While aware of and sensitive to the need for local businesses to adequately identify their products and services, this ordinance was developed with the intention to insure safety of motorists by reducing the distracting influence of uncontrolled signs throughout the county and with the purpose to preserve the scenic and aesthetic features and quality of life for residents and visitors.

Sign Control Ordinance


The Planning Board proposed changes to the Sign Control Ordinance to ensure regulatory compliance following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Reed v. Town of Gilbert, AZ, 2015) that requires sign regulations to be content neutral. A public hearing on the proposed revisions was held by the Board of Commissioners on January 22, 2018 at 7 pm in the Commissioners’ Chambers located in the County Administration Building at 101 S. Broad Street, Brevard. The Board of Commissioners approved the changes to the Sign Control Ordinance and adopted the amended ordinance on February 13, 2018. 


Some signs require approval from the Planning Department and a permit from the Building/Inspections Department.

Specific regulations differ depending on whether the sign is:

  • on-premise or off-premise
  • located on a Transylvania County Scenic Corridor

The North Carolina Board of Transportation has its own set of sign regulations that are administered by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT). It does not allow for off-premise advertising signs along a "Scenic Byway".

Basically, signs cannot:

  • obstruct the view of motorists entering or exiting roads or highways
  • be placed within any road or highway right-of-way
  • contain obscenities
  • resemble a public safety warning or traffic sign
  • flash, blink, or have moving parts (including waving)
  • be constructed on utility poles, trees, or rock/natural features