Edmonds's Sign Regulations: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles sign regulations a little differently. In Edmonds, Washington, there are 4 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Digital Billboards

Edmonds tightly restricts electronic reader board and digital message signs under its sign code. Messages that change faster than every 20 seconds count as blinking or flashing and are banned outright, and moving or scrolling text is never allowed. Reader boards are conditionally permitted only for public uses or places of public assembly, not ordinary businesses.

Key details: Fastest lawful message change: every 20 seconds. Moving/scrolling messages: prohibited. Who may install a reader board: public uses/places of assembly only. Zoning permission: conditional in every zone category. Penalty: misdemeanor, $25/day fine.

The planning and development director enforces the sign code under ECDC 20.60.100. Upon finding a violation, such as a reader board that scrolls, updates faster than 20 seconds, or is installed for a non-public use, the director sends written notice identifying the code section and a deadline to cure. An uncorrected violation is referred to the city attorney's office; conviction is a misdemeanor punishable by a $25.00 fine for each day the violation continues.

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

Window Signs

Edmonds caps window signage by zoning district under ECDC 20.60.035. Residential lots in the LDR and RM zones may display up to 4 square feet of window signs, while businesses in the BN, BP, BC, BD, CW, CG and NCH zones may use one square foot of window sign area for every lineal foot of window frontage. Window signs above the first floor cannot be illuminated.

Key details: Residential window sign limit: 4 sq ft (LDR, RM zones). Commercial window sign limit: 1 sq ft per lineal ft of window frontage. Above first-floor illumination: not permitted. Counts toward total sign area: no, if within § 20.60.035 limits. Penalty: misdemeanor, $25/day fine.

Window signs are enforced the same as any other sign under ECDC 20.60.100. The planning director issues written notice identifying the code section violated and a deadline to correct an oversized or improperly illuminated window sign; an uncorrected violation is referred to the city attorney's office. Violating any provision of the sign code is a misdemeanor, punishable by a $25.00 fine for each day the violation continues.

Political Signs

Edmonds allows campaign signs in every zone as temporary signage, with no numeric cap on off-premises postings. Off-premises signs may go up no earlier than the candidate's declaration of candidacy or 60 days before the election, whichever gives the longer lead time, and must come down within 10 days after the election.

Key details: Removal deadline: within 10 days after the election. Earliest posting: declaration of candidacy or 60 days before election. Off-premises number cap: none. Where allowed: all zones on-premises; right-of-way off-premises. Penalty: misdemeanor, $25/day fine.

Campaign signs that stay up beyond the 10-day post-election removal window, or that are posted before the declaration-of-candidacy/60-day window opens, are enforced under ECDC 20.60.100. The planning director issues written notice of the violation and a correction deadline; failure to comply is referred to the city attorney. A violation of the sign code is a misdemeanor carrying a $25.00 fine for each day it continues, and improperly posted signs in the right-of-way may be confiscated under ECDC 20.60.090(C).

Holiday Displays

Purely decorative seasonal and holiday displays are exempt from Edmonds' sign code. ECDC 20.60.095(D) excuses holiday displays that do not use written copy or graphics to convey a message from the chapter's permitting, size, and lighting rules, so a light display with no text or logo needs no sign permit, though dimensional and placement standards still apply.

Key details: Exempt content: no written copy or graphics. Permit needed for pure holiday lights: no. Still applies to exempt displays: dimensional/placement standards. Loses exemption if: display adds written message or logo.

A holiday display that loses its exemption, most commonly by adding written text or graphics, must comply with the sign code or face enforcement under ECDC 20.60.100. The planning director issues written notice of the violation and a deadline to cure; an uncorrected violation is referred to the city attorney's office, and conviction is a misdemeanor carrying a $25.00 fine for each day the violation continues. A display exempt under ECDC 20.60.095(D) is not subject to this enforcement path unless it violates the dimensional or placement standards the exemption preserves.

The rules around holiday displays in Edmonds lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Edmonds'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 Edmonds is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Edmonds's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.