Blade signs at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How high must it hang? | Usually at least 8 ft above the sidewalk (Boston, Denver, Jacksonville downtown, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle); 9 ft in Charlotte and Indianapolis, 8½ ft in San Antonio, and 10 ft in Atlanta and Dallas. |
| How far can it stick out? | Often 4 to 6 ft, or less on a narrow sidewalk: 4 ft in Charlotte and Dallas, 5 ft in Denver and San Diego, 6 ft in Boston and Indianapolis. New York City allows only 12 to 18 inches across the street line in most commercial districts. |
| How big can it be? | From 20 sq ft in Dallas and 24 to 32 sq ft in San Francisco and Las Vegas, to 75 sq ft in Charlotte and 150 sq ft in San Antonio. |
| Over the public sidewalk? | Often a separate approval: an encroachment agreement in Charlotte, a right-of-way permit in Denver, a Public Way Use Permit and City Council ordinance in Chicago, $1,000,000 insurance in Atlanta. Dallas’s sign summary keeps projecting signs off the right-of-way, and Phoenix bars signs from extending across a property line that borders one. |
What each city allows
Summarised from each city’s code or sign page, linked in the last column. Many limits change by zoning district; check your district on the city page.
| City | Size, projection and clearance | Over the sidewalk or street | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | At least 10 ft of clearance under any projecting sign, and no closer than 18 inches to the inner curbline, citywide (§16-28A.007(s)); area and number are set district by district. | Signs over public streets or sidewalks need liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence (§16-28A.007(e)); some districts prohibit signs over the right-of-way. | Chapter 28A |
| Austin | Downtown Sign District and University Neighborhood Overlay only: one per building facade, up to 35 sq ft, projecting the lesser of 6 ft or two-thirds of the sidewalk width. | Over state right-of-way, the state must approve the sign. | §25-10-129, §25-10-133 |
| Boston | Up to 25 sq ft each, all projecting signs together 1 sq ft per foot of sign frontage; minimum clearance 8 ft; projection 6 ft or two-thirds of the sidewalk width, whichever is less. | Signs subject to Public Improvement Commission review need at least 10 ft of clearance. | Article 11, Tables 11.A and 11.D |
| Charlotte | One per tenant with street frontage, up to 75 sq ft, at least 9 ft of clearance, projecting 4 ft from the facade or up to 4 ft from the future back of curb, whichever is less. | Projection into city right-of-way requires an encroachment agreement from CDOT. | UDO 22.9 and 22.7 |
| Chicago | The Department of Buildings page gives no projecting-sign size limit. | Any sign over the public way needs a Public Way Use Permit and a City Council ordinance. | Department of Buildings |
| Columbus | One per street; at least 8 ft above grade on private property; area from the Graphics Code formula. | Over the right-of-way, at least 10 ft of clearance and 2 ft from the curb; a special permit if it extends more than six and one-half feet into the right-of-way. | §3377.18, §3377.09 |
| Dallas | Business districts: one per premise, 20 sq ft maximum effective area, minimum 10 ft clearance, projecting up to 4 ft; not allowed on a premise with a detached sign. | Not over public right-of-way. | City sign summary |
| Denver | Mixed-use, commercial and industrial districts: one per street frontage with an entry, bottom at least 8 ft above the sidewalk, top no higher than 15 ft, no more than 5 ft out from the building, at least 8 ft apart. | Needs approval from the manager of DOTI and a right-of-way permit. | Zoning Code 10.10.9 to 10.10.13 |
| Houston | One ground sign or projecting sign per frontage; a projecting sign may extend up to 10 ft out from the building, no closer than 2 ft behind the curb line, and not above the roof line. | Area and clearance are not stated in §4611. | Sign Code §4611 |
| Indianapolis | Commercial, industrial and mixed-use districts: one per building, 6 ft wide, projecting 6 ft at most, at least 9 ft above grade; pedestrian-oriented projecting signs 6 sq ft each. | In the Compact Context Area, up to 6 ft into the right-of-way and no closer than 2 ft to the curb, with any requisite encroachment license. | Table 744-906-3 |
| Jacksonville | Downtown Sign Overlay Zone only: up to 24 sq ft, at least 8 ft over the sidewalk, no closer than 2 ft to the curbline or more than 6 ft beyond the property line. | Elsewhere, no sign may project beyond the property line over a street right-of-way, except wall and awning signs (Chapter 326). | §656.1333 |
| Las Vegas | City, C-1, C-2, C-M and M: one per entrance, 32 sq ft, at least 8 ft from the ground to the bottom; not with a freestanding sign. | May project over the right-of-way, at least 3 ft back from the curb and no more than 6 ft, subject to Public Works review. | UDC 19.08.120, Table 20 |
| Los Angeles | Street frontage of at least 50 ft; one projecting or pole sign per 200 ft; at least 8 ft above the sidewalk; up to 25 sq ft plus 1.5 sq ft per foot of frontage, 300 sq ft at most. C1 and C1.5: no more than 2 ft. | Projection over the property line grows with clearance: 1 ft at 8 ft clear, 3 ft at 12 ft, 5 ft at 16 ft or more. | P/BC 2023-078 |
| New York City | C1 to C8 (except C6-5 and C6-7): no sign may project across a street line more than 18 inches if double- or multi-faced, 12 inches otherwise. | In C6-5 and C6-7, up to 8 ft. | ZR 32-652, 32-651 |
| Phoenix | Bottom at least 8 ft above grade; no more than 48 inches thick. | No sign may extend across a property line bordering a street right-of-way. | §705 |
| San Antonio | Nonresidential districts: up to 150 sq ft, at least 8½ ft above the sidewalk. | May extend into the right-of-way 8 ft or two-thirds of the sidewalk width, whichever is greater, and no closer than 2 ft to the curb; not over a sidewalk in the River Improvement Overlay. | §28-47 |
| San Diego | Commercial and industrial zones: one per establishment, area from 32 sq ft on a 15 to 20 mph street up to 160 sq ft (Category A), at least 8 ft of clearance, at least 10 ft apart. | Projects no more than 5 ft, or two-thirds of the distance from the inside edge of the sidewalk to the curb; 4 ft if the frontage is under 25 ft. | §142.1230 |
| San Francisco | Neighborhood commercial districts: one per business; 24 sq ft in NC-1 and NC-2, 32 sq ft in NC-3. | Projection is 75% of the distance from the street property line to the curb, or 6 ft 6 in, whichever is less. | Planning Code §607.1(f) |
| Seattle | At least 8 ft over the sidewalk, citywide. In NC3 and SM zones, 72 sq ft plus 2 sq ft per foot of frontage over 36 ft, 300 sq ft at most; no area limit in C1 and C2. | No closer than 2 ft to the curbline or more than 6 ft beyond the property line; signs over the right-of-way are also regulated by the Street Use Ordinance. | SMC 23.55.004, 23.55.030 |
Cities not listed
For Fort Worth, Miami, Nashville, Philadelphia and Sacramento, the code text we hold does not state projecting-sign limits we could read cleanly, so this page gives none.
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