Sign Regulations in Alexandria, VA (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Alexandria, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Digital Billboards
Alexandria's Zoning Ordinance bans billboards outright under Sec. 9-203(K): any single panel sign larger than 100 square feet that is sold, rented, or leased to someone other than the property's own business owner cannot go up anywhere in the city. Digital signs are defined separately and aren't banned, but Sec. 9-202(B) requires a discretionary administrative special use permit before one can be installed.
Alexandria Bans Billboards, Permits Digital Signs by SUP
Heavy RestrictionsZoning Ordinance §§ 9-100(A)-(B), 9-202(B), 9-203(K)
(A)Billboard. Any sign that consists of a single panel surface larger than 100 square feet in size that is installed as an independent structure or is mounted on the side or top of a building, and this sign along with its location is sold, rented, or leased to a user that is not the property's business owner.(B)Digital sign. A sign that can change its content by way of electronic or mechanical ...
Window Signs
Alexandria caps window signage on commercial, mixed-use, and larger multi-unit properties at 20 percent of the glazing area under Sec. 9-201(B), with no limit on how many individual signs you post inside that cap. Smaller residential lots, covered by the separate Sec. 9-201(A) table, have no window sign category at all.
Alexandria Window Sign Coverage Cap
Some RestrictionsZoning Ordinance § 9-201(B)
(B)Sign regulations for a lot containing a non-residential, multi-unit with more than four units, and mixed uses ... Window No limit Cannot exceed more than 20% of the glazing area of the window where it is installed No limit
Freeway-Facing Signs
Alexandria bans illuminated wall signs taller than 35 feet above grade on any building that faces the George Washington Memorial Parkway or sits in a historic district, under Sec. 9-203(B). Freestanding signs are barred entirely on any parcel fronting the Parkway or Washington Street under Sec. 9-301(E), except the bare minimum signage that Sec. 9-7-7 of the city code requires.
Alexandria Bars Signs Facing the GW Parkway
Significant RestrictionsZoning Ordinance §§ 9-203(B), 9-301(E)
(B)Illuminated wall signs located higher than 35 feet above grade within historic districts or facing the George Washington Memorial Parkway; ... (E)Prohibited signs. No freestanding signs which are located on a parcel fronting the George Washington Memorial Parkway or Washington Street, shall be permitted unless it is the minimum signage necessary to comply with section 9-7-7 of the city code.