Sign Regulations in Dubuque, IA (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Dubuque, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Political signs in the City of Dubuque are capped at thirty-two (32) square feet and exempt from the sign permit process under City Code § 16-15-9.C and § 16-15-10.A. They cannot be placed in the public right of way or in a visibility triangle required by § 16-3-5. Portable and stored-vehicle signs are otherwise banned citywide, but § 16-15-8.E carves out temporary political signs from that prohibition.
Dubuque Political Sign Size And Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 16-15-9
POLITICAL SIGN: A sign identifying and urging support for a particular election issue, political party, or candidate for public office or expressing the personal noncommercial views of the property owner or tenant. ... Any portable sign, including any sign displayed on a stored vehicle, except temporary political signs exempted in section 16-15-9 of this chapter. ... ... C. Political signs no l...
Digital Billboards
In the City of Dubuque, electronic message signs may not show scrolling video or multiple screens on one sign face, and each message must hold static for at least two seconds on premises or eight seconds off premises before it can animate to the next message.
Dubuque Electronic Message Sign Standards
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code §§ 16-15-5, 16-15-23-8
ELECTRONIC MESSAGE SIGN: ... A sign that uses changing lights to form a sign message or messages wherein the sequence of messages and the rate of change is electronically programmed and can be modified by electronic processes. ... ... A. Electronic message signs shall not be used or displayed in a way that presents multiple screens within a single sign face, whether simulated or actual. B. Duri...
Window Signs
In the City of Dubuque, window signs fall under the sign code's exempt-signs list. Nonilluminated window signs need no permit, fee, or size review under City Code § 16-15-9.F. Illuminated window signs stay exempt only up to twenty square feet under § 16-15-9.G; anything larger loses the exemption and must meet the full permit, fee, and district sign-area standards the Building Official enforces under § 16-15-3.
Dubuque Window Sign Exemption Limits
Some RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 16-15-9
A municipal infraction is punishable by a civil penalty as provided in the following schedule, unless a specific schedule of civil penalties is provided for specific offenses elsewhere in this code: SCHEDULE OF CIVIL PENALTIES First offense Not to exceed $750.00 All other repeated offenses Not to exceed $1,000.00 ... WINDOW SIGN: A sign, pictures, symbol, or combination thereof, designed to com...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Dubuque regulates freeway-facing signs through the SOD Freeway 61/151 Corridor Signage Overlay District under City Code Section 16-6-3, a three-mile-long zone along the highway split into seven lettered subareas. Off-premises signs are banned outright in Areas A, B and D, while Areas X, Y, Z and the remaining land face a 25-foot height cap, a 300-square-foot size limit and 500-foot spacing rule.
Freeway 61/151 Sign Overlay Rules in Dubuque
Significant RestrictionsDubuque City Code § 16-6-3-3
16-6-3-3: SOD SIGN REGULATIONS: ... A. Signs Not Allowed: Within the SOD signage overlay district, no off premises signs are allowed in the following areas: ... ... 3. Area C is eliminated as it lies entirely within the Port Of Dubuque PUD ... ... C. Other Areas: ... 1. Height: ... No portion of any sign or sign structure within six hundred sixty feet (660') of the Freeway 61/151 right of way s...