Every outdoor sign in Savannah is governed by the municipality’s sign ordinance, which sets how large a sign may be, how tall it may stand, how far it must sit from the property line, whether it may be illuminated, and which sign types are permitted in each zoning district. This page summarizes those requirements in plain language and links each value back to the section of the Savannah code it came from.
Sign rules here are layered. The base zoning district — commercial, industrial, or residential — sets the default limits, and overlay districts such as historic or downtown districts can tighten them further. Because the most specific jurisdiction controls, a freestanding monument sign on a commercial parcel and a wall sign in a historic overlay can face very different limits even on the same street in Savannah.
Use the figures below as a fast first check, then run a full address lookup to confirm the exact limits for a specific parcel in Savannah, Georgia. The full report also covers permit requirements, prohibited sign types, and illumination rules — each cited to the source ordinance so your permit application can reference it directly.
Before you order or install a sign in Savannah, confirm three things: the maximum sign area and height allowed in the parcel’s zoning district, the minimum setback from the right-of-way, and whether the sign type you want — freestanding, monument, wall, projecting, or awning — is permitted there at all. Many permit denials come from missing a setback or an overlay-district restriction rather than from the size of the sign itself, so checking the governing section before applying saves a costly resubmittal.
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Max ground sign height
Monument: not explicitly capped by a single value, but copy must begin no higher than 8 ft from road crown; Pylon: ranges up to 25 ft (or 40 ft on Abercorn St).
Ground sign setback
at least 20 feet from any street or driveway intersection; no portion within 2 feet of street right-of-way; no portion within 10 feet from edge of pavement/driving surface of public/private road/drive/lane; 5 feet from edge of pavement of vehicular access easement
Appeals
Sign Permit Appeal
An aggrieved party may appeal a sign permit decision by the City Manager or designee to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Authority
Sign Section Scope
Section 9.9 establishes Savannah's zoning sign standards and regulations, including signs allowed without permit, signs requiring permit, maximum height and area, street-type maps, special sign districts, billboards, and nonconforming signs.
Awning Canopy
Canopy Awning Sign
One canopy or awning sign is permitted for each public entrance; area may not exceed one square foot per horizontal linear foot of canopy or awning or 20 square feet, whichever is less, and the sign must be at least eight feet above a pedestrian walkway.
Awning Signs
Awning Projection Clearance
Must be at least eight feet above a pedestrian walkway.
Awning Sign Sf Calc
One square foot per horizontal linear foot of canopy or awning, or 20 square feet, whichever is less.
Billboard
Billboard Location
Billboards are allowed only on sites abutting arterial roadways or limited-access highways in B-C, IL-T, IL, IH, or PD zoning districts; they are not permitted inside locally designated historic districts/properties or National Register Historic Districts. Digital billboards and multiple-message signs are limited to four-lane or wider arterial roadways, and no more than three new digital billboard faces may be erected or converted after October 7, 2011.
Billboard Separation
Except for digital/multiple-message signs and signs in signable quadrants, billboards must be at least 1,250 feet apart on the same side of the street and 500 feet apart on the opposite side; digital billboards and other multiple-message signs must be at least 5,000 feet apart on the same side and 2,500 feet apart on the opposite side.
Building signs require permits, may be erected only on facades facing a street or private drive where the lot lacks street frontage, may not extend above the roofline except limited hip/mansard roof placement, must be located on the tenant facade in multi-tenant buildings, may not cover major architectural features, generally may not project more than 15 inches, and may be illuminated under Section 9.9.6.
Maximum Building Sign Area
Table 9.9-4 sets maximum building sign area by zoning district and street type. Additional building sign area is allowed in B-C, IL-T, IL, and IH districts for building frontage over 100 feet, at one additional square foot per two linear feet of building frontage over 100 feet.
Building Signs
Building Sign Formula
Maximum area is set by Table 9.9-4; in B-C, IL-T, IL, and IH districts, an additional 1 sq ft per 2 linear feet of frontage is allowed for frontage over 100 feet.
Building Sign Illumination
Permitted, provided it does not cast light directly onto a street or adjacent property; digital signs must use automatic dimming and not exceed 0.3 footcandles above ambient light.
Calculation
Sign Area Measurement
Sign area includes lettering, wording, designs, logos, symbols, and background; supporting structure or bracing is omitted unless it is part of the message or sign face.
Sign Height Measurement
Sign height is measured from the base of the sign at the crown of the street to the top of the highest attached component, including the face, structure, or appurtenance.
Changeable Copy
Electronic Changeable Copy
Electronic changeable copy/reader board signs are limited to one electronic or manual sign per frontage, copy may not change more than once per 24 hours, and copy may not be animated, revolve, flash, or have running lights; area limits vary by district and street type.
The city sign-information page lists the sign permit application at $45 per sign plus minimum permit and technology fee references. The sign permit application directs users to submit through eTRAC and contact Development Services at 912-651-6510 for assistance.
Freestanding
Maximum Ground Sign Height
Ground sign height is based on zoning district, street type, sign type, and number of tenants. Table 9.9-1 ranges from six feet in conservation/residential/traditional districts to 25 feet for OI-E, B-C, IL-T, IL, and IH pylon signs on Type I streets with three or more tenants; Abercorn Street frontage between Stephenson Avenue and Largo Drive has a 40-foot maximum for principal-use freestanding signs.
Ground
Ground Sign Number Spacing
Ground signs are limited to one per 400 feet of lot frontage, up to three signs per frontage, with at least 400 feet of separation; additional ground signs are not permitted by variance, and no ground sign is permitted along limited-access frontage.
Ground Sign Setbacks
Ground signs may not create pedestrian or vehicular hazards, must be set back at least 20 feet from street or driveway intersections, may not be within two feet of a street right-of-way, and may not be within 10 feet of a public/private road, drive, or lane pavement edge or within five feet of a vehicular access easement pavement edge.
at least 20 feet from any street or driveway intersection; no portion within 2 feet of street right-of-way; no portion within 10 feet from edge of pavement/driving surface of public/private road/drive/lane; 5 feet from edge of pavement of vehicular access easement
Ground Sign Max Height
Monument: not explicitly capped by a single value, but copy must begin no higher than 8 ft from road crown; Pylon: ranges up to 25 ft (or 40 ft on Abercorn St).
Signs proposed within a historic district or on a historic property may require a Certificate of Appropriateness before a sign permit can be issued.
Illumination
General Illumination Glare
Where sign illumination is permitted, it must be designed and installed so it does not cast light directly from any illumination source onto a street or adjacent property.
Digital Brightness
Digital/electronic signs must use automatic dimming technology and may not exceed 0.3 footcandles above ambient light at the measurement distance calculated from sign area.
No sign may be erected or located on any street or right-of-way, curb, hydrant, lamppost, tree, rock or other natural feature, barricade, temporary walk, utility pole, public fence, fire alarm, or police call box.
Nonconforming
Nonconforming Signs
Nonconforming sign standards are governed by Section 11.6, Nonconforming Signs, as cross-referenced by Section 9.9.18.
Permit
Sign Permit Required
Except for signs listed in Section 9.9.10 as allowed without a permit, no sign may be constructed, erected, relocated, expanded, or altered until the City Manager or designee issues a sign permit.
Application Materials
A sign permit application must include a sign plan showing sign type, panel dimensions, overall height/width/square footage, illumination method, materials and colors, exact location, distances from freestanding signs to property lines and driveways within 20 feet, and existing signage of the same type.
10 working days after deeming the application complete.
Prohibited
Prohibited Sign Types
Prohibited signs include windblown or inflated attention-getting signs except allowed temporary/public-event cases, roof-mounted signs except permitted wall signs on hip/mansard roofs, decorative pole signs except in special sign districts, pole signs, portable signs except allowed temporary or special-district cases, moving light signs except specified reader board/menu/public announcement signs, bandit or snipe signs, traffic-safety-conflicting signs, and other signs not expressly allowed.
Projecting
Projecting Sign
One projecting sign is permitted per establishment in listed nonresidential districts; area may not exceed one square foot per linear foot of building frontage, minimum horizontal separation is 25 feet between projecting signs, and no portion may be less than eight feet above a pedestrian walkway.
Special District
Special Sign Districts
Savannah has special sign districts with their own standards in Section 9.9.17, including several downtown areas and Stephenson Avenue. The city sign-information page directs historic-district sign questions to the Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Temporary
Temporary Sign Permit
A temporary sign permit is required for any temporary sign and for signs permitted with a temporary use under Sections 9.9 and 3.11; permitted temporary signs must display the city-issued decal where visible to the public.
Temporary Real Estate Signs Without Permit
Temporary sale, lease, or rental signs are allowed without permit at one per street frontage; maximum area is six square feet in Conservation or Residential districts, 16 square feet in Mixed-use districts, and 32 square feet in Nonresidential districts, with required setbacks and removal within seven days after sale, lease, or rental.
Sale/lease/rental signs: 6 sq ft (Conservation/Residential), 16 sq ft (Mixed-use), or 32 sq ft (Nonresidential); must be removed within 7 days. Election signs: max 16 sq ft. All must display a city-issued decal.
Temp Signs Allowed
Temporary signs require a permit, except for specific signs listed in Section 9.9.10.
Transit
Bus Stop Bench Sign
Mayor-and-Aldermen-authorized bus stop bench signs are prohibited in local historic districts/properties, may not exceed 10 square feet, are restricted to the occupant side of the bench backrest, copy area may not exceed 40% of sign area, and lettering may not exceed eight inches high.
Wall
Wall Window Sign
Wall/window signs may not exceed two square feet per linear foot of building frontage; signs attached, etched, erected, or painted on windows may not exceed 10% of the window area of each facade.
Window
Window Promotional Signs
Window promotional signs may not exceed 10% of the window area of each facade, count as building signage for sign-area calculation, and may not cause aggregate building sign area to exceed Section 9.9.13 limits.
Window Signs
Window Sign Allowable Area
Not to exceed 10% of the window area of each facade.
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