Sign Regulations in Omaha, NE (2026)
6 verified sign regulations for Omaha, Nebraska, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Omaha exempts political signs from its standard sign rules only if they go up no more than two months before the election they relate to and come down within seven days after, under Municipal Code §§ 55-822(ee) and 55-823(d)(7).
Omaha Political Sign Timing Rules
Light RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code §§ 55-822(ee), 55-823(d)(7)
(ee)Political sign: A sign installed for a limited period of time which displays information pertaining to an upcoming governmental subdivision, city, county, state or federal election. ... (d)Exempt signs. The following signs are permitted in any zoning district and are exempt from other provisions of this chapter: ... (7)Political signs, provided they are installed no more than two months pri...
Garage Sale Signs
Omaha's zoning code bans portable signs outright in every zoning district, and a separate ordinance fines anyone who tapes or glues a portable sign or handbill to a pole, sign post, or other object in the public right-of-way. That combination reaches most homemade garage-sale directional signs, with civil penalties climbing from $200 to $1,000 under Omaha Municipal Code §§ 55-823(c), 3-9.
Where Garage-Sale Signs Can Go in Omaha
Significant RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code §§ 55-823(c), 3-9
Prohibited signs. The following signs are prohibited in all zoning districts: ... Signs on public property, unless specifically authorized by the appropriate public agency. ... Portable signs. It shall be unlawful for any person to affix, with glue, paste or tape, portable signs or handbills to any object in the public right-of-way. Subject to section 3-10, violation of this section shall resul...
Holiday Displays
Omaha exempts seasonal decorations displayed on private or public property from its sign code entirely, so holiday lights and yard displays need no permit, size limit, or removal deadline the way real estate or temporary business signs do.
Omaha Holiday Decoration Sign Rules
Few RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code § 55-823(d)(5)
(d)Exempt signs. The following signs are permitted in any zoning district and are exempt from other provisions of this chapter: ... (5)Seasonal decorations for display on private or public property.
Digital Billboards
Omaha permits digital billboards only in GC, DS, CH, GI and HI zones, caps brightness at 5,200 nits by day and 500 nits at night, and requires taking down several existing billboards for each new digital one installed.
Omaha Digital Billboard Rules
Significant RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code § 55-854(a)(1)
The maximum brightness of the sign shall not exceed a luminance of 5,200 NITS (candelas per square meter) during daylight hours, or 0.3 foot-candles over ambient lighting, whichever is less. The maximum brightness of the sign shall not exceed a luminance of 500 NITS during the period from dusk to dawn, or 0.3 foot-candles over ambient lighting, whichever is less.
Window Signs
Omaha limits window signs to 40 percent of the window's total area, with permanent window signs capped at 25 percent of that space under the zoning code's sign regulations.
Omaha Window Sign Coverage Limit
Some RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code § 55-824(f)
Window signs may not occupy more than 40 percent of the total area of the window in which they are displayed. Up to 25 percent of this area may be permanent window signs. Permanent window signs are not counted against the total permitted sign area for each premises.
Freeway-Facing Signs
Digital billboards along Omaha's interstate corridors face the toughest takedown ratio in the sign code: five existing off-premises signs, worth five times the new sign's square footage, must come down for every one installed.
Omaha Freeway-Facing Digital Billboard Rules
Significant RestrictionsOmaha Municipal Code § 55-855(b), (f)
Installation...will occur within one of the following three categories: 1) along an interstate corridor, or in an existing or planned ACI corridor; 2) in an industrial zoned area; and 3) all other permissible zoning districts...In order to erect one electronic off-premises sign in a planned or existing ACI...district or interstate corridor, at least five existing signs, which total at least fiv...
Looking for Douglas County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Omaha city rules.
Sign Regulations in Douglas County →