Nashville, TN Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Extra sign rate
- 1 sign per 1,000 ft frontage
- Spacing between signs
- 1,000 feet apart minimum
- Max height
- 50 ft, or 30 ft above highway
- Commercial Attraction district
- 900 sq ft/sign, 80 ft tall
Summary
Businesses fronting a controlled-access highway in Metro Nashville may add one extra ground sign per 1,000 feet of highway frontage, spaced at least 1,000 feet apart, under the Metro zoning sign code.
In addition to the number of ground signs permitted by Table 17.32.130D. [formerly 8.13], properties directly abutting a controlled access highway may install an additional on-premise ground sign along the frontage of that highway at the rate of one sign per one thousand feet of highway frontage. Such signs shall be spaced a minimum of one thousand feet apart. A sign oriented to a controlled access highway may be as large as the greater of (1) the maximum size of a sign otherwise permitted by Table 17.32.130D, or (2) the maximum size of a sign otherwise permitted by Table 17.32.130D as determined by substituting "Controlled Access Highway Footage Frontage in Feet," in lieu of "Lot Frontage in Feet." The maximum height of a highway oriented sign shall be, fifty feet as measured from the average grade of the sign foundation, or thirty feet above the finished elevation of the nearest travel lane of the highway, whichever is greater. In the commercial attraction district, the maximum area of any one sign shall be nine hundred square feet, the maximum total area of all signs shall be two thousand square feet, and the maximum height of a highway oriented sign shall be eighty feet as measured from the average grade of the sign foundation, or sixty feet above the finished elevation of the nearest travel lane of the highway, whichever is greater.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metro's sign code lets properties that directly abut a controlled-access highway (i.e., a freeway) put up one additional on-premises ground sign beyond what Table 17.32.130D otherwise allows, at a rate of one sign per 1,000 feet of highway frontage, spaced at least 1,000 feet apart. The sign must orient toward the highway and can be sized using highway frontage instead of street frontage. Height tops out at 50 feet above the sign's foundation grade, or 30 feet above the nearest highway travel lane, whichever is greater. In the Commercial Attraction district, freeway-oriented signs can reach 900 square feet each, 2,000 square feet total, and 80 feet tall.
Violations & Fines
Signs that exceed the size, height or spacing limits, or skip the required signage plan, are subject to removal and citation by Metro Codes Administration under the zoning sign regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up an extra sign facing the freeway in Nashville?
How tall can a freeway-facing sign be in Nashville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee sign regulations overview
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