How Lakewood Handles Sign Regulations: A Practical Guide

Lakewood maintains 133 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with sign regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Lakewood falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Window Signs

Lakewood, Washington exempts window signs from its sign permit requirement, but caps how much glass they can cover. LMC 18A.100.030(A)(2) limits any sign located inside a building, painted on a window, or hung inside a window to 40 percent of the window area, and the permanent sign standards table in LMC 18A.100.060 confirms that same 40 percent cap applies per wall in both residential and commercial zoning districts.

Key details: Coverage cap: 40% of window area per wall. Permit required: No. Applies in: all zoning districts citywide. Governing section: LMC 18A.100.030(A)(2). Enforcement: Class 2 civil infraction.

A window sign that exceeds the 40 percent coverage cap, or that otherwise violates the general sign standards of Chapter 18A.100, is a Title 18A violation under LMC 18A.20.105, enforced by the City Manager as a Class 2 civil infraction under Chapter 1.48 LMC. The Planning and Public Works Director can also order removal of a sign that presents a safety hazard, and unaddressed violations can be treated as a public nuisance under Chapter 1.44 LMC.

The rules around window signs in Lakewood lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Digital Billboards

Lakewood, Washington bans new billboards outright, and the ones grandfathered in from before the city's 1996 incorporation cannot add digital or flashing displays. LMC 18A.100.040(I) prohibits billboard signs citywide except as legal nonconforming structures, and LMC 18A.100.080(D)(6)(c) bars any billboard from being altered to include flashing, intermittent, or moving lights.

Key details: New billboards: prohibited citywide. Billboard face cap: tied to 1996 incorporation count. Digital/flashing lighting: barred on all billboards. Copy replacement: allowed anytime, no permit. Enforcement: civil infraction plus removal lien.

Operating an unpermitted new billboard, or altering a nonconforming billboard to add flashing or digital lighting, is a Title 18A violation under LMC 18A.20.105, enforced by the City Manager as a Class 2 civil infraction under Chapter 1.48 LMC. Under LMC 18A.100.080(F), a sign the Planning and Public Works Director orders removed and that is not removed in time is deemed a public nuisance, and the City can remove it and place a lien on the property to recover the removal costs.

This is one of the stricter rules in Lakewood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Freeway-Facing Signs

Commercial and industrial properties in Lakewood, Washington that front a freeway get an extra pole sign beyond what nonfreeway businesses receive. LMC 18A.100.060's permanent sign standards table lets qualifying Freeway-zoned parcels, defined as TOC, C1, C2, IBP, NC2, and I1 land that abuts I-5, SR 512, Tacoma Mall Boulevard, or the BNSF right-of-way in Tillicum, add one additional freeway-facing pole sign of 60 to 200 square feet.

Key details: Extra freeway pole sign: 1 per qualifying frontage. Sign size: 60-200 sq ft. Location: within 50 ft of freeway row. Qualifying zones: TOC, C1, C2, IBP, NC2, I1. Minimum frontage: 60 linear feet required.

Building a freeway pole sign that exceeds the 200-square-foot maximum, sits closer than 50 feet to the freeway right-of-way, or skips the required sign permit is a Title 18A violation under LMC 18A.20.105, enforced by the City Manager as a Class 2 civil infraction under Chapter 1.48 LMC. The Planning and Public Works Director can also refuse to issue a permit for a freestanding sign where a nonconforming freestanding sign already exists on the same or a contiguously owned property.

Political Signs

Lakewood, Washington treats a campaign sign the same as any other temporary sign: LMC 18A.100.010(I) commits the city to regulating signage 'in a content-neutral manner,' so LMC 18A.100.070's temporary sign table sets the limits, capping residential yard signs at 24 square feet for banners and flags or 12 square feet for other signs, with no permit required.

Key details: Content rule: regulated content-neutrally, no ban. Residential size cap: 24 sf banners, 12 sf other. Nonresidential size cap: 32 sf banners/flags. Permit required: No. Illumination: prohibited.

A political sign that exceeds the temporary sign size limits, is illuminated, or is posted without the property owner's permission is a Title 18A violation under LMC 18A.20.105, enforced by the City Manager as a Class 2 civil infraction under Chapter 1.48 LMC. A sign placed in the public right-of-way that the City Engineer determines is a safety hazard can be removed immediately without prior notice under LMC 18A.100.050(B)(11).

Lakewood is more permissive than most cities when it comes to political signs. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Lakewood gives residents more room on sign regulations. 2 of the 4 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

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