Sign Regulations in Bloomington, IL (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Bloomington, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Holiday Displays
In the City of Bloomington, holiday decoration signs skip the usual sign permit entirely under Section 3-802(E): a decorative sign tied to a national, local, or religious holiday can be any type, number, size, height, illumination, or animation, but it cannot stay up more than 60 consecutive days or more than 60 days total in a year, and it must sit at least 10 feet back from every lot line.
Bloomington Holiday Sign 60-Day Limit
Some RestrictionsBloomington City Code § 3-802(E)
Holiday decorations. Signs of a primarily decorative nature, clearly incidental and customary and commonly associated with any national, local or religious holiday, provided that such signs shall be displayed for a period of not more than 60 consecutive days nor more than 60 days in any one year. Such signs may be of any type, number, area, height, illumination or animation, and shall be set ba...
Digital Billboards
In the City of Bloomington, any sign the Advertising Sign Code otherwise allows, other than a nameplate, may use a digital or automatic changeable-copy display, but Section 3-508(C) requires the owner to declare it a changeable sign in the permit application and get the Administrator's approval, and Section 3-601(A)(5) makes every message center run a functional automatic dimmer that steps it down to a 20-watt-lamp equivalent at dusk.
Bloomington Electronic Message Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsBloomington City Code § 3-508(C); § 3-601(A)(5)
Manual or automatic changeable copy signs and changing signs. Any sign permitted in this Code (except nameplates) may be a manual or automatic changeable copy sign or an automatic changing sign unless otherwise restricted by this Code. Such sign must be declared as a changeable sign during the permit issuance process and will require approval by the Administrator. ... All message centers will h...
Window Signs
In the City of Bloomington, a ground-floor business outside a residential zone can paint or display permanent signs on the inside of its windows or showcases without counting them against the building's other sign allowance, but Section 3-802(P) caps the copy area at 25% of the total window area or one square foot per lineal front foot of the premises, whichever is smaller.
Bloomington Permanent Window Sign 25% Cap
Some RestrictionsBloomington City Code § 3-802(P)
Permanent window signs. Except in residential zones, for each ground floor occupancy of a building, permanent signs may be painted on or otherwise displayed from the inside surface of any window, showcase or other similar facility. Said signs may be in addition to those signs permitted under the other provisions of this Code. The total copy area of such signs, however, shall not exceed a maximu...
Freeway-Facing Signs
In the City of Bloomington, a freestanding sign built to catch traffic on I-55 or I-74 can rise far above the normal cap: Section 3-501 lets a freestanding sign reach 100 feet within 1,320 feet of a Federal Aid Interstate Highway interchange, versus 20 to 50 feet elsewhere, but any sign facing an expressway or interstate must also satisfy the state Highway Advertising Control Act of 1971.
Bloomington Freeway-Facing Sign Height Rule
Some RestrictionsBloomington City Code § 3-501(F), (G)
Freestanding signs may have a maximum height of 100 feet above grade when located within 1,320 feet of the right-of-way line of a Federal Aid Interstate Highway interchange. ... Freestanding signs which are to be viewed from expressways or interstate highways shall conform with the "Highway Advertising Control Act of 1971," 225 ILCS 440/1 et seq., as hereafter amended.