Mebane, NC Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Mebane's sign standards, set out in UDO Section 6-7.7, size most freestanding signage by district and tenancy, but both Section 6-7.7(B) and Section 6-7.7(C) carve out a much larger allowance for property near the interstate. Under Section 6-7.7(B)(4)(d) and (5)(d), a ground or monument sign that would otherwise be capped at 50 square feet for a single tenant or 100 square feet for multiple tenants, and 12 to 35 feet in height, may instead reach 300 square feet of sign area and 60 feet of height if it sits within 400 feet of the right-of-way of an interstate highway or an interchange.

The freestanding or pole sign category gets the same jump under Section 6-7.7(C)(4) and (5): the ordinary limit of 15 square feet and 6 feet of height rises to 300 square feet and 60 feet within that same 400-foot band. Both sign types still carry their standard 10-foot setback from the right-of-way, property lines and structures, must clear driveways and parking areas by at least 14 feet and sidewalks by 9 feet, and may include changeable copy, electronic or manual, as a permitted sign face.

Outside the qualifying band, an outdoor advertising sign, or billboard, is a separate, more restrictive category under Section 6-7.7(I), capped at 400 square feet and limited to the LM and HM industrial districts within 400 feet of an interstate on/off ramp; the larger monument and pole allowances in Sections 6-7.7(B) and (C) apply to a business's own identification sign, not to third-party billboard advertising.