How Memphis Handles Sign Regulations: A Practical Guide

Memphis maintains 129 local ordinances across all categories, and 6 of those deal specifically with sign regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Memphis falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Freeway-Facing Signs

Billboards facing Interstate 40, 55 or 240 in Memphis are capped at 672 square feet and can only go up in Commercial Mixed Use-3, Central Business, Employment or Heavy Industrial zones within 300 feet of the interstate. The Unified Development Code spaces them at least 1,000 feet apart along the same road, doubling to 2,000 feet where more than 11 percent of the face is digital changeable copy, and measures height from the interstate's own roadway grade, not the frontage street.

Key details: Governing section: UDC § 4.9.8. Max sign area: 672 square feet. Allowed zones: CMU-3, CBD, EMP, IH within 300 ft. Minimum spacing: 1,000 ft (2,000 ft if digital). Minimum setback: 20 feet for support columns.

Erecting an off-premise sign outside the permitted zones, oversize, undersetback or without required TDOT and city permits violates UDC § 4.9.11.B as an unpermitted sign. The city and county can issue a stop-work order, seek a court injunction ordering removal, and impose penalties under the joint zoning ordinance; each additional day the illegal billboard stays up is a separate violation under § 4.9.11.E.

Window Signs

In Memphis's Central Business Improvement District, permanent window signs can cover no more than 25 percent of the window they're on, and temporary window signs are capped at 15 percent. The limits sit inside the district's broader sign-design standards for storefronts.

Key details: Governing section: Memphis Code § 12-36-6.M. Permanent window sign cap: 25% of window area. Temporary window sign cap: 15% of window area. District covered: Central Business Improvement District. Oversight body: Design review board.

A permanent window sign covering more than 25 percent of the window, or a temporary window sign exceeding 15 percent, violates Section 12-36-6.M and is treated as noncompliant CBID signage; the design review board can require the sign be brought into compliance or removed.

Digital Billboards

Within the Central Business Improvement District, Memphis flatly bans changeable-copy ground signs of any type, including digital cabinets on pole signs and portable electronic readerboards. The ban sits inside the district's ground-sign standards, which also cap pole and monument sign height and size.

Key details: Governing section: Memphis Code § 12-36-6.G.3. District covered: Central Business Improvement District. Rule: Changeable-copy ground signs banned outright. Includes: Pole sign cabinets, portable readerboards. Max pole sign height: 20 feet.

Installing a changeable-copy or digital ground sign, including electronic cabinets on a pole sign or portable readerboards, within the CBID violates Section 12-36-6.G.3. The design review board can require removal, and property owners face the code's standard enforcement process for noncompliant signage under the CBID sign code.

This is one of the stricter rules in Memphis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Garage Sale Signs

The joint Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code treats a garage-sale sign as a temporary residential sign. In most single-family districts it must be 5 feet tall and 7 square feet or smaller, sit back 10 feet from the right-of-way and 15 feet from any other lot line, and come down within 24 hours after the sale ends.

Key details: Removal deadline: Within 24 hours after sale ends. Max size (core residential districts): 5 ft tall, 7 sq ft. Setback: 10 ft from ROW, 15 ft from lot line. Signs per lot cap: 4 detached signs total. Illumination: Not permitted in single-family districts.

Leaving a garage sale sign up past the 24-hour deadline is a UDC violation under section 4.9.11: failing to remove a sign installed, created, erected or maintained in violation of the chapter is listed as a violation, and each additional day the sign remains is treated as a separate violation. The city or county can issue a stop-work order, seek an injunction requiring removal, and impose any penalty available under the joint zoning ordinance/resolution.

Holiday Displays

Temporary holiday lights and decorations don't need a sign permit anywhere in Memphis, under the joint Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code. The exemption covers displays that celebrate a single holiday or season and carry no commercial message. Plug in lights on a house or storefront and you're covered for the electrical work alone; add a business logo or ad copy and the display becomes a regulated sign that needs a standard permit.

Key details: Governing section: UDC § 4.9.2.D(5). Permit required: None, if no commercial message. Electrified displays: Need a separate electrical permit. Condition: Must celebrate one holiday or season. Commercial message: Voids the exemption.

Putting up a commercial-message "holiday" sign without a permit violates UDC § 4.9.11.B, and leaving any noncompliant or expired display up violates § 4.9.11.D, the duty to remove signs that no longer meet an exemption. Each additional day counts as a separate violation under § 4.9.11.E. Remedies include a stop-work order, an injunction requiring removal, and penalties under the joint zoning ordinance; signs posing an immediate hazard can be abated directly by the city or county.

The rules around holiday displays in Memphis lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Political Signs

The joint Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code lets any temporary sign carry a lawful noncommercial message, including a political or election message, without a commercial-sign permit. Once an election or special event ends, section 4.9.9.B.5 requires the sign to come down within seven days, on top of the normal district size and setback limits.

Key details: Removal deadline: 7 days after election/event ends. Applies in: All zoning districts, city and unincorporated county. Size cap: 5-8 ft tall depending on district. Setback: 10-15 ft from ROW and lot lines. Permit needed: No, noncommercial message is exempt.

A political sign still standing more than seven days after the election is a violation under UDC section 4.9.11, which makes failing to remove a noncompliant sign a violation and treats each additional day it remains as a separate violation. The city or county can pursue an injunction or other proceeding to compel removal, and any penalty available under the joint zoning ordinance/resolution of Memphis and Shelby County can apply.

The Bottom Line

Memphis's sign regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Memphis is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Memphis 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.