Sign Regulations in Ames, IA (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Ames, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Ames, Iowa has no separate ordinance for political or campaign signs: they are regulated as temporary and/or portable signs under Ames Municipal Code Sec. 21.126. A political sign may not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet, cannot be displayed for more than ninety (90) consecutive days without removal or replacement, and, as a nonelectrical temporary sign, is exempt from the city's sign permit requirement under Sec. 21.115(7).
Ames Political Signs Follow Temporary-Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsAmes Municipal Code Sec. 21.126
Temporary and/or portable signs subject to the sign regulations shall meet the following requirements: (1) A banner shall not exceed one hundred (100) square feet in area. All other temporary and/or portable signs shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area. (2) Except for those temporary signs and banners affixed to city light and utility poles with the permission of the city, no temp...
Digital Billboards
In the City of Ames, Iowa, digital billboard displays, called Digital Displays in the Ames Municipal Code, are confined to properties zoned HOC, GI or PI that abut U.S. Highway 30, capped at 672 square feet per face, and require removal of at least two nonconforming billboard structures before a new digital face can go up.
Digital Billboard Display Rules in Ames
Significant RestrictionsAmes Municipal Code Sec. 29.1319(10)
(10) Digital Displays. Digital Displays, also known as electronic message centers, are Billboards with programable displays and internal illumination of the message area by LEDs. Digital Displays are only permitted along a U.S. Highway 30 for a property zoned HOC, GI or PI that abuts such a Highway and is subject to the other standards for Billboards. No existing Billboard may be converted to...
Freeway-Facing Signs
In the City of Ames, Iowa, ground signs are limited to 50 feet under Ames Municipal Code Sec. 21.122(2)(a), but the ordinance carves out land near Interstate 35: a ground sign within 1,500 feet of the I-35 right-of-way may rise to 100 feet, measured from the base of the sign support to its top. Off-premises ground signs are separately capped at 300 square feet per side.
Ames I-35 Ground Signs Up to 100 Feet
Some RestrictionsAmes Municipal Code Sec. 21.122(2)(a)
It shall be unlawful to erect or permit any ground sign of a height greater than fifty (50) feet; except, at points within 1,500 feet of the edge of any part of the right-of-way for Interstate Highway 35 a ground sign may have a height not to exceed 100 feet measured from the base of the sign support to the top of the sign.
Looking for Story County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Ames city rules.
Sign Regulations in Story County →