Lee's Summit, MO Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Two sections of the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) carry the same rule. Sec. 6.1400.B.3 makes exterior signage a flat no for any home occupation: "Exterior signage for a home occupation is prohibited." Sec. 9.060.F, in Article 9 (Signs), then lists "Home occupation sign" among the sign types the city prohibits. Sec. 9.070 defines the term as a sign that identifies, advertises, or attracts attention to any home occupation, so the ban reaches any exterior display that points customers toward the business, not only a nameplate by the front door. Article 9 mentions home occupation signs in exactly two places, the prohibition and the definition, so no permitted-sign category offers a way around it.

The sign ban sits among the general provisions of Sec. 6.1400.B, and the neighboring conditions explain its purpose. The home occupation must not change the outside appearance of the dwelling (B.2), no outside storage of any kind is permitted (B.6), and retail sales on the premises must stay secondary to the major operation of the home occupation (B.12). Sec. 6.1400.A states the goal as maintaining neighborhood integrity and preserving the residential character of neighborhoods.

Every home occupation is approved by the Director under Sec. 6.1400.C, upon the Director's determination that the requirements of the ordinance can be satisfied. A denial must come with written reasons, and the applicant has 14 days from the date on the Director's letter to appeal to the City Council. The sign ban is one of the requirements the Director applies. Sec. 6.1400.B.14 separately requires the business to maintain every license that local, state, or federal law demands.

Some displays fall outside the ban. Sec. 9.050 says Article 9 does not apply to interior signs, including interior window signs, or to a property address sign not exceeding two square feet. Exterior window signs, by contrast, are prohibited on their own under Sec. 9.060.W. Sec. 9.060 opens with the qualifier "except as otherwise provided in this article," and Sec. 9.120 exempts non-commercial temporary signs such as political, real estate, and opinion signs from the sign permit requirement, though they stay subject to the article's other requirements.