North Charleston, SC Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 8-11(e) of the zoning regulations governs wall and window signage in the ON, B-1, B-2, CRD, M-1, and M-2 districts. Subsection (e)(1) lets any use display wall signs 'on walls adjacent to each street, highway, expressway or off-street parking area on which it has frontage,' but subsection (e)(2) caps the total: 'The aggregate area of the wall signs plus the aggregate area of the window signs displayed on any given facade of a building may not exceed fifteen (15) per cent of the area of that facade.' Window signs aren't a separate, unlimited category, they share the same 15 percent ceiling as wall signs, figured per facade rather than for the whole building.

Section 8-11(e)(3) further restricts mounting: a wall sign 'must not project from the wall by more than twelve (12) inches and must not interrupt architectural details.' Section 8-11(e)(4) adds height bands tied to building stories: a sign displayed by a first-story use 'may not extend above the window sill of the second story,' and a sign above the first story 'may be no higher than the window sill of the third story.'

For measurement, Section 8-5(e)(4) is explicit that window and wall signage combine in one calculation: sign modules 'shall be combined for calculation even if one module is a window sign and the other is a wall sign.' For signs made of individual letters or painted directly on, Section 8-5(e)(3) measures area by drawing 'a perimeter... around all the pieces.'

Sign permits are issued by the city's director under Section 8-4, with fees set by council resolution; a denial can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals within 30 calendar days of the decision.