Every outdoor sign in McCook 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 McCook 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 McCook.
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 McCook, Illinois. 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 McCook, 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
25 feet from grade level to the top of the sign
Ground sign setback
25 ft setback from street line for ground signs (cases other than public parks or main roadways)
Building Signs
Building Sign Formula
One square foot per one and one-half lineal feet of frontage, up to 100 square feet (for each of two sides)
Building Sign Max Height
freestanding identification signs: 25 feet from grade level to the top of the sign
any sign with exposed gas-filled (neon or any other similar gas) discharge glass tubing on its surface.
Pennant Definition
any lightweight plastic, fabric, or other material, whether or not containing a message of any kind, suspended from a rope, wire, or string, usually in series, designed to move in the wind.
signs over public property where annual inspection fee has not been paid: Any sign erected over public property on which the annual inspection fee has not been paid shall be declared abandoned or a hazard, and the building commissioner may remove it
Noncomplying Sign Removal
signs over public property not in compliance: Building commissioner shall remove any sign or structure not in compliance with sign ordinance provisions; compensation or inspection fees paid shall not be refunded
Structure Removal With Sign
in full report
Integral Sign Requirement
in full report
Multifamily Building Nameplate And Identification Sign Requirement
No more than one square foot in areas for each two feet of lot line and adjoining a street with a maximum of 40 square feet; such sign or signs on a corner lot may face each street but the total area shall not exceed a maximum of 40 feet per sign
Fee for temporary sign permit shall be one-fourth of permanent sign fee, but no less than $50.00
Permit Cancellation Fee
permits for signs not erected: Fee for cancellation of a permit where the sign is not erected shall be $50.00 and shall be deducted before any amount is refunded