# Sign Regulations in Wales Village, Wisconsin

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Wales Village, Wisconsin (WI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/wisconsin/wales-village
- **Data last verified:** 2026-01-16
- **Source:** [ecode360 municipal code](https://ecode360.com/12705577)

## At a glance

Wales Village, Wisconsin regulates 31 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Temporary Development Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at ≤8 ft tall and ≤32 sq ft per face; total ≤64 sq ft for all sides, with a ≥20 ft from all lot lines setback (Sec. § 435-49(B)). Most commercial signs in Wales Village require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 14 | ≤8 ft | ≤32 sq ft per face | — |
| B-1 Neighborhood Business District, B-2 General Business District, B-3 Central Business/Mixed Use District, M-1 Limited Industrial District | 14 | Shall not extend above the first story or 20 ft in height, whichever is higher | ≤40 sq ft on one side; total ≤80 sq ft for all sides | — |
| I-1 Institutional District, P-1 Park and Recreation District | 3 | — | — | — |

_1 additional zoning district is covered in PermitPal (free account)._

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Real Estate Sign (Residential Districts) | — | ≤8 sq ft per face | — | — | 1 per property | On the property being sold, leased, or rented | — | § 435-48(A)(1), (3), (4), (5) |
| Real Estate Sign (Nonresidential Districts) | ≤6 ft | ≤24 sq ft per face | — | — | 1 per property | On the property being sold, leased, or rented | — | § 435-48(A)(2), (3), (4), (5) |
| Open House Directional Sign (Off-premises) | — | ≤6 sq ft per face | — | — | — | Off-premises directional signs for open house purposes | — | § 435-48(A)(6) |
| Personal Name or Warning Sign | — | ≤2 sq ft per face | — | — | — | On the premises | — | § 435-48(B) |
| Home Occupation/Professional Home Office Sign | — | ≤2 sq ft per face | — | — | — | On the dwelling or mailbox post on the premises | — | § 435-48(C) |
| Temporary Nonprofit Event Sign (School/Church/Civic Club/Nonprofit) | — | ≤32 sq ft per face | — | — | ≤4 on property other than hosting organization’s property (with permission) | On property in the Village (no more than 4 signs on property other than the hosting organization’s property, with landowner permission) | — | § 435-48(F) |
| Temporary Development Sign | ≤8 ft | ≤32 sq ft per face; total ≤64 sq ft for all sides | — | ≥20 ft from all lot lines | 1 per arterial street frontage | Any district | — | § 435-49(B) |
| Temporary Contractor Sign | ≤8 ft | ≤32 sq ft per face; total ≤64 sq ft for all sides | — | ≥20 ft from all lot lines | 1 per site | Any district | — | § 435-49(C) |

### B-1 Neighborhood Business District, B-2 General Business District, B-3 Central Business/Mixed Use District, M-1 Limited Industrial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Shall not extend above the first story or 20 ft in height, whichever is higher | — | — | — | — | Exterior walls of buildings | — | § 435-50(A); § 435-47(B)-(C); § 435-53 |
| Projecting Sign | ≤20 ft; bottom of sign ≥8 ft above walkway | ≤9 sq ft per face per business | Projection ≤4 ft from building | — | ≤1 projecting sign per business per face (implicit by per-business limit) | Attached to buildings | — | § 435-50(B); § 435-53 |
| Marquee/Awning/Canopy Sign | Sign face height ≤2 ft; bottom of marquee/awning/canopy ≥8 ft above sidewalk | — | — | — | — | On marquee, awning, or canopy | — | § 435-50(C); § 435-53 |
| Name Sign (Suspended from Marquee/Awning/Canopy) | Bottom of sign ≥8 ft above walkway | ≤2 sq ft per face | — | — | — | In front of establishment entrance | — | § 435-50(C); § 435-53 |
| Monument (Ground) Sign | ≤8 ft | ≤40 sq ft on one side; total ≤80 sq ft for all sides | — | Front: ≥20 ft from lot line/ROW; Side/Rear: ≥10 ft | Only 1 per premises unless § 435-50(G)(4) allows an additional for large developments | On premises; freestanding | — | § 435-50(D); § 435-54; § 435-47(B); § 435-53 |
| Window Sign (Interior) | — | ≤15% of the glass area of the window | — | — | — | Interior side of windows | — | § 435-50(E); § 435-53 |
| Tenant Directory (Multi-tenant Building) | — | — | — | — | Counts as 1 of the 2 signs allowed per principal building | Near building entryway | — | § 435-50(G)(2) |
| Wall/Canopy/Fascia Sign - Coordinated Plan (Shopping Center/Business Complex) | Sign face maximum height of 2 ft | ≤32 sq ft per face | — | — | Separate individual signs per tenant allowed under coordinated plan | On tenant’s building unit frontage/bay | — | § 435-50(G)(3) |

### I-1 Institutional District, P-1 Park and Recreation District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Institutional/ Park Name Sign (Private) | — | — | — | — | — | On institutional or park property | — | § 435-51(A)(1), (B); § 435-54; § 435-47(B) |
| Institutional/ Park Name Sign (Public) | — | — | — | — | — | On public institutional or park property | — | § 435-51(A)(2), (B); § 435-54; § 435-47(B) |
| Scoreboard (Schools and Parks) | — | — | — | — | — | At schools and parks within I-1 and P-1 Districts | — | § 435-51(A) |

## Prohibited signs in Wales Village

- No sign may be located, erected, moved, reconstructed, extended, enlarged, converted, or structurally altered without first obtaining a sign permit, except for signs allowed without a permit under § 435-48.
- No sign may be placed so as to obstruct or interfere with traffic visibility; all signs must comply with traffic visibility requirements (§ 435-39).
- Signs may not resemble, imitate, or approximate railroad or traffic signs, signals, or devices, nor obstruct or interfere with their effectiveness.
- Signs may not be placed in a way that causes glare or impairs driver visibility upon public ways.
- Signs (other than public traffic control signs and permitted electronic message boards/time–temperature displays) may not have elements that are flashing, blinking, moving, rotating, or pulsating.
- Bare light bulbs on signs are not permitted.
- Outdoor off-premises signs, including billboards, are prohibited, except for official signs, temporary rummage/garage sale signs, and signs at Village boundaries identifying civic or other nonprofit community service organizations.
- Roof signs erected on or over the roofline of a building are prohibited.
- Pole and pylon signs are prohibited; no new pole or pylon signs are permitted and nonconforming ones must be brought into compliance upon certain changes.
- Portable trailer signs are prohibited.
- Sandwich board signs are prohibited.
- Searchlights are prohibited.
- Inflatable advertising signs, devices, or balloons are prohibited.
- Signs painted on or attached to trees or other living vegetation are prohibited.
- Permanent residential development signs (e.g., for a residential complex or subdivision) are prohibited.
- Advertising vehicles or trailers used to display advertising may not be parked on a public right-of-way, public property, or on private property so as to be visible from a public right-of-way (incidental vehicular identification is allowed).
- Signs may not advertise activities that are illegal under Village, County, state, or federal law.
- Signs may not contain obscene or pornographic content.
- No sign or any anchors, braces, or guide rods may be attached to any fire escape, fire ladder, or standpipe, and signs may not hinder or prevent ingress/egress through doors or windows or hinder Fire Department ladder placement.
- Overhead electrical wiring for signs is prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Wales Village

- Real estate signs advertising the sale, rental, or lease of the premises on which they are temporarily located: in residential districts max 8 sq ft per face; in nonresidential districts max 24 sq ft per face and 6 ft height; one sign per property; not illuminated; remove within two weeks of sale/lease/rental; off-premises open house directional signs max 6 sq ft per face and removed immediately after the event.
- Personal name and warning signs: max 2 sq ft per face; must be on the premises; not illuminated.
- Home occupation and professional home office signs: max 2 sq ft per face; flush-mounted to the dwelling or placed on a mailbox post; not internally illuminated (external illumination allowed).
- Election campaign signs (with property owner/renter/lessee permission): not illuminated; in nonresidential districts max 16 sq ft per face; in residential districts max 12 sq ft per face unless affixed to a permanent structure within its perimeter and not obstructing required openings; may be erected only during the campaign period; must be removed within five days following the election.
- Temporary rummage/garage sale signs: max 6 sq ft per face; may be erected on the premises for up to three days, up to three times per calendar year; off-premises directional signs max 6 sq ft per face and removed immediately after the event; not illuminated.
- Temporary school, church, civic club, or other nonprofit organization signs advertising functions: may be displayed no sooner than 21 days before the event; must be removed within five days after; max 32 sq ft per face; no more than four signs on property in the Village other than the hosting organization’s property with landowner permission; not internally illuminated (external illumination allowed).
- Memorial signs, tablets, building names, and dates cut into masonry or constructed of metal affixed flat against a structure: not internally illuminated (external illumination allowed).
- Driveway ingress/egress and direction signs identifying parking lot entrances/exits or directing customers to drive-in services: placed adjacent to driveways; not in the street right-of-way; max 4 sq ft per face; no advertising or logos; may be illuminated in nonresidential districts but not in residential districts.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Multi-tenant shopping centers or business complexes require review and approval of an overall coordinated sign plan by the Village Board after a recommendation by the Plan Commission; individual tenant wall/canopy/fascia signs are sized by tenant frontage and may not exceed 32 sq ft per face with a maximum height of 2 ft.
- All sign permit applications must be submitted to the Plan Commission for review and recommendation to the Village Board prior to approval; permits are issued by the Building Inspector and an inspection is required upon completion.
- Menu boards require Village Board approval after a recommendation by the Plan Commission.
- Large developments (total floor area of 25,000 sq ft or greater with multiple arterial street frontages) may have an additional monument sign only upon Village Board review and approval after a recommendation by the Plan Commission.
- Temporary or portable business advertising signs (e.g., banners, pennants/streamers for special events) require Plan Commission approval for each event prior to installation and are limited to 90 days per calendar year.
- In the B-2 General Business District, building permits for allowed uses (including signage) require Village Board review and approval after a recommendation from the Plan Commission as part of broader plans and specifications review.

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

---

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