# Sign Regulations in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Turtle Lake, Wisconsin (WI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/wisconsin/turtle-lake
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-20
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/turtlelake/latest/turtlelake_wi/0-0-0-6883)

## At a glance

Turtle Lake, Wisconsin regulates 21 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Ground or Pole Signs in the All zoning districts, other than residential districts zoning district are capped at 30 ft above street centerline grade tall and 120 sq ft (total), 60 sq ft per side, with a Sign must meet setback for the zone setback (Sec. § 13-1-102(b)). Most commercial signs in Turtle Lake 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 | 7 | — | Banners above street: 120 sq ft (each side); banners attached to building/structure: 32 sq ft (each side) | — |
| Residential zoning districts | 3 | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| All zoning districts, other than residential districts | 11 | 30 ft above street centerline grade | 120 sq ft (total), 60 sq ft per side | — |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary For Sale/Lease/Rent Sign | — | 8 sq ft (one side), 16 sq ft (all sides) | — | 10 feet if not attached to a wall | — | On properties or buildings for sale, lease, or rent; if not a wall sign, must be set back at least 10 feet from side/rear lot lines; not in public right-of-way | — | § 13-1-100(a) |
| Temporary Event Sign (Open House/Grand Opening/Anniversary/Special Sale) | — | 16 sq ft (one side), 32 sq ft (all sides) | — | — | — | On the premises | — | § 13-1-100(b) |
| Temporary General Sign | — | 8 sq ft | — | — | 1 per parcel | On any given parcel | — | § 13-1-100(d) |
| Temporary Election Campaign Sign | — | 11 sq ft unless affixed to permanent structure (then not to exceed perimeter of structure and must not obstruct openings) | — | — | — | Residential zoning districts; not in public right-of-way or obstructing pedestrian way | — | § 13-1-100(c) |
| Temporary Sign - Option 1 (Flag Sign or Banner, temporary permit) | — | Banners above street: 120 sq ft (each side); banners attached to building/structure: 32 sq ft (each side) | — | — | 2 temporary sign permits per year per business/org | Any district | — | § 13-1-104(a)(1) |
| Temporary Sign - Option 2 (General, portable/other, temporary permit) | — | 32 sq ft (one side), 64 sq ft (all sides) | — | 10 feet from property line (unless in Downtown-Mixed Use District) | 1 per lot | At least 10 ft from property line (except Downtown-Mixed Use District) | — | § 13-1-104(a)(2) |
| Temporary Sign - Option 3 (Short-term, event-related, temporary permit) | — | 25 sq ft per sign (double-faced signs qualify for this maximum per side) | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 13-1-104(a)(3) |

### Residential zoning districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Permanent Ground Sign - Subdivision/Development Entrance | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — | 10 feet from ROW or lot line | — | Entrance to subdivision or development | — | § 13-1-101(a) |
| Monument Sign (Non-residential use) | 6 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 monument sign per use | Associated with a permitted, accessory or conditional non-residential use | — | § 13-1-101(b) |
| Wall Sign (Non-residential use) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 1 wall sign per use | Associated with a permitted, accessory or conditional non-residential use | — | § 13-1-101(b) |

### All zoning districts, other than residential districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | — | 35% of building face | — | — | — | Exterior of building | — | § 13-1-102(a) |
| Ground or Pole Sign | 30 ft above street centerline grade | 120 sq ft (total), 60 sq ft per side | — | Sign must meet setback for the zone | 1 per premises | On premises, principal frontage | — | § 13-1-102(b) |
| Monument Sign | 10 ft above grade | 50 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | § 13-1-102(c) |
| Changeable Copy Sign (Electronic Message Board/Reader Board) | — | Counted as part of total ground/monument sign square footage | — | — | 1 per business | — | — | § 13-1-102(d) |
| Projecting Sign | 20 ft above street centerline grade | 7.5 sq ft | — | 10 ft from all side lot lines | — | Fastened to, suspended from, or supported by structure | — | § 13-1-102(e) |
| Menu Board | — | — | — | — | 2 per establishment | Drive-through or walk-up food establishment | — | § 13-1-102(f) |
| Wall Sign | 20 ft above street centerline grade (not on front facade for corner lots) | — | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 13-1-102(g) |
| Roof Sign | 10 ft above roof; subject to district overall height restriction | — | — | — | — | Attached to roof | — | § 13-1-102(i) |

## Prohibited signs in Turtle Lake

- No signs are permitted in the triangle formed by the point at the corner of an intersection and points 15 feet from the corner along each street.
- Signs shall not be placed on utility poles, light standards, trees, utility pedestals, or boxes, or any similar structure.
- Signs shall not be attached or affixed to, or adhered to or drawn upon, any public street or sidewalk.
- Signs shall not resemble, imitate, or approximate the shape, size, form, or color of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices, and shall not obstruct or interfere with the effectiveness of railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices.
- Color schemes and lettering styles shall be used consistently on all signage used on a single lot or shopping center.
- No illuminated sign shall cause any reflection or glare upon any public street, highway, or sidewalk, nor create glare on adjoining private properties.
- Exposed lighting media such as light bulbs and tubes are prohibited; all external sources of illumination must be hidden from view or camouflaged and subject to approval.
- No sign which is allowed to be erected or constructed without a permit shall be illuminated without the express permission of the village.
- No billboards shall be allowed at any place in the village.
- Animated signs, signs containing beacons or signs containing moving lights (other than revolving signs) are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Signs containing or consisting of bare reflecting bulbs are prohibited.
- No sign shall be suspended in a fashion or manner that allows it to swing in an unrestricted manner or to the extent that swinging may cause damage to the sign.
- All signs, including those for which a permit is not required, must comply with applicable state and village building and electrical codes.
- All signs must be constructed to withstand wind pressure of not less than 30 pounds per square foot.

## Signs exempt from permit in Turtle Lake

- A sign posted by the village, a county, state, or federal agency.
- A sign integrated into or on an automatic teller machine, coin-operated machine, or vending machine.
- A sign carried by a person.
- A sign not visible from any public street, highway, sidewalk, bicycle path, or park.
- Street addresses and numbers as required by the U.S. Postal Service.
- Murals and other work of art that are not related by logo, pictorial depiction, or other means to the advertisement of any product or service or the identification of any business.
- Holiday lights and decorations containing no commercial message.
- Flags of the United States and the state and other countries or states, up to a maximum of three flags per parcel, subject to size and protocol requirements (as described in §13-1-94(h)).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is required for any sign to be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered, unless exempted (§13-1-91, §13-1-94).
- Sign permit applications must include a scale drawing of the proposed sign, a scale site plan, construction specifications, and other materials (§13-1-96).
- Application for a special exception (variance) requires all materials needed for a sign permit (§13-1-107(b)).
- A permit is not required for 'changes in messages, repainting, cleaning, normal maintenance, or other general refurbishing' of any sign (§13-1-96(a)(2)).
- Permits are not required for certain temporary signs as specified in §13-1-100.
- For certain temporary and portable signage, approval of a temporary sign permit and review by Plan Commission may be required (§13-1-104).

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Turtle Lake, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Turtle+Lake+WI&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-turtle-lake

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/wisconsin/turtle-lake