Sign Regulations in Hanover County, VA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Hanover County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Holiday Displays
Hanover County's Zoning Ordinance lets the Zoning Administrator issue a temporary permit for holiday decorative displays used as signs, capped at sixty days total in a calendar year across no more than four separate permit periods. The display's sign area cannot exceed the maximum area allowed for a detached sign in that zoning district.
Hanover County Holiday Sign Display Permits
Light RestrictionsHanover County Code § 26-273(7)(b)
7.The zoning administrator, upon application, shall issue temporary permits for the following signs and displays for a maximum of sixty (60) days during one (1) calendar year, comprising no more than four (4) periods, when the sign area does not exceed the maximum allowable area for a detached sign in the district in which it is located.a.Signs advertising a special civic or cultural event, suc...
Digital Billboards
Hanover County's Zoning Ordinance regulates LED and LCD message panels on 'destination commerce signs' near Interstate highways under a conditional use permit. Brightness is capped at 5,000 nits during the day and 500 nits at night, and a message cannot change more often than once every ten seconds.
Hanover County Digital Sign Brightness Rules
Significant RestrictionsHanover County Code § 26-277(e)(9)
(b)No more than two variable message panels shall be incorporated into a single sign, and each panel shall generally be placed back-to-back to allow the message to be displayed for bi-directional traffic.(c)When Light Emitting Diode (LED), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or video display message panels are used, the light emitted by the display shall not exceed 5,000 nits during daylight hours an...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Hanover County's Zoning Ordinance treats most signs visible from Interstate highways as a special exception rather than a by-right use. The Board of Supervisors must approve the sign, which is limited to identifying a national, regional or statewide corporate headquarters, distribution facility, or a unique facility such as King's Dominion, capped at forty feet tall.
Hanover County Interstate-Visible Sign Rules
Significant RestrictionsHanover County Code § 26-277(b)
Signs, other than those regulated by subsection (f), below, that are erected to be visible from Interstate highways may be permitted as special exceptions in accordance with the following standards:1.The subject property shall be contiguous with the Interstate highway right-of-way or with the right-of-way of a frontage road along the Interstate.2.The signage shall be for identification of a nat...
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