Sign Regulations in Fort Collins, CO (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Fort Collins, Colorado, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Fort Collins treats political yard signs the same as any other temporary yard sign: the Sign Code is expressly content-neutral, so message content never factors into approval. Section 3.8.7.1(C) states the regulations don't relate to a sign's content or the speaker's viewpoint, and single-family and duplex properties face no cap on the number of yard signs they display.
Fort Collins Political Yard Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Transitional Land Use Code § 3.8.7.1(C)(1)-(2)
(C)Findings. The City finds that:(1)Content-neutrality, viewpoint neutrality, and fundamental fairness in regulation and review are essential to ensuring an appropriate balance between the important, substantial, and compelling interests set out in Section 3.8.7.1(B) and the constitutionally-protected right to free expression.(2)The regulations set out in the Sign Code are unrelated to the supp...
Digital Billboards
Fort Collins bans billboards outright, digital or otherwise, along with all permanent off-premises signs, under Section 3.8.7.1(G)(2). A business can still add an electronic message center to its own on-site sign under Section 3.8.7.1(J)(2), but only one per street frontage, capped at 12mm pixel pitch and half the sign's area.
Fort Collins Billboard and EMC Sign Rules
Heavy RestrictionsFort Collins Transitional Land Use Code §§ 3.8.7.1(G)(2), 3.8.7.1(J)(2)(a)
(2)Prohibited Signs. The following signs are not allowed, whether temporary or permanent:...(f)Permanent off-premises signs;(g)Billboards; and(h)Abandoned signs. ... (2)Electronic Message Centers. Digital electronic message centers ("EMCs") may be incorporated into signs as provided in this subsection.(a)Number, Design, Dimensions.1.Not more than one (1) sign with an EMC component is allowed pe...
Window Signs
A Fort Collins window sign under six square feet needs no sign permit as long as it covers no more than 25 percent of the window it's in and 25 percent of the property's overall sign allowance, and is not illuminated, under Section 3.8.7.1(D)(5)(f). Bigger or lit window signs need a standard sign permit.
Fort Collins Window Sign Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsFort Collins Transitional Land Use Code § 3.8.7.1(D)(5)(f)
(f)Window signs that are less than six (6) square feet in area, provided that:1.The total area covered by window signs:a.Does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the area of the architecturally distinct window in which they are located; andb.Does not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the sign allowance described in Section 3.8.7.2(A); and2.The window signs are not illuminated.
Looking for Larimer County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fort Collins city rules.
Sign Regulations in Larimer County →