McLean County, IL Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

R(1), one of nine conditions the county attaches to any home-based business. Subsection (e) sets three limits at once: the sign cannot exceed two feet in any dimension, so no oversized lettering or wide boards; it cannot be illuminated, ruling out backlit, spot-lit or neon signage; and it must be mounted flat against the main wall of the principal residence, which rules out freestanding yard signs, A-frames, post-and-panel signs or anything on an accessory structure. The restriction sits alongside the rest of subsection R's controls on exterior display, meaning a compliant home business also cannot put merchandise, equipment or additional advertising in the yard or windows beyond the single wall sign.

Chapter 350's broader sign article governs commercial and freestanding signage generally, but a home occupation's identification sign is carved out and held to this tighter two-foot, unlit, flush-mounted standard instead. The Director of Building and Zoning reviews compliance as part of administering the chapter under § 350-16, and a sign that violates subsection (e) puts the entire home occupation approval at risk, not just the sign itself, since exceeding any subsection R condition takes the use outside the standards the district's use table allows.