Nashville sign permit requirements

General commercial (CL, CS, etc.): each facade limited to a maximum of 15% of the facade area; ground sign area may be transferred to building signage with a 20% bonus of the amount transferred

“1. Each facade of a principal building shall be restricted to a maximum building signage of fifteen percent of the area of the facade. 2. This area may be increased by transferring all or part of the permitted on-premises ground sign area to on-premises building signage. A twenty percent bonus of the amount transferred may also be applied to the total on-premises building signage.”

15% of the area of each facade

“Each facade of a principal building shall be restricted to a maximum building signage of fifteen percent of the area of the facade.”

Minimum side setback ranges from 2 ft (frontage <100 ft) up to 25 ft (frontage 300+ ft); 10 ft where a side lot line abuts a street or controlled access highway. No ground sign may be located in a required rear setback. Code specifies side setbacks, not a front setback.

“Note 1: Where a side lot line abuts a street or a controlled access highway the minimum side setback shall be ten feet.”

Temporary window signs may not cover more than 25% of the total surface area of the storefront window (exempt-sign provision)

“provided that such temporary signs do not cover more than twenty-five percent of the total surface area of the storefront window”

Signs may be illuminated. Signs of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair vision are prohibited; signs within 10 ft of ROW or 100 ft of traffic lights containing red/green lights that might be confused with traffic signals are prohibited. (Billboard-specific brightness limits appear in Sec. 17.32.150.)

“L. Signs that are of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair the vision of any motorist, cyclist or pedestrian using or entering a public way;”

Electronic/digital changeable-message signs must remain fixed, static, motionless and non-flashing for at least 8 seconds, with all copy changes occurring instantaneously without special effects. In commercial/industrial districts (CA, CS, CF, SCR, IWD, IR, IG, etc.) they must meet distance setbacks from residential/agricultural property (100 ft for signs ≤4 ft tall, plus 25 ft per additional foot of height). Signs with varying illumination, blinking, scrolling, movement, etc. are prohibited. Not permitted in the CS district for certain automobile-related uses.

“Signs with any copy, graphics, or digital displays that change messages by electronic or mechanical means, where the copy, graphics, or digital display does not remain fixed, static, motionless, and non-flashing for a period of eight seconds with all copy changes occurring instantaneously without any special effects.”

Banners are treated as temporary signs. For non-residential/all-other uses: 1 sq ft of temporary signage per 10 ft of frontage, max 32 sq ft, max 10 ft height. A temporary message tied to a business opening/changing/closing may be displayed for not more than 60 days or until permanent signs are installed; a message for goods offered from a vacant lot/tent for max 30 days, not more than once per quarter.

“All other lots may display one square foot of on-premises temporary signage per ten feet of frontage to a maximum of thirty-two square feet. Lots with frontage on more than one side may apply this provision to one additional side. No on-premises sign shall exceed ten feet in height.”

Prohibited signs include: portable signs; signs on vehicles/trailers used for advertising; roof signs and billboards on roofs; wind signs (flags, pennants, ribbons, spinners, streamers, captive balloons); signs emitting sound, odor, smoke or steam; signs with projected images or live animals; blank temporary signs; signs resembling/confusable with traffic-control devices; signs on public property or benches/bus shelters/waste receptacles; strings of incandescent bulbs over 10 watts for commercial purposes; and various flashing/animated/scrolling display signs.

“S. Portable signs as defined by this title.”

Values reported are for general commercial districts (CL, CL-NS, CS, CS-NS, CA, CA-NS, CF, CF-NS, SCC, SCC-NS, SCR, SCR-NS, IWD, IR, IG) under Sec. 17.32.130. The code varies materially by district: less-intense commercial/office/mixed-use districts use Table 17.32.110 (ground signs 32–192 sq ft, max 20 ft height) and Table 17.32.120 (48–288 sq ft, max 20 ft), while the general commercial group uses Table 17.32.130D (150–576 sq ft, max 40 ft). The DTC district is governed separately by the Downtown Code (Sec. 17.37).

“On-premises signs—CL, CL-NS, CS, CS-NS, CA, CA-NS, CF, CF-NS, SCC, SCC-NS, SCR, SCR-NS, IWD, IR and IG districts.”