# Sign Regulations in Waukesha, Wisconsin

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Waukesha, Wisconsin (WI)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/wisconsin/waukesha
- **Data last verified:** 2026-02-11
- **Source:** [other municipal code](https://waukesha.municipalcodeonline.com/book?type=ordinances#name=Chapter_27_Signs_And_Outdoor_Advertising)

## At a glance

Waukesha, Wisconsin regulates 17 sign types across 11 zoning districts. A-Frame Signs in the Light, General, and Limited Business and Industrial Park Districts (M-1, M-2, M-3) zoning district are capped at 4 feet tall, 12 square feet, and 3 feet wide, with a 5 feet from boundaries setback (Sec. §27.04(7)(b)). Most commercial signs in Waukesha require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (11 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single-Family and Two-Family Residential Districts (RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RD-1, RD-2) | 2 | 8 feet | 32 square feet per sign | — |
| Multi-Family Residential Districts (RM-1, RM-2, RM-3), Mobile Home Park District (RS-4) | 3 | 8 feet | 12 square feet | — |
| Institutional, Airport, and Park Districts (I-1, A-1, P-1) | 6 | 14 feet | 30 square feet total (changeable text not counted) | — |
| Light, General, and Limited Business and Industrial Park Districts (M-1, M-2, M-3) | 11 | 24 feet | 336 square feet | — |
| Neighborhood Business and Office and Professional Business Districts (B-1, B-4) | 7 | 14 feet | 40% of window area, not exceed gross | — |
| Central Business District (B-2) | 6 | 4 feet | 60 square feet for electronic portion | — |
| General Business District (B-3) | 10 | 15 feet | 40% of window area, not exceed gross | — |
| Community Business and Mixed-Use Manufacturing Districts (B-5, MM-1) | 12 | 24 feet | 336 square feet | — |
| Downtown Shopping Area | 6 | 4 feet | 60 square feet electronic | — |
| Downtown Perimeter District | 7 | 6 feet | 60 square feet electronic | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | Not exceed principal structure height | 32 square feet per sign without permit (commercial: 1; residential: up to 5 total 240 sf) | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 11 zones)

### Light, General, and Limited Business and Industrial Park Districts (M-1, M-2, M-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Window Sign | — | 40% of window area, not exceed gross | — | — | Limited by gross area | Inside window, viewed from outside | — | §27.03(2)(d), §27.03(12) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 25 square feet | — | — | One per Premises | Mounted on wall, projecting >12 inches | — | §27.03(2)(d), §27.03(11) |
| Reader Board Sign | — | — | — | 100 feet from adjacent residential on same side of street | Limited by gross area | Perpendicular to right-of-way | — | §27.03(2)(d), §27.03(14)(a) |
| Dual-Post Sign | 8 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² each | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Monument Sign | 20 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² each | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Pylon Sign | 20 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² each | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Billboard Sign | 24 feet | 336 square feet | — | 25 feet from property boundary; 400 ft non-electronic/500 ft electronic from residential | Limited citywide to 10 total | In M districts, >=45 mph street, >=400/500 ft from intersection/residential | — | §27.05 |
| A-Frame Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | 5 feet from boundaries | One per Premises | Set back at least 5 feet from property boundaries | — | §27.04(7)(b) |

### General Business District (B-3)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Window Sign | — | 40% of window area, not exceed gross | — | — | Limited by gross area | Inside window, viewed from outside | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(12) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 25 square feet | — | — | One per Premises | Mounted on wall, projecting >12 inches | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(11) |
| Reader Board Sign | — | — | — | 100 feet from adjacent residential same side | Limited by gross area | Perpendicular to right-of-way | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(14)(a) |
| Menu Board Sign | — | 30 square feet total (changeable not counted) | — | — | One per Premises | Oriented to pedestrians or drive-through | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(13) |
| Dual-Post Sign | 8 feet | 0.6 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 100 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft >6 ft | One per Premises | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Monument Sign | 14 feet | 0.6 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 100 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft >6 ft | One per Premises | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Feather Sign | 15 feet | — | — | Equal to height from property line | 1 per 50 ft frontage, max 4 per property | On Premises | — | §27.04(9) |
| A-Frame Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | 5 feet from boundaries | One per Premises | Set back at least 5 feet from property boundaries | — | §27.04(7)(b) |

### Community Business and Mixed-Use Manufacturing Districts (B-5, MM-1)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Window Sign | — | 40% of window area, not exceed gross | — | — | Limited by gross area | Inside window, viewed from outside | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(12) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 25 square feet | — | — | One per Premises | Mounted on wall, projecting >12 inches | — | §27.03(2)(g), §27.03(11) |
| Dual-Post Sign | 8 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Monument Sign | 20 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Pylon Sign | 20 feet | 0.8 ft² per foot of Lot Width, up to 150 ft² | — | 10 ft <=6 ft ht, 15 ft 6-14 ft, 20 ft >15 ft | One per Premises; additional <=5 ft² | On Premises | — | §27.03(17) |
| Billboard Sign | 24 feet | 336 square feet | — | 25 ft property; 400/500 ft residential | Citywide limit 10 | In permitted districts, >=45 mph, >=400/500 ft intersection/residential | — | §27.05 |
| Feather Sign | 15 feet | — | — | Equal to height | 1 per 50 ft, max 4 | On Premises | — | §27.04(9) |
| A-Frame Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | 5 feet from boundaries | One per Premises | Set back at least 5 feet from property boundaries | — | §27.04(7)(b) |

## Prohibited signs in Waukesha

- All Signs are prohibited in or on City-owned property and rights-of-way, except specified exceptions in §27.06.
- Signs may not include flashing or alternating illumination (except permitted Reader Boards).
- Signs may not include moving parts.
- Signs may not include moving or alternating message displays or search lights.
- Signs may not resemble traffic signs.
- No Sign may cover doors, windows or other major architectural detail or ornamentation.
- Signs may not obstruct visibility at street and driveway intersections.
- Portable Signs and any other type of Temporary Sign not mentioned in §27.04 are prohibited except where expressly permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Waukesha

- Traffic-control signs and other government messages located within a right of way.
- Traffic-control signs located within a parking lot and primarily directed to persons within the lot.
- Decorations associated with a national or religious holiday or with any community festival or similar event.
- Flags that do not contain a Commercial message.
- Works of art, including wall murals, which do not contain any Commercial content.
- Building colors and lighting that do not contain Commercial content.
- Signs located on the interior of the grounds of public recreation or institutional facilities, which are primarily oriented to persons within the grounds.
- Window displays of merchandise that are not directly attached to a window surface.
- Signs on vehicles that are used in the day-to-day operations of a business for purposes other than solely advertisement.
- Signs intended to be carried by individuals and not resting on or mounted to the ground.
- Address identification Signs of less than 4 square feet of Sign Area.
- Free-standing microphones or speakers such as those contained in a drive-through lane, which do not include a business logo or other advertisement.
- Gas Station fuel pumps and any messages directly applied upon them.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- For new developments that require site plan and architectural review pursuant to Municipal Code §22.15(1), an overall sign plan must be submitted to the Plan Commission as part of the complete application, indicating locations of Detached Signs and specifications of exterior Wall Signs.
- Signs approved as part of a sign plan must still receive a Sign permit from the Department, and the City Planner may require additional Plan Commission approval for Signs substantially different in size, type, or location from the plan.
- In the Downtown Perimeter District, new developments shall include sign plans and specifications as part of submissions to the Plan Commission for Site Plan and Architectural Review and Conditional Use Permits.
- Variances from sign regulations may be requested and granted by the Plan Commission after denial of a sign permit or as part of site plan and architectural review, subject to specific criteria in §27.08.

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

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