As of Jan. 1, 2023, the Planning and Building Inspections Divisions have merged their respective sign permit reviews into one process using the City’s ePermits Portal.

Please review the instructions below on how to apply for a sign permit online.

1. Review the City’s sign regulations in City Code Section 11.70 or below on this page.
2. Fill out the sign application form [PDF]
3. (First-time applicants only) Before creating an ePermits account, please call the Building Inspections Division at 952-949-8342 to have your contractor information added to the ePermits database. Note that a contractor’s license is not required.
4. (First-time applicants only) Create an ePermits account.
5. Apply for a permit in the ePermits Portal. This link should be used for all signage on commercial, industrial, office, multi-family (apartments only) and publicly zoned properties. If the subject property does not fit these descriptions, please contact Ben Schneider in Planning at 952-949-8491 or for an alternative link.
6. After reviewing the submittal requirements and fee information on the application page, scroll to the bottom and click “I Agree – Apply for Permit.” Fill out the requested information.
7. You will receive an automated email from ProjectDox, the City’s electronic plan review software. The email will include a link to the ProjectDox page for your permit request and a temporary password. Follow the instructions to create a ProjectDox account.
8. Click on the “upload and submit task” link on the project home page to “accept” your task. A pop-up window will appear, which you can minimize for now.
9. On the left side of the screen there will be folders for “drawings” and “documents.” The sign plans should be uploaded to the “drawings” folder and the filled-out application should be uploaded to the “documents” folder.
10. When uploading is complete, click on the “upload and submit task” link again to open the e-form pop-up window. Check the appropriate boxes and complete the task. Note that staff will not be able to review the plans until this step is completed.
11. Staff will review the plans. If any revisions are required, you will receive another email from ProjectDox inviting you to revise/resubmit the plans. If this is the case, repeat steps 8 through 10.
12. Once staff approves the plans, an email will be sent with instructions for how to pay for the permit online.
13. After payment, log back onto ProjectDox and complete the “Final Payment Task.” This will notify staff that the payment has been made.
14. If required by the Building Inspections Division, schedule an inspection on the ePermits portal.

Free-Standing Sign Allowances

• A lot or parcel of record having 1 street frontage may have 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet.
• Where a lot or parcel of record has 2 or more street frontages, 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet is permitted along 1 frontage. Additional frontages are permitted a free-standing sign not to exceed 36 square feet. Each allowed sign must be located on the street frontage generating the allowance. No free-standing sign may be closer than 300 feet to any other free-standing sign upon a lot or parcel of record, as measured from the edge of a sign face via a straight line. Drive-thru lane signs are exempt from this distance requirement.
• Setback — No sign may be placed closer than 20 feet from any public right-of-way line. Where parking is permitted within the required front yard setback, no sign may be placed closer than 15 feet from any public right-of-way line.
• Height — Free-standing signs may not exceed 20 feet in height.
• Sign Base — The sign base may not exceed one-half the maximum permitted sign area.
• The total sign area of any multi-faced free-standing sign may not exceed twice the permitted area of a single-faced sign.
• Free-standing signs that are double-faced must be placed back-to-back with not more than 30 inches between facings.
• Free-standing signs that are 6 square feet or less with a base area of 3 square feet or less are permitted in addition to the sign allowances described above. These signs do not require a sign permit.

Wall Sign Allowances

• The total area of a wall sign on any wall of a single-tenant building may not exceed 15% of the wall area when the wall area does not exceed 500 square feet. When the wall area exceeds 500 square feet, the total area of such wall sign may not exceed 75 square feet plus 5% of the wall area in excess of 500 square feet. In no event may the maximum sign area for any wall sign exceed 300 square feet.
• Wall area will be computed individually for each tenant in a multi-tenant building based on the exterior wall area of the space that tenant occupies. The total area of a tenant wall sign of a multi-tenant building may not exceed 15% of the wall area when the wall area does not exceed 500 square feet. When the wall area exceeds 500 square feet, the total area of the wall sign may not exceed 75 square feet plus 5% of the wall area in excess of 500 square feet. In no event may the maximum sign area for any individual wall sign in a multi-tenant building exceed 300 square feet.

Free-Standing Sign Allowances

• A lot or parcel of record having 1 street frontage may have 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet.
• Where a building site has 2 or more street frontages, 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet is permitted on 1 frontage, and the additional frontages are each permitted a free-standing sign not to exceed 50 square feet. Each allowed sign must be located on the street frontage generating the allowance.
• Setback — No sign may be placed closer than 10 feet from any public right-of-way line.
• Height — No free-standing sign may exceed 8 feet in height.
• Sign Base — The sign base may not exceed one-half the maximum permitted sign area.
• The total sign area of any multi-faced free-standing sign may not exceed twice the permitted area of a single-faced sign.
• Free-standing signs that are double-faced must be placed back-to-back with not more than 30 inches between facings.
• Free-standing signs that are 6 square feet or less with a base area of 3 square feet or less are permitted in addition to the sign allowances described above.

Wall Sign Allowances

• 1 wall sign per street frontage not to exceed 80 square feet is permitted.
• 1 wall sign per leasable space attached to the exterior wall of the building at the ground floor is permitted, not to exceed 10% of the wall area that tenant occupies of the wall to which it is affixed, or a maximum of 50 square feet.

Free-Standing Sign Allowances

• A lot or parcel of record having 1 street frontage may have 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet.
• Where a lot or parcel of record has 2 or more frontages, 1 free-standing sign not to exceed 80 square feet is permitted on 1 frontage, and the additional frontages are each permitted a free-standing sign not to exceed 36 square feet. Each allowed sign must be located on the street frontage generating the allowance.
• Setback — No sign may be placed closer than 10 feet from any public right-of-way line.
• Height — Free-standing signs may not exceed 8 feet in height.
• Sign Base — The sign base may not exceed one-half the maximum permitted sign area.
• The total sign area of any multi-faced free-standing sign may not exceed twice the permitted area of a single-faced sign.
• Free-standing signs that are double-faced must be placed back-to-back with not more than 30 inches between facings.
• Free-standing signs that are 6 square feet or less with a base area of 3 square feet or less are permitted in addition to the sign allowances described above.

Wall Sign Allowances

• For façades with street frontage, the total area of wall signage may not exceed 50 square feet when the surface area of the wall does not exceed 2,500 square feet. When the surface area exceeds 2,500 square feet, the total area of wall signage may not exceed 2% of the total surface area, not to exceed a maximum sign area of 150 square feet.
• For multi-tenant buildings, 1 wall sign per leasable space attached to the exterior wall of the building at the ground floor not to exceed 30 square feet is permitted, in addition to the signage allowed above.
• Square foot allowances for wall signs may be divided between multiple signs if the total square footage per façade does not exceed the maximum allowed above.

Permitting

Temporary signs do not require a sign permit. However, these signs are still required to meet City Code standards.

Setbacks

Temporary signs must conform to the free-standing sign setback of the underlying zoning district.

“Sandwich Board” Signs

City Code defines these signs as “a self-supporting, A-shaped, freestanding temporary sign with 2 visible sides that is situated adjacent to a business, typically on a sidewalk.”

These signs are permitted in all non-residential zoning districts with the following limitations:

• No more than 1 sandwich board sign is permitted per lot or parcel of record unless the lot or parcel contains multiple tenants, in which case 1 sandwich board sign per tenant is permitted.
• A sandwich board sign may not be located within any required setbacks, vehicular travel lanes or within a parking stall, and must not obstruct any pedestrian pathways.
• Sandwich board signs may only be displayed during the operating hours of the user or tenant displaying the sign.

Sites with Existing Buildings

Parcels may have a 32-square-foot sign if occupancy is less than 90% (measured by floor area). If occupancy is more than 90% but less than 100%, a 6-square-foot temporary sign is permitted.

Sites Under Construction

One temporary, on-premises, free-standing sign may be installed upon any construction site in any district, provided such sign does not exceed 32 square feet in area and 10 feet in height. Such signs must be removed upon completion of construction, or the occupancy of the building being constructed, whichever occurs first.

Temporary Off-premises Signs

City Code allows for temporary off-premises signs in limited circumstances. Please review City Code Section 11.70, Subdivision 4, Subsections G and H for more details.

Temporary Signs on Parcels Zoned Public, Parks and Open Space, or Golf Course

Parcels that are zoned Public, Parks and Open Space, or Golf Course may have temporary on-premises signs for up to 10 days. These signs may be up to 8 feet in height and 32 square feet.

Temporary Signs in Conjunction with Outdoor Sale Events

Where temporary outdoor sales events are permitted by City Code Section 11.03, 1 temporary on-premises sign not to exceed 32 square feet in area and 6 feet in height may be located on the same parcel as the temporary outdoor sales event area for the duration of the event. The sign may not appear before the set-up of the temporary outdoor sales event and must be removed concurrently with the take-down of the temporary outdoor sales event.

Non-Commercial Signs in Election Years

All non-commercial signs of any size may be posted 46 days before the state primary in a state general election year until 10 days following the state general election in any general election year and 13 weeks prior to any special election until 10 days following the special election.