Sign Regulations in Sullivan County, TN (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Holiday Displays
Sullivan County exempts non-commercial seasonal holiday displays from the Zoning Resolution's sign permit process. Section 9-111.8 protects decorations tied to a national, local, or religious holiday, but only if they don't advertise a product, service, or business, and requires the display to come down promptly once the holiday ends.
Sullivan County Holiday Display Sign Rules
Few RestrictionsSullivan County, TN Zoning Resolution § 9-111, 9-111.8
9-111. Exempt Signs The following signs shall be allowed in any zoning district without a permit so long as they are located on private property and outside of any governmental rights-of-way: ... 9-111.8 Non-commercial seasonal displays customarily associated with a national, local, or religious holiday, provided such are not used to advertise the name of a product, service or business. Such di...
Digital Billboards
Sullivan County allows one electronic message board on a freestanding sign in B-3, B-4, PBD, and PBD-3 districts, or at a church, school, or emergency-services facility. Section 9-109 caps brightness at 4,000 nits by day and 1,000 nits after 10 p.m., and bans video, animation, and scrolling text.
Sullivan County Electronic Message Board Sign Limits
Some RestrictionsSullivan County, TN Zoning Resolution § 9-109, 9-109.4
9-109. Electronic Message Board Signs on Freestanding Sign Structures - Freestanding Signs with Electronic Message Board Sign Faces are permitted in any B-3, B-4, PBD or PBD-3 Zoning District with an operating business or on any parcel where a place of community assembly is operating such as a church, community center, church fellowship hall, school, fire department...or facility operated by em...
Window Signs
Sullivan County exempts interior window signs from the Zoning Resolution's sign permit process, but only if the sign consists entirely of letters, numerals, and symbols. Section 9-111.6 places the exemption inside the broader list of no-permit signs in Section 9-111, and it applies only to signs mounted inside the building looking out.
Sullivan County Window Sign Permit Exemption
Few RestrictionsSullivan County, TN Zoning Resolution § 9-111, 9-111.6
9-111. Exempt Signs The following signs shall be allowed in any zoning district without a permit so long as they are located on private property and outside of any governmental rights-of-way: ... 9-111.6 Interior window signs which consist entirely of letters, numerals, and symbols.
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