Sign Regulations in Bellingham, WA (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Bellingham, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Digital Billboards
Bellingham allows billboards only in designated overlay zones, and its performance standards bar any billboard face from appearing to move, flash, blink, or use holograms: effectively prohibiting true digital or video billboard displays citywide.
Bellingham Bans Digital, Animated Billboard Displays
Heavy RestrictionsBellingham Municipal Code § 20.12.040(E)(3)(c)
Signage shall not be a hologram or appear to move. Three-dimensional extensions from billboard faces are allowed if they do not appear to be three-dimensional from the front. Lighting shall be indirect and glare shielded from traffic and nearby residences. Lighting shall not be within the billboard graphic, move, flash, or blink. d. A billboard shall not be located within 300 feet of a...
Window Signs
In the Barkley urban village, BMC 20.37.680 treats any interior sign within 12 inches of a window as a regulated sign, exempting only signage placed more than 12 inches inside the glass. The same section caps temporary building signs at 32 square feet and limits real estate signs to one per street frontage, unlighted and no larger than 32 square feet.
Bellingham Barkley Village Window and Temp Signs
Some RestrictionsBellingham Municipal Code § 20.37.680(A), (B)(4), (C)(9)-(10)
A. General Provisions. All signage in Barkley Village shall comply with the provisions herein. B. Exemptions. The following signs shall be exempt from the provisions of this title: ... 4. Interior signs that are more than 12 inches inside a window. C. Standards. ... 9. Temporary building signs shall not exceed 32 square feet. 10. Real estate signs are limited to one sign per street frontage, sh...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Bellingham allows only one freeway-oriented sign per parcel of record as it existed on June 18, 1984, for planned commercial or industrial developments abutting Interstate 5, capped at 25 feet in height and 275 square feet, under BMC 20.12.040(A)(8)(b)(vi). Separately, subsection (E) regulates off-premises billboards along the same corridors, with permits, height, spacing and residential-buffer limits.
Bellingham Freeway-Oriented Sign & Billboard Rules
Significant RestrictionsBellingham Municipal Code § 20.12.040(A)(8)(b)(vi), (E)
vi. One freeway-oriented sign shall be permitted upon property abutting the right-of-way of I-5 provided: (A) The sign shall be located on site, advertising the use located thereon. (B) The sign shall be limited to a maximum height of 25 feet, or 20 feet above the surface of the nearest primary driving lane of the freeway at a point nearest to the proposed location of the sign. (C) The sign are...
Looking for Whatcom County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bellingham city rules.
Sign Regulations in Whatcom County →