McLean County, IL Sign Regulations: Garage Sale Signs (2026)

Section 350-77A of the McLean County Zoning Code lists total sign exemptions: categories of signs that need no sign permit at all under Article X. Subsection A(8) covers signs for the sale of household goods at a residence, such as garage sales or auctions, but the exemption only runs for a period not to exceed six days in any calendar year, a limit added by the County Board's 2015 amendment. Post the sign longer than six days and it loses its exempt status, meaning it needs the permit that § 350-74 otherwise requires from the Director of Building and Zoning before any non-exempt sign goes up.

Even while exempt, the sign still has to satisfy the conditions written into the § 350-77A preamble: it must comply with the setback requirements set for its zoning district elsewhere in Chapter 350, and it cannot be illuminated, though a beaded-reflector face is allowed if the Director of Building and Zoning approves it first. The general traffic-safety and placement rules of § 350-76 also still apply, so a garage-sale sign cannot sit in the sight triangle at an intersection, cannot be attached to a utility pole or tree, and cannot block a driveway. These standards apply only within unincorporated McLean County; Bloomington and Normal issue their own sign rules for residents inside city limits.