Sign Regulations in Lakewood, WA (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Lakewood, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Lakewood, Washington treats a campaign sign the same as any other temporary sign: LMC 18A.100.010(I) commits the city to regulating signage 'in a content-neutral manner,' so LMC 18A.100.070's temporary sign table sets the limits, capping residential yard signs at 24 square feet for banners and flags or 12 square feet for other signs, with no permit required.
Lakewood WA Political Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsLMC 18A.100.010(I); 18A.100.070(A),(C)(1)
I. Recognize free speech rights by regulating signs in a content-neutral manner. ... 1. Temporary Signs. a. Temporary signs, as defined by this section, are exempt from standard permit requirements. Temporary signs that comply with the requirements of this subsection shall not be included in the determination of the type, number, or area of permanent signs allowed on a property. ...
Digital Billboards
Lakewood, Washington bans new billboards outright, and the ones grandfathered in from before the city's 1996 incorporation cannot add digital or flashing displays. LMC 18A.100.040(I) prohibits billboard signs citywide except as legal nonconforming structures, and LMC 18A.100.080(D)(6)(c) bars any billboard from being altered to include flashing, intermittent, or moving lights.
Lakewood WA Digital Billboard Ban
Heavy RestrictionsLMC 18A.100.040(I); 18A.100.080(D)(1),(6)(c)
I. Billboard signs, except as provided for in LMC 18A.100.080 Nonconforming signs. ... ... D. Billboards. The following requirements shall pertain to all billboards located within the City: 1. The total number of billboard faces within the City of Lakewood shall not exceed the total number of billboard faces existing on the date of incorporation of the City. ... ... 6. Billboards shall not be a...
Window Signs
Lakewood, Washington exempts window signs from its sign permit requirement, but caps how much glass they can cover. LMC 18A.100.030(A)(2) limits any sign located inside a building, painted on a window, or hung inside a window to 40 percent of the window area, and the permanent sign standards table in LMC 18A.100.060 confirms that same 40 percent cap applies per wall in both residential and commercial zoning districts.
Lakewood WA Window Sign Coverage Limit
Light RestrictionsLMC 18A.100.030(A)(2)
A. A sign permit is required for all new signs or structural modifications to any existing sign visible from the public right-of-way except: 1. Signs visible from the public right-of-way that are under (2) square feet and total less than one (1) percent of the individual building facade. 2. Signs located inside of a building, painted on a window, or hanging inside of a window; provided,...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Commercial and industrial properties in Lakewood, Washington that front a freeway get an extra pole sign beyond what nonfreeway businesses receive. LMC 18A.100.060's permanent sign standards table lets qualifying Freeway-zoned parcels, defined as TOC, C1, C2, IBP, NC2, and I1 land that abuts I-5, SR 512, Tacoma Mall Boulevard, or the BNSF right-of-way in Tillicum, add one additional freeway-facing pole sign of 60 to 200 square feet.
Lakewood WA Freeway-Facing Pole Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsLMC 18A.100.060(A),(B)(3)
Freeway (Select TOC, C1, C2, IBP, I1) ... Pole – Freeway Frontage | 1 additional pole sign per freeway frontage. Min 60 lf. surface street frontage req'd. | 60 sf. min/200 sf. max. Must be within 50' of freeway row. | 1 sq. ft. per lineal foot arterial frontage (min. 60 linear feet of surface street frontage to qualify for freeway pole sign) ... Freeway Commercial/Industrial. TOC, C1, C2, IBP, ...
Looking for Pierce County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lakewood city rules.
Sign Regulations in Pierce County →