Sign Regulations in Birmingham, AL

If you live in Birmingham or are thinking about moving there, sign regulations are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Birmingham has 4 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of sign regulations, and some of them might surprise you.

Political Signs

Birmingham's zoning sign ordinance lists political signs among the displays exempt from the city's sign permit requirement, so a campaign yard sign or event sign doesn't need Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits approval before it goes up. The exemption doesn't excuse the sign from Section 9's general placement, safety, and public-property bans, which still apply to every sign in the city.

Key details: Permit required: No, political signs are exempt. Public property placement: Prohibited on poles, trees, streetlights. Traffic sightline rule: Still applies to exempt signs. Enforcement: Article VII, Section 4 of zoning ordinance.

Placing a political sign on a utility pole, streetlight, tree, or other public property without council authorization, or in a spot that obstructs traffic sightlines, is a violation of Section 9's general sign standards and is punished under Article VII, Section 4 of the zoning ordinance, the same enforcement path used for any other sign violation in the city.

The rules around political signs in Birmingham lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Window Signs

Window signs advertising goods, services, or activities available inside a Birmingham building need no sign permit as long as they cover 20 percent or less of the window glass surface, combined, under the zoning ordinance's sign regulations. Larger or non-qualifying window displays fall back into the ordinary permit and size rules that apply to signs generally, enforced by the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits.

Key details: Exemption threshold: 20% or less of window glass area. Permit needed above threshold: Yes, standard sign permit required. Separate carve-out: Hand-painted window signs under 70 sq ft excluded. Enforcing agency: Dept. of Planning, Engineering and Permits. General rules still apply: No traffic obstruction, no glare, structurally safe.

Window signage that exceeds the 20 percent glass-coverage threshold, or that otherwise violates the general sign standards, is a violation punished under Article VII, Section 4 of the zoning ordinance. The Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits can require repair or removal of a noncompliant sign within 60 days of written notice, and unpermitted signage installed without first obtaining the required permit is separately enforceable as an unlawful sign.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Birmingham gives residents more flexibility on window signs.

Digital Billboards

Birmingham's zoning sign ordinance bars off-premises billboards from using intermittent lighting, defined as any flashing light or arrangement that spells messages, simulates motion, or forms symbols. The only exception is public-service content: time, date, temperature, weather, or news. The Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits enforces the rule alongside an 800-square-foot size cap and 40-foot height limit for off-premises signs.

Key details: Intermittent lighting: Banned except public-service time/date/temperature/weather/news. Max off-premises sign size: 800 square feet. Max off-premises sign height: 40 feet. Annual fee: $50 per structure, due January 31. Permit fee: $400 base plus $300 per animated sign face.

Any failure or refusal to comply with the sign section is a violation punished under Article VII, Section 4 of the zoning ordinance. The Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits also has independent maintenance authority: a sign found out of compliance must be repaired or removed within 60 days of written notice, and a decal bearing the permit number must stay affixed and visible on every permitted billboard.

Compared to other cities, Birmingham takes a harder line on digital billboards. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Garage Sale Signs

Birmingham's Zoning Ordinance bars garage and rummage sale advertising on public property outright and limits any yard sign to six square feet, with no illuminated or animated signs allowed; signs cannot go up before the sale date and must come down by the day after the sale ends.

Key details: Max sign size: 6 square feet. Public property signs: Prohibited outright. Illuminated/animated signs: Not allowed. Removal deadline: Day after last sale day.

Placing sale advertising on public property, using an oversized, illuminated, or animated sign, or leaving a sign up past the day after the sale ends is a Zoning Ordinance violation enforced by the Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits under Article VII. It is punishable under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-1-6: a fine up to $500.00, up to six months in jail or at hard labor, or both, with each day of the violation a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Birmingham gives residents more room on sign regulations. 2 of the 4 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Birmingham can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.