Sign Regulations in Gaithersburg, MD (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Gaithersburg, Maryland, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Holiday Displays
Gaithersburg exempts holiday and seasonal signs from permits under City Code § 24-8.4(A)(7): a temporary sign of 20 square feet or less and 8 feet or shorter, with no foundation, can go up within 20 days of a recognized holiday or seasonal event and may be illuminated. Larger seasonal signs on multifamily or nonresidential property lose the regulatory exemption and need a permit.
Gaithersburg Holiday and Seasonal Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsGaithersburg City Code § 24-8.4(A)(7), (C)(2)-(3)
(7)Seasonal event signs. Temporary signs twenty (20) square feet in size or smaller and eight (8) feet or shorter in height with no foundation, and displayed within twenty (20) days of a seasonal event or officially recognized federal, state, or local holiday are not subject to the regulatory and permitting provisions of this article. Such signs may be illuminated. ...(2)Temporary signs larger ...
Digital Billboards
Gaithersburg bans billboard signs outright under City Code § 24-8.3(E). Electronic message display signs are allowed only as part of a building, monument or geographic-area sign, are banned on single-family lots and in the RB zone, and are capped at one per 10 to 15 acres depending on zone, with brightness limited to 5,000 nits by day and 500 nits between dusk and dawn.
Gaithersburg Billboard Ban and Electronic Signs
Significant RestrictionsGaithersburg City Code §§ 24-8.3(E), 24-8.17(A), (B)
(E)Billboard signs. Billboard signs are prohibited. ...(3)An electronic message display sign must not have any distracting appearance of motion, flashing, blinking, or shimmering, and must not constitute a safety hazard by distraction of motor vehicle operators. The display must remain static for a minimum of six (6) seconds with instantaneous change of the display; i.e., no "fading" in/out bet...
Window Signs
Gaithersburg caps permanent window signs at 25 percent of a window's surface under City Code § 24-8.29, with temporary window signs subject to the same 25 percent limit under § 24-8.30, except that a vacant non-residential storefront may cover up to 95 percent of its window space for up to nine months a year. Window signs are exempt from a permit but still count toward regulatory limits.
Gaithersburg Window Sign Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsGaithersburg City Code §§ 24-8.29, 24-8.30
(A)Window permanent signs...(1)Permanent window signs must not cover more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total window surface.(2)Permanent window signs must not be placed within four (4) inches of a window frame.(3)Permanent window signs that are attached to a window must only be attached to the interior side of the window and must not be attached to the exterior side of the window.(4)Per...
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