Overview
Signs are an important part of a community’s built environment. They help businesses identify their locations, communicate information, support economic activity, and contribute to the overall character and appearance of neighborhoods and commercial areas. Since signs are highly visible and often located near public rights-of-way, communities commonly establish sign regulations to address safety, aesthetics, and compatibility with surrounding land uses.
Well-crafted sign regulations balance multiple interests, including the ability of businesses, organizations, and property owners to communicate information while protecting public health, safety, and welfare. Regulations may address factors such as sign placement, size, height, lighting, materials, maintenance, and location to ensure signs do not create safety hazards, obstruct visibility, or negatively impact surrounding properties.
Sign regulations are also closely connected to constitutional protections involving freedom of speech. As signs often communicate messages, local governments must carefully structure regulations to regulate the physical characteristics and impacts of signs, rather than the content or viewpoint expressed on the sign. Content-neutral regulations help ensure that sign standards are applied fairly and consistently.
A community’s sign regulations should provide clear and predictable standards that are easy for property owners, businesses, staff, and decision makers to understand and apply. Effective regulations can enhance community character, support economic development, and create a more attractive and functional built environment without unnecessarily limiting protected expression.
Ultimately, the purpose of sign regulations is not to eliminate signage, but to establish reasonable standards that allow communication while ensuring signs are compatible with surrounding land uses, transportation systems, and community goals.
Content Contributors: Jones and DeMille Engineering, Inc, Hansen Planning Group, LLC / Rural Community Consultants
Special Note: This material was developed by civiclinQ for the Land Use Academy of Utah (LUAU). Funding for the development of this material was provided by through the Land Use Training Fund, which is administered by the Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman , utilizing a portion of the 1% surcharge on all building permits in the State of Utah.
The role of this organization in administering funding is primarily administrative and should not be viewed as legal advice. Always consult your legal representative when addressing land use activities.
Use the ‘Materials’ tab above to view related course materials, including printable pass-along card and PDF version of this online course.
