Pontiac, MI Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Section 2.536 of the Pontiac Zoning Ordinance keeps a home occupation from reading as a commercial storefront, and signage gets the tightest limit in the list. Subsection G allows only one nameplate sign, capped at 2 square feet, and it must be attached to the principal building rather than freestanding in the yard. The ordinance gives an example of what the sign may say, such as a name and profession like 'John Doe, Realtor,' but nothing beyond identifying the occupant and the occupation. That size cap sits alongside the other home-occupation conditions in the same section: subsection B limits staffing to no more than two employees who are not immediate family, and subsection C confines the business to the basement, garage, or up to half the floor area of one floor of the residence, with accessory buildings off-limits except the garage.

A home occupation that puts up a larger sign, a second sign, or a freestanding sign violates subsection G and, together with subsection H's ban on nuisance conditions like glare or noise, can trigger the same enforcement path as any other home-occupation violation: the Community Development Department can treat the use as an unlawful business, subject to district court prosecution or a circuit court injunction, and disputed cases go before the Zoning Board of Appeals for a public hearing under Article 6, Chapter 9. The Board can then issue a renewable annual permit for the use to continue, potentially with added sign restrictions, or decline to grant relief.