Will County, IL Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Max area, interstate frontage
- 700 sq. ft.
- Max area, federal-aid primary highway
- 378 sq. ft.
- Max area, other streets
- 200 sq. ft.
- Allowed districts
- C-4, I-1, I-2, I-3 only
- Max height
- 40 ft. above curb
- Setback
- 15 ft. or 1 ft./20 sq ft face
- Registration fee due
- Feb. 1, doubles if late
Summary
Unincorporated Will County limits advertising signs, the billboards oriented toward highway traffic, under Zoning Code § 155-13.60. Signs facing an interstate can run up to 700 square feet, drop to 378 square feet on federal-aid primary highways, and cap at 200 square feet on every other road. Billboards are confined to the C-4, I-1, I-2 and I-3 districts and need a special use permit, plus, for interstate-adjacent sites, a separate Illinois Department of Transportation permit.
(A) Where allowed. Advertising signs are allowed only in the C-4, I-1, I-2 and I-3 districts and only if reviewed and approved in accordance with the special permit use procedures of § 155-16.40. (B) Area. Advertising signs may not exceed the following maximum area requirements for signs readable and intended to be viewed from the following types of highways and streets: Interstate Highway 700; Federal Aid Primary Highway 378; All other streets/highways 200. ... (D) State permit. If the advertising sign site is adjacent to a Federal-Aid Primary or Interstate Highway, a county sign permit may not be issued until the applicant provides proof that a state permit has been approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation in accordance with ILCS Ch. 225, Act 440, and Title 92 Part 522 of the Illinois Administrative Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance No. 24-100, passed 4-18-2024 and Res. 23-387, passed 11-16-2023; and State legislation approved through 2024 Pamphlet #2).
Full Breakdown
60, inside the sign article of the county's 2012 zoning ordinance, effective 10-1-2012 and amended by Ordinance 18-1 on 1-18-2018. 40. The maximum sign face area depends on the road the sign faces: 700 square feet along an Interstate Highway, 378 square feet along a Federal Aid Primary Highway, and 200 square feet along any other street or highway. 60(C). Sites adjacent to a Federal-Aid Primary or Interstate highway cannot get a county sign permit until the owner shows the Illinois Department of Transportation has already issued its own permit under ILCS Ch.
225, Act 440 and Title 92 Part 522 of the Illinois Administrative Code. Spacing rules keep billboards apart: no advertising sign may sit within 5,280 feet of another advertising sign, within 1,320 feet of a public park larger than five acres, within 1,320 feet of a residential zoning district, or within 1,320 feet of a school property line. Height is capped at 40 feet above curb level, or four feet above the roof or parapet of the nearest building if that is higher. Every advertising sign must also sit back at least 15 feet from the right-of-way line, or one foot for every 20 square feet of sign face, whichever distance is greater. 90(E)(4).
Violations & Fines
The Zoning Administrator enforces the sign article under § 155-17.20 and can withhold or revoke permits, order stop-work, and seek a court injunction; each week a violation continues after notice is a separate offense. An advertising sign that goes a year without displaying a message is abandoned and must come down within 30 days of written notice under § 155-13.120(F)(2), and any sign placed in the public right-of-way is forfeited to the county and subject to confiscation under § 155-13.120(E).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I put up a billboard in unincorporated Will County?
How big can a highway billboard be in Will County?
How close can two billboards be to each other?
What happens to a billboard that stops displaying ads?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Will County
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