It shall be unlawful for any person, company, business, or occupant of a building or property, to erect, repair, alter, relocate, or keep within the city any sign or other advertising structure as defined in Ordinances: subchapter Chapter 154: Signs, without first obtaining a sign permit from the sign officer or other duly authorized officer of the city and paying the fee required. Sign permits shall be renewed annually.
By definition, Sign means and includes every device, frame, figure, character, letter, mark, plane, point, design, picture, stroke, stripe, trademark, or reading matter which is used or intended to be used to attract attention or convey information when the same is placed in view of the general public without regard to whether it is freestanding, attached to a wall or other structure, or affixed to the inside or outside of a window or a door. Where matter is displayed in a random manner without organized relationship to elements, or where there is reasonable doubt as to the relationship of elements, each element shall be considered a single sign.
For complete information regarding signs within the City of St. Matthews see Chapter 154: Signs.
To contact the St. Matthews Sign Officer telephone (502) 899-2512, or email via the Contact Us online form.
Sign Permit
An application for a sign permit along with the completed drawings or renderings are required.
- For a wall sign a drawing to scale of the facade of the building where the sign will be placed and a drawing to scale of the sign with the exact verbiage is required.
- For a freestanding sign a drawing to scale of the sign and its supports, indicating right-of-way at front or street property line, along with the exact placement of the proposed sign from two permanent fixtures.
Once the application with appropriate drawings has been submitted to the city, the sign officer will visit the site to verify that the proposed sign complies with the City of St. Matthews ordinance. It is the responsibility of the applicant to comply with all laws of the Louisville Metro Planning Commission, Fiscal Court, and any applicable state and federal building or electrical codes, laws, ordinances, and restrictions. After confirmation and approval, the sign officer will authorize the city clerk to issue the sign permit and collect the appropriate fee. All sign permits are required to be renewed yearly.
Submit all required information to: Sign Officer, City administrative office, Second floor, St. Matthews City Hall, 3940 Grandview Ave, St. Matthews, Ky. 40207.
