Sign Regulations in Pontiac, MI (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Pontiac, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
In the City of Pontiac, the Zoning Ordinance treats campaign and ballot-issue signs as "opinion signs" and lets them go up without a sign permit, but only inside firm limits. They must sit entirely on private property, cannot go up more than 30 days before the election or vote and must come down within 14 days after, and are capped at five square feet and four feet tall. The Building and Safety Engineering Division enforces the standard.
Pontiac Political Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsPontiac Zoning Ordinance §§ 5.103, 7.501
G. Opinion signs. 1. Location. Opinion signs shall be confined into private property, and shall be set back from any property line ten feet or half the setback applicable to a primary building in the zoning district, whichever is greater. 2. Display period. Opinion signs may not be installed more than 30 calendar days prior to event to which they pertain, and shall be removed within 14 days of ...
Holiday Displays
Zoning Ordinance § 5.103.L exempts seasonal decorations in the City of Pontiac from the sign code entirely, so long as they carry no commercial message: no permit, no area limit, no review. The moment a holiday display crosses into advertising, though, it becomes a sign, and § 5.104.E's ban on strings of light bulbs and other kinetic devices as sign elements can apply.
Pontiac Holiday Decoration Sign Exemption
Few RestrictionsPontiac Zoning Ordinance § 5.103.L & § 5.104.E
L. Seasonal decorations that do not convey a commercial message are not considered signage and shall not require a permit. ... ... E. Mechanical or Kinetic Signs. Signs that contain or consist of banners, posters, pennants, ribbons, streamers, strings of light bulbs, spinners, or other similarly moving devices; or signs that swing or otherwise noticeably move as a result of wind pressure becaus...
Digital Billboards
Zoning Ordinance § 5.105.G.12 in the City of Pontiac lets an owner convert one static billboard to an electronic display only after demolishing five other nonelectronic billboards near residential areas. Message frames must hold for at least 15 seconds, illumination cannot exceed 0.3 footcandle at the nearest residential property line, and the conversion permit expires after three years.
Pontiac Electronic Billboard Conversion Rules
Significant RestrictionsPontiac Zoning Ordinance § 5.105.G.12
12. Conversion of Existing Billboards to Electronic Billboard. ... Electronic billboards are prohibited unless approved in accordance with this section. ... ... i. Billboard Removal Requirement. Prior to converting a billboard, the applicant must permanently remove and demolish five nonelectronic commercial billboards under their ownership or control that are located in, or adjacent to, residen...
Window Signs
Zoning Ordinance § 5.103.Q lets any City of Pontiac business cover up to 25 percent of its window area with signage without a permit. Temporary window signs get the same 25 percent ceiling under § 5.106.B, but they cannot stay up for more than 30 days out of any rolling 60-day period.
Pontiac Window Sign Coverage & Time Limits
Some RestrictionsPontiac Zoning Ordinance § 5.103.Q & § 5.106.B
Q. Window Signs. Window signs that occupy not more than 25 percent of the inside surface of the window area of each floor level of a business or building are permitted. ... ... B. Temporary window signs. A business shall be permitted temporary exterior window signs which occupy not more than 25 percent of inside surface of the window area of such business. No such sign shall be displayed for mo...
Looking for Oakland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Pontiac city rules.
Sign Regulations in Oakland County →