Sign Regulations in Arvada, CO (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Arvada, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
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.
Arvada Holiday Decorations and Seasonal Displays
Light RestrictionsArvada Land Development Code Sections 6-1-2-3.B.5 and 6-1-3-1.C.1, Signs
Exceptions by Sign Type. The following signs may be displayed without a sign permit, but are not exempt from other applicable provisions of this Article. ... Temporary Seasonal Decorations. Decorations and signs that are clearly incidental, customary, and commonly associated with a holiday. ... Generally. The prohibitions in this Section apply to temporary and permanent signs in all areas of th...
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.
Arvada Digital Sign & Message Center Rules
Significant RestrictionsArvada Land Development Code Section 6-1-4-2.C, Digital Electronic Message Centers
C.Digital Electronic Message Centers. Digital electronic message centers ("EMCs") may be incorporated into signs in the MX, C, I sign district (see Section 6-1-2-4, Sign Districts) and operated only as provided in this Subsection.1.Number, Design, and Dimensions.a.Not more than one sign per property may incorporate an EMC.b.EMCs shall appear to be incorporated into the face of a permanent sign ...
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.
Arvada Window Sign Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsArvada Land Development Code Section 6-1-5-1.C, Table 6-1-5-1B, Window Signs
C. Window Signs. Window signs are allowed according to the standards in Table 6-1-5-1B, Window Signs. [...] Max. Sign Area 25% of the area of windows larger than 8 sf. may be covered with signs [...] 75% of the area of windows smaller than 8 sf. may be covered with signs [...] 3 sf. per sign 6 sf. per elevation [...] For the purposes of the standards above, the area of the window is calculated ...
Looking for Jefferson County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Arvada city rules.
Sign Regulations in Jefferson County →