Norman, OK Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Qualifying zones
- Industrial or Commercial within 1,320 ft of I-35
- Extra sign height
- Up to 80 feet
- Minimum ground clearance
- 25 feet at sign bottom
- Residential setback
- 4 times the sign's own height
- Face size range
- 75 to 150 square feet per side
Summary
Industrial and Commercial lots within 1,320 feet of the I-35 right-of-way get one extra ground sign under NCC 28-504 and 28-505, on top of the district's normal sign allowance. The additional sign must face the interstate, can rise as high as 80 feet, and its allowed face size scales up with how far its bottom edge sits off the ground.
Additional sign: For lots which are zoned Industrial and lie within 1,320 feet of the center line of the I-35 right-of-way, one additional ground sign may be erected. Such sign must be located as near to the interstate highway as practicable and must be oriented for interstate traffic. The extra sign can have a maximum height of 80 feet and the bottom of the sign must be a minimum of 25 feet from the ground. No such sign may be constructed closer to the boundary line of any residentially zoned property than a distance equal to four times the height of the sign. The size of the sign shall be as follows: Bottom of sign between 25 and 50 feet: 75 square feet per side (150 square feet total). Bottom of sign above 50 feet but below 65 feet: 100 square feet per side (200 square feet total). Bottom of sign above 65 feet: 150 square feet per side (300 square feet total).
Full Breakdown
" Norman ties the sign's allowable face size to that bottom clearance: 75 square feet per side (150 total) if the bottom sits between 25 and 50 feet, 100 square feet per side (200 total) between 50 and 65 feet, and 150 square feet per side (300 total) above 65 feet. No such sign may sit "closer to the boundary line of any residentially zoned property than a distance equal to four times the height of the sign," and the extra sign still counts toward the district's overall maximum signage area allowed for that business.
NCC 28-505 grants Commercial-zoned lots within the same 1,320-foot I-35 corridor an identical additional sign, with the same 80-foot height cap, 25-foot minimum ground clearance and four-times-height residential setback formula, so the freeway allowance follows the corridor rather than a single zoning district.
Violations & Fines
Erecting the extra I-35-facing sign without meeting the 80-foot height cap, 25-foot minimum clearance or residential setback formula is a chapter 28 violation the Code Compliance Officer can cite under NCC 28-902. Unlike the sign code's prohibited-signs violations, this one is not excluded from board review, so a denied permit or a citation over the freeway sign's dimensions can be appealed to the Board of Adjustment under NCC 28-901. Absent a specific fine in chapter 28, NCC 1-114's general penalty applies: up to $750.00 or 60 days imprisonment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which properties in Norman qualify for the extra freeway-facing sign?
How tall can the extra I-35-facing sign be?
Are there limits on where the extra highway sign can sit relative to homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Norman
Compare Norman to another location·View the Oklahoma sign regulations overview
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