Sign Regulations in Arvada, CO

Arvada maintains 140 local ordinances across all categories, and 3 of those deal specifically with sign regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Arvada falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Holiday Displays

Arvada exempts holiday decorations from the sign permit requirement. Under Section 6-1-2-3.B.5 of the Land Development Code, decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday go up with no sign permit. Section 6-1-3-1.C.1 also carves temporary holiday displays out of the ban on animated or flashing sign elements, as long as they comply with Article 6-1.

Key details: Sign permit: None for holiday decorations under Section 6-1-2-3.B.5. Qualifying test: Clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday. Flashing or animated light: Allowed on temporary holiday displays under Section 6-1-3-1.C.1. Other rules: Rest of Article 6-1 and building and electrical codes still apply. Public right-of-way: No signs in or over it, with narrow exceptions.

Neither Section 6-1-2-3 nor Section 6-1-3-1 prints a fine amount. The consequence is loss of the exception. A display that is not clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday is an ordinary sign that needs a permit from the City before it is displayed under Section 6-1-2-1.B. A holiday sign that blocks a door, sits in the public right-of-way, or is fastened to a tree remains non-compliant with Section 6-1-3-1 regardless of the permit exception.

Arvada is more permissive than most cities when it comes to holiday displays. That said, there are still limits.

Digital Billboards

Arvada has no separate billboard category: digital displays are regulated as electronic message centers under LDC Section 6-1-4-2.C, allowed only inside the Mixed-Use, Commercial, and Industrial sign district, capped at one EMC per property and 40 percent of the sign face. Messages cannot change more than once every eight seconds, and nighttime brightness is capped at 600 nits.

Key details: Allowed districts: MX, C, I sign district only. Max EMCs: One per property. Face limit: 40 percent of the permitted sign area. Change rate: Not more than once per 8 seconds. Nighttime brightness cap: 600 nits of luminance.

Operating an EMC outside the MX, C, I sign district, exceeding the 40-percent face limit or 20 mm pixel pitch, or changing messages faster than once every eight seconds violates Section 6-1-4-2.C and is enforceable under Section 10-1-2-2 as a misdemeanor, carrying a fine up to $2,650 or up to 180 days in jail under Section 1-5, with continued noncompliance charged day by day.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Arvada actively enforces its digital billboards requirements.

Window Signs

Arvada caps how much of a storefront window can be covered with signs under Table 6-1-5-1B: up to 25 percent of any window larger than 8 square feet in the Olde Town and Mixed-Use/Commercial/Industrial districts, or 75 percent if the window is 8 square feet or smaller. Multifamily and single-family districts instead cap window signs by a flat square footage per window or elevation.

Key details: Large windows (OT, MX,C,I): Up to 25% coverage for windows over 8 sf. Small windows (OT, MX,C,I): Up to 75% coverage for windows 8 sf or less. Multifamily: 3 sf per window, one sign per window. Single-family: 6 sf per building elevation, no illumination. Temporary window signs: Count against the same Table 6-1-5-1B limits.

Covering more than the allowed percentage or square footage of a window, or illuminating a window sign in the Single-Family Residential sign district where lighting is barred, violates Table 6-1-5-1B and Section 10-1-2-1. As with other LDC sign violations, a person who fails to correct the sign after notice is guilty of a misdemeanor under Section 10-1-2-2, facing a fine up to $2,650 or up to 180 days in jail under Section 1-5, with each day of the oversized sign a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Arvada's sign regulations rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Arvada is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Arvada can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, which shows when its source was last checked.