Marion, OH Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Marion sits on U.S. 23, and the Marion Codified Ordinances address that corridor through one provision, § 1161.042(F), on digital or electronic advertising signs. The test is location, not which direction a sign faces: the text measures 1000 feet from US 23.

The rule starts with a prohibition. Digital or electronic advertising signs are not permitted unless they comply with the requirements of § 1161.04 and division (G) of § 1161.042, and one of two exceptions applies. Exception (1) covers a sign within 1000 feet of US 23 in a commercial or industrial district that meets all of the requirements of the Ohio Department of Transportation for advertising signs or devices, which the code incorporates as if fully re-written. Exception (2) covers a sign that is both within a C-3 Central Core Business District and the Downtown Design Review District and approved by the Downtown Design Review Board under Chapter 1185 Design Review Regulations.

Signs qualifying under either exception still carry the division (G) standards: erection at least 20 feet and not more than 40 feet above the grade at the base of the sign, dimensions no greater than 12 feet high by 25 feet wide, and the display rules on message length, flashing and automatic dimming. Under § 1161.041(A), an advertising sign is a principal use and must meet the yard and building height requirements for principal uses in its district. Section 1161.042(D) adds that no part of an advertising sign can project beyond the property line, none can sit in a yard required for a principal building, and all must conform to § 1161.012 on traffic hazards. A sign in a C or I district near an R, O-I or O-I-A district must also meet § 1161.011. Section 1161.042(A) allows one sign structure on a lot with under 200 feet of unbroken frontage on a single street and two on a lot with 200 feet or more. The Safety/Service Director enforces the zoning code.