Understanding sign regulations in St. Augustine, FL
Every outdoor sign in St. Augustine 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 St. Augustine 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 St. Augustine.
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 St. Augustine, Florida. 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 St. Augustine, 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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Ground sign setback
Freestanding, pole, or post signs over 3 ft tall within 25 ft of a driveway must be set back at least 10 ft from the right-of-way; no freestanding, pole, or post sign may be within 30 ft of an intersection if it is over 3 ft tall or has less than 8 ft of ground clearance.
Building Signs
Building Sign Max Number
2 signs along scenic edge (SR 16) for Parcel 1; 4 signs for Parcel 2, per the PUD
Freestanding, pole, or post signs over 3 ft tall within 25 ft of a driveway must be set back at least 10 ft from the right-of-way; no freestanding, pole, or post sign may be within 30 ft of an intersection if it is over 3 ft tall or has less than 8 ft of ground clearance.
Illumination
Illumination
Source-backed illumination rules: terms and phrases, when\nused in this article, shall have the meanings\nascribed to them in this section, except where\nthe context clearly indicates a different meaning:\nSign means any letter, number, emblem, logo,\nsymbol, color, advertising display, copy, billboard,\nposter, panel, bulletin or placard, and all printed,\npainted, lettered, illuminated or figured devices,\nstructures or attention-getting devices us
Illumination 2
Source-backed illumination rules: lighting. \n(10) Art installation. \n(11) Mural, artistic. \n(12) Flag. \n(13) Hand carried, First Amendment, non-\ncommercial sign on a traditional public \nforum. \n(14) Vehicle and vessel signs compliant with \nthis Code. \n(15) Public transit sign. \n(c) Sign area determination. The surface area \nof a sign shall include the background, frame \nand ornamentation. When separate letters or \ngraphics are attached t
No freestanding, pole, or post sign may be within 30 ft of an intersection if it is over 3 ft tall or has less than 8 ft of ground clearance; signs over 3 ft tall within 25 ft of a driveway must be set back at least 10 ft from the right-of-way.
Source-backed sign permit application requirements: 23. Sign regulations generally. \n(a) Permits. No sign of any kind shall be \ninstalled, erected, painted, altered or relocated \nby any person, business or institution, except as \ndescribed in subsection (b) below, until a permit \nhas been issued by the planning and building \ndepartment. Applications for sign permits shall \nbe accompanied by a survey of existing signs to \nremain, linear dimensions of primary an
Permit Required
Source-backed sign permit requirement: the \ncity commission, who may revoke such \nperson's occupational license and/or \nsuspend such person from obtaining sign \npermits for a period of up to one (1) year. \n(3) \nTemporary interval sign, large and \ntemporary interval sign, special require \na sign permit, but do not count towards \nthe number of total signs or the total \nsquare footage allowed. \n(b) No permit required. The following items \ndo not
Source-backed prohibited signs: categories:\nAccessory residential use sign means a sign\nlocated on residentially zoned property including\nmixed use zoning districts, PUDs, and H.P.\ndistricts that is currently used as a primary\nresidential unit. Residential use signs may not\nconsist of off-premises, off-site, or commercial\nbillboard signage and must be an accessory use\nof the zoning of the primary residential unit.\nTypical examples include
Prohibited Signs 2
Source-backed prohibited signs: de changeable copy signs, animated signs or\nsigns which through reflection or other means\ncreate an illusion of flashing or intermittent\nlight.\nFlyer sign means a handheld off-site or off-\npremises commercial sign, see offsite or off-\npremises sign, and portable sign.\nFreestanding/ground sign means a sign sup-\nported by a sign structure secured in the ground\nand which is wholly independent of any building,\n
Source-backed temporary sign rules: h as coated fabric, not permanently\naffixed to the structure, vertical in orientation,\nof no more than four hundred (400) square feet\ncumulatively.\nTypical industry examples are\ntemporary museum exhibit signs.\n(b) Sign types:\nA-frame sign means a small portable sign\nstructure, generally two-sided and held open\nwith a hinge mechanism, designed to be placed\nand moved manually at ground level.\nAnimated sign m
Temporary Signs 2
Source-backed temporary sign rules: sections. No freestanding, pole or \npost sign shall be installed within thirty \n(30) feet of an intersection when such \nsign is more than three (3) feet in height \nor has less than eight (8) feet in ground \nclearance to the bottom edge of the sign. \nAny freestanding sign over three (3) feet \nin height located within twenty-five (25) \nfeet of a driveway shall be set back at \nleast ten (10) feet from the right
Temporary Signs
Temp Sign Rules
Large and special temporary interval signs require a permit; size, height, quantity, and duration limits are not specified in the supplied facts.
Temp Signs Allowed
Temporary interval signs are allowed, and large or special temporary interval signs require a sign permit.
Wall Signs
Wall Signs
Source-backed wall sign rules: structure in any manner so as to disfigure or\nconceal\nany\nwindow,\ndoor\nor\nsignificant\narchitectural feature or detail of any building.\nDouble-faced sign means a sign with two (2)\nfaces which are usually, but not necessarily,\nparallel.\nFacia means a wall sign placed or attached to\nthe building surface above a window or door.\nFlashing sign means a sign which contains an\nintermittent or sequential flashing
Window Signs
Window Signs
Source-backed window sign rules: 29. Same—Temporary window \nsigns. \nAll temporary ancillary use or temporary \ninterval window signs shall not exceed ten (10) \npercent of the glassed area of the window or fifty \n(50) percent of the maximum size for a sign \npermitted in the appropriate zone, whichever is \nsmaller. \n(Code 1964, § 3-12(hhh); Ord. No. 21-06, § 2, \n5-10-21) \nSec. 3-
Window Signs 2
Source-backed window sign rules: .\nChangeable copy, manual and\nautomatic.\n7.\nSurface graphics.\n8.\nWindow; provided, however,\nthat\none\n(1)\nwindow\nsign\n(painted or etched) shall be\nallowed for each window not to\nexceed six (6) square feet or\ntwo (2) feet by three (3) feet.\nSuch window signs will be\ncounted\ntoward\nthe\ntotal\nmaximum number of signs\npermitted for each business.\nAdditionally, one (1) sign per\nwindow may be permitte