Sign Regulations in Westminster, CO

If you live in Westminster or are thinking about moving there, sign regulations are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Westminster has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of sign regulations, and some of them might surprise you.

Garage Sale Signs

Westminster names garage sale signs as a no-permit incidental sign, but limits how long a temporary freestanding sign can stay up, and separately caps garage sales themselves to three consecutive days no more than once every 90 days.

Key details: Sign permit needed: No, incidental sign category. Sign setback: 10 feet from property line. Wire-stake sign display period: 30 days, up to 3x per year. Garage sale duration: 3 consecutive days max. Garage sale frequency: Once per 90-day period.

Conducting a garage sale beyond three consecutive days, holding more than one sale in a 90-day period, or leaving a garage sale sign up beyond its permitted display period or setback violates §§ 8-1-7 and 11-11-11(B); violations of Title 8's property standards are enforceable as a public nuisance abatable under that chapter's enforcement provisions, with fines set under § 1-8-1, W.M.C.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Westminster gives residents more flexibility on garage sale signs.

Digital Billboards

Westminster bans billboards outright, so a new off-premise digital billboard cannot be permitted anywhere in the city. Any legal digital sign that does exist must meet strict brightness, hold-time and shutoff standards enforced by the Planning Manager.

Key details: Billboards: Prohibited citywide, § 11-11-5(H). Digital sign zones: OTC, COM, MSP, ERD only. Minimum hold time: 8 seconds per message. Brightness cap: 0.3 foot-candles above ambient. Nonconformity deadline: 180 days to conform.

Erecting a new billboard, digital or otherwise, is a prohibited sign under § 11-11-5(H) and is unlawful to erect, operate or use under § 11-11-4(A)(2); the Building Official or Planning Manager may also order removal of any sign that becomes a public safety hazard or nuisance and abate it under Title VIII, Chapter 4, W.M.C.

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

Window Signs

Westminster lets any property post window signs without a permit, but caps the total sign area at 30 percent of the glass in a window's mullion-and-transom frame. Anything mounted outside or within three feet of the glass on the outside doesn't count as a window sign at all.

Key details: Governing section: WMC § 11-11-10(E), Table 11-11-10-5. Coverage limit: 30% of window glass per frame. Permit required: No. Digital window signs: Not permitted, any category. Exterior placement: Not permitted; interior only.

Exceeding the 30-percent glass-coverage cap, mounting a sign on the exterior of the window instead of the interior, or using a digital display in a window sign violates § 11-11-10(E) and Table 11-11-10-5; the Building Official or Planning Manager may order the sign removed as an illegal or nonconforming sign under § 11-11-6(B).

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

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Westminster gives residents more room on sign regulations. 2 of the 3 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.

Keep in mind that Westminster can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.