Services / Sign codes
The law of signs keeps changing. Your sign code should keep up.
We write sign regulations that are compliant, clear, consistent, user-friendly, and defensible, and that reflect current best practices in signage. Every ZoneCo zoning code includes a graphically rich sign chapter. We also write standalone sign codes.
Why sign codes fail
Most sign codes were written before Reed v. Town of Gilbert and have been patched since. They regulate by message, treat temporary signs inconsistently, and leave staff to interpret categories that no longer match the signs people actually put up. The result is a code that is hard to administer and easy to challenge.
How we write them
- Content-neutral structure: regulation by size, height, location, illumination, and type, never by message
- Standards organized by district context, so a subdivision entrance and a highway commercial corridor are not treated the same
- Clear treatment of temporary, electronic, and changeable-copy signs
- Tables and illustrations for each sign type, so applicants can see what is allowed
- Substitution clauses, severability, and findings that support defensibility
- Administrative permit tracks for routine signs, with review reserved for what needs it
Three cities, three sign codes
Dunwoody
An Atlanta suburb with every type of sign imaginable, from high-rises to subdivisions. ZoneCo wrote a new sign code custom-tailored to Dunwoody's diverse built environment, adopted by City Council in October 2021.
Marysville
An exurban city in the Columbus region whose complicated sign code was not meeting the city's vision. ZoneCo wrote a new code to regulate signage more effectively in this growing central Ohio city.
Murfreesboro
A city of more than 150,000 in the Nashville region with a diversity of signage regulated in a complex way. ZoneCo wrote a new sign code to simplify signage regulation across Murfreesboro's varied built environment.
Not sure where to start?
Tell us what's not working in your code. We'll tell you what it would take to fix it, and what it would cost.