How Joliet Handles Sign Regulations: A Practical Guide
If you live in Joliet or are thinking about moving there, sign regulations are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Joliet has 2 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of sign regulations, and some of them might surprise you.
Garage Sale Signs
A garage sale sign in Joliet counts as an exempt 'directional sign' and needs no permit if it stays up three days or less, measures no more than 4 feet by 16 square feet, and sits outside the public right-of-way. Bigger or longer-lasting signs lose that exemption.
Key details: Max size: 4 ft one dimension, 16 sq ft total. Max duration: 3 continuous days. Permit: None needed if within these limits. Location: Must be outside the public right-of-way. Fine if noncompliant: $50 per § 8-477.
Violating the temporary sign division, including posting an oversized, overlong, or right-of-way garage sale sign that no longer qualifies for the directional-sign exemption, carries the $50 penalty listed for § 8-477 in the city's fine schedule under § 1-8, in addition to removal of the noncompliant sign and the permittee's responsibility for any city abatement cost.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Joliet gives residents more flexibility on garage sale signs.
Political Signs
Joliet exempts political signs from its temporary-sign permit division entirely under § 8-475(c), with one condition: they can't sit in the public right-of-way or on public property, both of which are reserved for public utility or governmental essential-service signs only.
Key details: Permit: Not required on private property. Location limit: Barred from the public right-of-way. Size/duration limit: None set for exempt political signs. Adopted: Ord. No. 17353, 4-6-15. Penalty if noncompliant: $50 per § 8-477.
A political sign kept on private property doesn't trigger the division at all, so there's no permit fee or fine for a compliant sign. One placed in the public right-of-way, where only utility or governmental essential-service signs are allowed, is subject to removal, and a person who otherwise violates this division faces the $50 penalty listed for § 8-477 in the § 1-8 fine schedule.
The rules around political signs in Joliet lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.
The Bottom Line
Compared to many U.S. cities, Joliet gives residents more room on sign regulations. 2 of the 2 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.
All of the above reflects Joliet's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.