Sign Regulations in Columbia, SC (2026)
5 verified sign regulations for Columbia, South Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Columbia limits yard signs, the category that covers political and campaign signage, to six per lot with a combined display area no larger than 18 square feet in every Residential district plus the MU-1 and MU-2 mixed-use districts. Signs must stay out of the right-of-way, cannot exceed six feet in height, and cannot be displayed for more than 120 consecutive days or 180 cumulative days in any 12-month period.
Columbia's Yard Sign Rules for Political Signs
Some RestrictionsColumbia, SC Unified Development Ordinance § 17-5.10(c)(7)b.1
1. Yard Signs (i) Up to six yard signs having a combined display surface area not exceeding 18 square feet are allowed per lot in all Residential zoning districts, the MU-1 District, and the MU-2 District. (ii) A yard sign shall not be located in the right-of-way. (iii) A yard sign shall not exceed six feet in height. (iv) A yard sign shall not be displayed for more than 120 consecutive days or...
Garage Sale Signs
Columbia's city code allows only one non-illuminated garage-sale sign, capped at two square feet, and it must stay on the property where the sale is held. The rule sits inside the city's broader garage-sale permit system: sellers first need a $5.50 permit from the license inspector before posting any sign or opening for business.
Columbia's Garage Sale Sign Limit
Some RestrictionsColumbia, SC Code of Ordinances § 11-315
Only one non-illuminated sign, not to exceed two square feet, may be posted advertising a garage sale, and such sign may only be placed on the property where the sale is being conducted under this division.
Holiday Displays
Columbia's sign code exempts holiday and seasonal decorations from the permit and size standards that apply to signs, so a homeowner or business can put up lights, wreaths, and yard displays without a Sign Permit. The exemption disappears the moment the display is used for commercial promotion, at which point it's treated as an ordinary sign under Sec. 17-5.10.
Columbia Sign Code Exemption for Holiday Decor
Few RestrictionsColumbia, SC Unified Development Ordinance § 17-5.10(b)(2)c, Exemptions
The following are exempt from the standards in this Section: a. On-site (or on-premise) signs not exceeding one square foot in area. b. Signs bearing only the address of the premises. c. Flags, insignia of any government, and holiday/seasonal decorations, except when displayed in connection with commercial promotion.
Digital Billboards
Any Columbia sign with LED, low-voltage, or CRT changeable copy, digital billboards included, must run automatic brightness compensation that keeps luminance under 1,500 nits by day and 150 nits at night, and each message must hold for at least six seconds before it changes. A freestanding digital billboard also has to satisfy the separate area, height, and spacing table for outdoor advertising signs.
Columbia Digital Billboard Brightness and Size Rules
Significant RestrictionsColumbia, SC Unified Development Ordinance § 17-5.10(c)(3), Changeable Copy
Automatic Brightness Compensation Signs that contain changeable copy produced by light emitting diodes (LEDs), incandescent or low-voltage lamps or bulbs, or cathode ray tubes (CRTs) shall include automatic brightness compensation features to adjust brightness to compensate for sun angle and ambient light conditions and ensure that the sign is visible but not necessarily radiant. Sign luminance...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Billboards facing Columbia's interstates and freeway-class highways are confined to the Outdoor Advertising Sign Overlay (OV-OAS) District, where a freestanding sign can reach 672 square feet and 50 feet tall, the largest allowance in the Zoning Ordinance's sign table. The Zoning Administrator enforces buffers from rivers, historic districts, and residential zones, and permits a variance only for height.
Freeway-Facing Billboards Limited in Columbia
Significant RestrictionsColumbia, SC Zoning Ordinance §§ 17-3.7(l); 17-5.10(c)(6)b.4-5
(l) OV-OAS: Outdoor Advertising Sign Overlay District Purpose The purpose of the Outdoor Advertising Sign Overlay (OV-OAS) District is to allow for commercial promotion of business establishments at locations along appropriate designated collector streets (minor thoroughfares), arterial streets (major thoroughfares), and the interstate system and freeway class highways, consistent with establi...
Looking for Richland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Columbia city rules.
Sign Regulations in Richland County →