Pitt County, NC Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 9(A) defines a 'Professional or Occupational Sign or Name Plate' as a sign that publicizes and directs attention to a home occupation, rural family occupation, or a profession. Section 9(E), governing sign placement, size, height, setback, separation and construction by type, sets standards for 'Professional or Occupational Name Plates and Incidental Signs' as item 4: a maximum sign area of 32 square feet, a maximum height of 30 inches if ground-mounted (the sign may instead be mounted against the structure), a minimum 2-foot setback from all property lines, and no more than one sign per business establishment.

Table 9-1, the Table of Permitted Signs by Type of Sign, marks 'Nameplate, Incidental' signs with an X in every one of the 11 conventional zoning districts (RA, RR, R40, SR, MFR, OI, RC, GC, HC, LI, GI), meaning the sign type is allowed countywide regardless of the underlying district. These name-plate signs are distinct from on-premises freestanding signs, which may run up to 200 square feet and 35 feet tall (Section 9(E)(2)), and from wall signs, sized at one square foot per linear foot of building frontage (Section 9(E)(3)).

Signs that don't conform once the ordinance changes may continue as legal nonconforming signs, with the specific rules for that spelled out in Section 12(G).