{
 "title": "Minnesota temporary sign & banner rules by city",
 "publisher": "SHIFT Design, Buffalo MN \u2014 shiftdesignmn.com/mn-sign-rules",
 "license": "CC BY 4.0",
 "disclaimer": "Planning reference, not legal advice. Codes change; the posted code may lag the adopted ordinance. Confirm with your city before ordering or hanging anything.",
 "rows": [
  {
   "city": "Albertville",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "14 days per permit, 4 permits per calendar year per property — a multi-tenant center counts as one property",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Fee $35 per 14 days. Banners cap at 32 sq ft, portable signs at 48. New businesses get extra permits in their first 3 months. Electronic changeable copy is not allowed on a temporary sign.",
   "source": "Albertville City Code \u00a710-7-7",
   "source_url": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/albertville_mn/latest/albertville_mn/0-0-0-3975",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Annandale",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "No",
   "duration_and_frequency": "No permit. One sign of unlimited size for up to 5 days, twice a year — or a 32 sq ft freestanding sign for up to 14 consecutive days, 4 times a year",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "One of only two cities here with no temporary sign permit at all. Banners and pennants count as temporary signs. A sign left up past the limit is declared a public nuisance and the city can remove it.",
   "source": "Annandale City Code \u00a7150.82(F)(9)",
   "source_url": "https://www.annandale.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/347/15080-15082-Signs",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Buffalo",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "15 consecutive days per permit; 2 permits per business per 12 months",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Permit fee $20, and the permit sticker has to be displayed. Event signs are separate: 2 per event, up to a week beforehand. The entire sign chapter was re-adopted in January 2025.",
   "source": "Buffalo City Code Ch. 34 \u00a7\u00a734-7, 34-9(8), 34-33",
   "source_url": "https://library.municode.com/mn/buffalo/codes/code_of_ordinances",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Cokato",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Not verified",
   "duration_and_frequency": "Not verified",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": null,
   "notes": "A new city sign ordinance was adopted 13 April 2026 and exists only as a printed copy at City Hall — nothing is posted online, and the 2020 code still on the city website no longer applies. Call the city at (320) 286-5505 before ordering. The 2026 fee schedule does list a $20 sign permit (no footings).",
   "source": "City of Cokato — ordinance not published online",
   "source_url": "",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Delano",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "15 consecutive days per permit, 4 permits per business per 12 months; searchlights and inflatables add a 30-day wait between permits",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": null,
   "notes": "Portable signs cap at 32 sq ft per side. Banners have no fixed size cap, but added devices cannot push total signage past 110% of your allowance (125% for inflatables and searchlights). Fees are set by council resolution and are not published online. Worth a call: a 2022 amendment is posted only as a scanned image, so the posted text may not be current.",
   "source": "Delano Zoning Ordinance \u00a751.03 Subd. N",
   "source_url": "https://www.delanomn.gov/536/Zoning-Land-Use-Code",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Howard Lake",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "No",
   "duration_and_frequency": "No permit. Portable signs up to 45 days per calendar year; special-sale signs 15 consecutive days per quarter; banners and pennants only as a temporary display, 60 days max per year",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Banners, pennants, advertising flags and balloons are otherwise prohibited — the special-sale or community-event display is the only way to fly one. Portable sign area counts against your total business signage.",
   "source": "Howard Lake Zoning Ordinance Ch. 17.01-24",
   "source_url": "https://www.howard-lake.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/345/Chapter-1701-24-Signs",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Monticello",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "Up to 120 days per calendar year per business, across no more than 4 permits",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "40",
   "notes": "Permit fee $50. Two temporary signs on one parcel must sit 75 feet apart. A new business gets one extra 40-day permit within 6 months of opening. Non-commercial signs up to 40 sq ft need no permit.",
   "source": "Monticello City Code \u00a7153.064(I)",
   "source_url": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/monticellomn/latest/monticello_mn/0-0-0-3186",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Otsego",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "Up to 30 days within a calendar year, unless an interim use permit is granted",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Fee $50. Freestanding temporary signs max 8 ft tall, one per property at a time. The sign chapter was amended in May 2026 — the widely repeated \"21 days\" figure is out of date.",
   "source": "Otsego City Code \u00a711-37-7(G)",
   "source_url": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/otsegomn/latest/otsego_mn/0-0-0-9131",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "St. Michael",
   "county": "Wright",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "90 days cumulative per calendar year, plus up to 30 more for a grand opening",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "The fee is a $25 annual permit. Size rises to 64 sq ft where the adjacent speed limit is 45 mph or higher. Sandwich boards need no permit. The zoning ordinance was rewritten in December 2024, so older \u00a7155.49x citations are obsolete.",
   "source": "St. Michael City Code \u00a7\u00a7155.083–155.087",
   "source_url": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/stmichaelmn/latest/stmichael_mn/0-0-0-615658",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Big Lake",
   "county": "Sherburne",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "60 consecutive days per display, with up to 4 temporary signs on a site at once",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Fee $50 plus a $100 escrow, waived for non-profit and community events. One banner per property, and inflatable signs are prohibited. The sign chapter was rewritten in December 2025, so confirm the current fee before you apply.",
   "source": "Big Lake City Code \u00a7\u00a71300.03, 1300.08, 1300.09",
   "source_url": "https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/biglakemn/latest/biglake_mn/0-0-0-7311",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Elk River",
   "county": "Sherburne",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "90 days total per calendar year, with no single permit longer than 30 consecutive days",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "56",
   "notes": "Fee $40. Max height 9 ft, one temporary sign per property. Banners, inflatables and searchlights are prohibited except as a permitted temporary sign. It has to sit on asphalt, concrete or class-5 — never in the right-of-way.",
   "source": "Elk River City Code \u00a7\u00a730-859, 30-867(i)",
   "source_url": "https://library.municode.com/mn/elk_river/codes/code_of_ordinances",
   "verified": "2026-08"
  },
  {
   "city": "Champlin",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "2 ten-day periods per calendar year (4 for table-service restaurants); 20 days for a grand opening",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "40",
   "notes": "$1,000 fine for an unpermitted permanent sign, $3,000 if it must also be moved or altered. Sandwich boards need an annual permit.",
   "source": "City code via Municode; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Corcoran",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "4 periods per 12 months, up to 30 continuous days each, one per parcel",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Interior window signs up to 25% of window area do not count against your other sign area.",
   "source": "City code (self-hosted); see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Dayton",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "Tied to an event: up to 21 days before, removed within 7 days after; no numeric annual cap found in the code text",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Window signs are permit-exempt but capped at 25% of window area per facade.",
   "source": "City code via American Legal; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Maple Grove",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "1 permit per proprietorship per 12 months, 10 consecutive days",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "40",
   "notes": "The strictest cap in the west metro. Portable signs are expressly prohibited.",
   "source": "City code via Municode; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Medina",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "6 periods per calendar year, 14 days at a time; consecutive periods with city approval",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "Most permissive cadence here. A banner attached to the building is treated separately and needs no permit.",
   "source": "City code (self-hosted); see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Minnetonka",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "1 banner per tenant; 30-day grand-opening window plus a two-occasions-per-year, 10-days-each allowance (ordinance ambiguous - ask the city which applies)",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "30",
   "notes": "Sandwich boards: one per tenant, 12 sq ft, business hours only, no permit.",
   "source": "City code via American Legal; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Osseo",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes, above 6 sq ft of face or 6 ft of height",
   "duration_and_frequency": "Class C devices (inflatables, feather banners, pennants, portable signs): 3 permits per property per calendar year, 7 days or fewer each; an ordinary banner is class B",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": null,
   "notes": "Window signs limited to 25% of the frontage's window space. Moveable signs: one per principal entrance.",
   "source": "City code via American Legal; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Plymouth",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "4 times per calendar year, up to 14 days each",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": "32",
   "notes": "No temporary signage at all on a lot with a changeable-copy sign; illuminated signs also need an electrical permit.",
   "source": "City code via Municode; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  },
  {
   "city": "Wayzata",
   "county": "Hennepin",
   "temp_banner_permit_required": "Yes",
   "duration_and_frequency": "3 times per 12 months; banners and posters up to 14 days each, other devices 3 days",
   "max_temp_sign_sqft": null,
   "notes": "A copy of the owner's insurance certificate is required before the permit issues.",
   "source": "City code via Municode; see our West Metro guide",
   "source_url": "https://www.shiftdesignmn.com/guides/west-metro-sign-permits",
   "verified": "2026-07"
  }
 ]
}