Signs in residential districts.
Municipal Code of Chicago § 17-12-0900
in effect17-12-0900 Signs in residential districts.
17-12-0901 Applicability. The standards of this section apply in all R and DR districts.
17-12-0902 Permanent, On-premise Signs. The following standards apply to permanent, on-premise signs in R and DR districts.
For a printer-friendly PDF version of Table 17-12-0902, please click here.
USE GROUP | Maximum Number | Maximum Sign Face Area (sq. ft.) | Allowed Sign Types | Maximum Height of Freestanding Sign (feet)
Use Category Use Type
USE GROUP | Maximum Number | Maximum Sign Face Area (sq. ft.) | Allowed Sign Types | Maximum Height of Freestanding Sign (feet)
Use Category Use Type
RESIDENTIAL
Household Living
| Detached House, Two-flat, Townhouse | 1 per street frontage | 1 | Wall | NA
| Multi-Unit (3+ units) Residential, Single-Room Occupancy | 1 per street frontage | 9 | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Group Living
| Convents and Monasteries, Family Community Home, Temporary Overnight Shelters, Transitional Residences, Transitional Shelters | 1 per street frontage | 1 | Wall, Awning | NA
| Assist. Living (Elderly Custodial Care), Group Community Homes, Nursing Homes, Group Living Not Otherwise Classified | 1 per street frontage | 9 | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
PUBLIC AND CIVIC
Colleges and Universities | 1 per building + 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 64 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6/20 (1)
Cultural Exhibits and Libraries | 1 per street frontage | Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning | NA
Day Care | 1 per street frontage | 16 | Wall | NA
Hospital | 1 per building + 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 64 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6/20 (1)
Lodge or Private Club | 1 per street frontage | 16 | Wall, Awning | NA
Parks and Recreation (except as more specifically regulated) | 1 per building + 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Public Safety Services | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Religious Assembly | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 64 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6/20 (1)
School | 1 per building + 1 freestanding | Freestanding: 64 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6/20 (1)
Utilities and Services | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
COMMERCIAL
Funeral and Interment Service | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Lodging
| Bed and Breakfast | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Medical Service
| Government-operated Health Center | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Office
| Foreign Consulates, Philanthropic and Eleemosynary Institutions | 1 per street frontage | Freestanding: 32 Wall: 10% of wall | Wall, Awning, Freestanding | 6
Residential Support Service | 1 per ground- floor business establishment | 16 | Wall, Awning | NA
(1) Maximum freestanding sign height of 20 feet when such sign is located along a through street, as classified by the Chicago Department of Transportation, otherwise a maximum height of 6 feet.
17-12-0903 Sign Features.
17-12-0903-A Lighting. Signs in R and DR zoning districts may use only indirect lighting. Direct lighting and internal lighting of signs is prohibited, except in the case of allowed dynamic image display signs.
17-12-0903-B Dynamic Image Display Signs. Dynamic image display signs are permitted in R and DR districts when such signs are freestanding, on-premise signs for public and civic uses that are located along a through street as classified by the Chicago Department of Transportation. Flashing signs are prohibited.
17-12-0903-B.1 The zoning lot containing a school serving Chicago Public Schools (“CPS”) shall be allowed a sign, either wall or freestanding, which may include a dynamic image display, in any zoning district, including Planned Developments (P.D.). Such sign may be no wider than 10 feet and no taller than 6 feet, 4 inches* the clearance may not exceed 13 feet, 8 inches and the height may not exceed 20 feet above the ground immediately beneath the sign with no portion of the sign extending more than 24 inches above the roofline of the building immediately above the sign. Any dynamic image display portion may not exceed 64 square feet. Such sign, either wall or freestanding, shall be exempt from total sign calculations for the zoning lot. All CPS digital display signs shall conform to the CPS Digital Display Brightness Standards, which require: automatic brightness adjustment using an ambient light sensor; maximum brightness of 8,000 nits from 8:00 a.m. until sunset; maximum brightness of 300 nits from sunrise until 8:00 a.m. and from sunset until 10:00 p.m.; and automatic shutoff of the display between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise.
* Editor’s note – As set forth in 9-25-25, p. 32113, § 1; future legislation will add missing punctuation if needed.
17-12-0904 Off-premise Signs. Off-premise signs are prohibited in R and DR districts. A city digital sign may be located in an R district, or portion thereof, which consists of land or public way owned by the city or a federal, state, local or other unit of government, in whole or in part, and which is not improved with any residential buildings, subject to the separation requirements in Section 17-12-1201-A.4.
(Added Coun. J. 5-26-04, p. 25275; Amend Coun. J. 4-14-10, p. 89020, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 12-12-12, p. 44485, § 6; Amend Coun. J. 4-30-14, p. 80382, § 5; Amend Coun. J. 9-25-25, p. 32113, § 1)
Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2683502Fetched: 10/24/2026