Signs You Can Put Up Without a Permit

(a) The following types of signs are exempt from all of the provisions of this article except for the requirements of sections: 3-4, 3-5, 3-6, 3-7, 3-29, 3-30, 3-31, 3-32, 3-33, 3-34 and 3-36 through 3-43, and may be erected without a permit: (1) Certain temporary signs, which must be removed within seventy-two hours of the completion of the event or activity to which it refers, and which include: SIGNS § 3-8 (A) Any single temporary unlighted sign: (i) not exceeding eight square feet in area in the agricultural, open and residential districts, or (ii) not exceeding thirty-two square feet in area in the commercial/industrial districts, when such signs relate to or advertise a meeting, special event, or temporary status or condition of the property on which the sign is located, as long as the sign is not related to or advertising any regular or ongoing course of commercial enterprise conducted on the property. Only one such sign shall be permitted to be visible to traffic proceeding in any one direction on any one street or highway, except that no sign shall be placed over any public right-of-way or street. A temporary sign may be erected for a period not to exceed six months, unless a section in this chapter specifies a more restrictive time period. (B) Any small unlighted sign not exceeding two square feet in area, displayed once in a calendar year for a period of time not to exceed thirty consecutive days. (C) Temporary signs or banners not exceeding thirty-two square feet in area, limited in number to one per meeting or event, displayed for a period not exceeding thirty calendar days, and not projecting over a public street or highway. Temporary signs are not permitted for regular, ongoing commercial use (i.e. sandwich boards and banners). Special event or meeting banners are not required to have their placement limited to the place where the activity is held, provided that permission is granted by the owners or lessees of the structure to which the banner is to be attached/displayed. Temporary signs or banners must be removed within seventy-two hours of the completion of the event or activity which they promote. (D) New businesses may display temporary signs or banners for thirty days following the opening of their business on a one-time basis only, on their premises only. (E) Temporary painted window signs may be installed for a period not to exceed thirty days. (2) Any sign of a public, noncommercial nature, which includes any safety sign, danger signs, trespassing sign, sign indicating scenic or historical points of interest, and any sign erected by a public officer in the performance of a public duty, including traffic signs or directional signs, provided they conform to the sizes dictated by the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices as published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. (3) Any sign required to be posted by law, including any signs prescribed by chapter 291C, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes. (2004, ord 04-142, sec 2.)3-8