off the premises of said business, is not permitted, unless otherwise specified by this chapter.
- No sign shall be permitted which is animated by means of intermittent, scintillating, scrolling or traveling lights or any other device or means not providing constant illumination.
- Unprofessional hand-painted signs erected as permanent outdoor advertising signs are not permitted.
- The tacking, pasting, or otherwise affixing of signs of a miscellaneous character, visible from a roadway, located on the walls of buildings, barns, sheds, trees, poles, posts, fences or other structures, is prohibited unless otherwise permitted by this chapter.
- No portable signs shall be permitted, including but not limited to A-frame or T-frame signs and signs on trailer frames, whether or not the trailer wheels or the typeface have been removed, except where permitted as temporary signs set forth in this chapter.
- Any sign on top of a roof is prohibited.
- Overhead swinging signs, except those meeting the requirements for suspended signs, are prohibited.
- No sign shall be placed on any communication, radio, or cell tower without the approval of the Town Plan Commission.
- Signs placed on parked vehicles, boats, trucks or utility trailers which are visible from the public right-of-way for which the apparent purpose is to advertise a product or to direct the public to a business or activity are prohibited.
- No signs are allowed which operate or employ any stereopticon or motion picture projection or media in conjunction with any advertisements, have visible moving parts, or give the illusion of movements, except as permitted by this chapter.
- No signs which emit audible sound, odor, or visible matter are permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Genesee Town

- Product signs not exceeding 10 square feet in sign area for any one premises that pertain to the seasonal sale of perishable products produced on the premises.
- Residential real estate signs not exceeding 10 square feet in sign area that advertise the sale, rental or lease of the premises upon which such signs are temporarily located.
- Commercial real estate signs shall not exceed 32 square feet.
- Bulletin boards for public, charitable or religious institutions shall not exceed 32 square feet in sign area.
- Memorial signs, tables, name of building, and date of erection signs when cut into any masonry surface or when constructed of metal and affixed flat against a structure and not illuminated.
- Parking lot signs shall include signs which are placed or displayed in parking lots to supply information to people using lots.
- Rummage, estate or neighborhood sale signs must not be erected on or off the premises for more than three days, and be removed by sundown on the last day of the sale.
- Home occupation and professional home office, where allowed, wall or window signs not exceeding six square feet in sign area, mounted flush against the dwelling and only internally illuminated.
- Metal or masonry nameplates attached to a building and not exceeding four square feet in sign area.
- The display of any political sign shall be permitted without a permit, subject to the following restrictions.
- Community signage to promote periodic not-for-profit, civic, or community events and functions is permitted.
- Address signs that display address numbers shall not exceed two square feet.
- Flags shall not exceed 60 square feet.
- Signs for property designated by a federal, state or local government as an historic location, site or landmark, provided such sign does not exceed 24 square feet.
- Signs established by, or by order of, any governmental agency with Town Plan Commission approval.
- Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest erected by or on the order of public officers in performance of the officers' public duty.
- No-trespassing signs, warning signs, and other such signs regulating the use of property when such signs do not exceed two square feet in area.
- Off-premises signs indicating the names and locations of churches, charitable organizations, and community service organizations are permitted.
- Signs suspended above a walkway to identify a business, profession or industry conducted on the premises.
- Construction signs which identify the architects, engineers, contractors and other individuals or firms involved with construction taking place on the premises.
- Incidental signs, if they do not exceed two square feet in surface area.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Outdoor decorative or wall art shall only be allowed with approval by the Town Plan Commission.
- Banners, pennants, streamers, balloons, inflatable signs, and other gas-filled figures are not permitted, except as a temporary sign, as may be permitted by the Town Plan Commission.
- Billboard signs are not permitted, unless otherwise stated in this chapter.
- All signage promoting products and/or services integral to the use of a business or service, located off the premises of said business, is not permitted, unless otherwise specified by this chapter.
- No sign shall be placed on any communication, radio, or cell tower without the approval of the Town Plan Commission.
- Signs established by, or by order of, any governmental agency with Town Plan Commission approval.
- Signs of a noncommercial nature and in the public interest erected by or on the order of public officers in performance of the officers' public duty.
- Off-premises signs indicating the names and locations of churches, charitable organizations, and community service organizations are permitted.
- Signs suspended above a walkway to identify a business, profession or industry conducted on the premises.
- Construction signs which identify the architects, engineers, contractors and other individuals or firms involved with construction taking place on the premises.

## 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 6 zoning districts in Genesee Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Genesee+Town+WI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-genesee-town

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