Sign Regulations in Southfield, MI (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Southfield, Michigan, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Southfield caps political signs at thirty-two square feet, bars them from any public right-of-way, and limits how long they can stand: no earlier than sixty days before an election and gone within thirty days after it. A winning candidate's signs can stay a little longer if a primary and general election fall within ninety days of each other.
Southfield Political Sign Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code §§ 8.33(26), 8.44(2)
(26)Political sign: A sign relating to the election of a person to public office or relating to a matter to be voted upon at an election called by a public body. ... (2)Political signs shall not be placed in any public right-of-way and shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet in area. Political signs shall not be subject to the restrictions for permitted signs in each zoning district, unles...
Garage Sale Signs
When the Southfield city clerk issues a garage sale permit, the clerk also hands over the official sign: a four-square-foot placard carrying the street address, permit number and expiration date. That sign must sit at least ten feet inside the property line, and the permittee must remove it immediately once the sale is over.
Southfield Garage Sale Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 7.424
Sec. 7.424. - Signs and display of merchandise. At the time the application for a permit is granted the city clerk shall furnish the applicant with a garage sale sign not to exceed four (4) square feet in area which shall be used to advertise the garage sale. Such sign shall contain the street address of the premises on which the sale is to be conducted, the permit number, and the expiration da...
Holiday Displays
Southfield exempts holiday lighting from its sign and building-lighting rules entirely. Southfield City Code § 5.22-4(7) says decorative lighting used for the celebration of a recognized holiday is allowed in every zoning district and is not subject to the brightness, motion or neon regulations that otherwise govern commercial lighting displays.
Southfield Holiday Lighting Exempt From Sign Rules
Few RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 5.22-4(7)
(3)Lighting that has motion either constantly or at intervals, or gives the impression of motion, characteristics of running, blinking, scintillating, or expanding, contracting or changing light patterns, shall be prohibited. ... (7)Decorative lighting used for the celebration of recognized holidays shall be allowed in all zoning districts and is not subject to the above regulations.
Digital Billboards
In the City of Southfield, one electronic changeable copy sign is permitted per development where ground signage is allowed, integrated into a garden ground or ground support sign. Monochrome LED coverage is capped at 75 percent of sign area outside residential districts and 60 percent inside them, amber-only in residential zones. Brightness cannot exceed 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light, and residential-district displays must go fully black between 9:30 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Southfield Electronic Changeable Copy Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsSouthfield City Code § 8.50A
The city finds that electronic changeable copy signage should be allowed on garden ground and ground support signs permitted in a particular zoning district but with reasonable controls to minimize their proliferation and their potential threats to public safety. ... (f)The electronic changeable copy portion of the sign shall be a maximum of seventy-five (75) percent of the total sign area in z...
Looking for Oakland County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Southfield city rules.
Sign Regulations in Oakland County →