Sign Regulations in Las Cruces, NM (2026)
6 verified sign regulations for Las Cruces, New Mexico, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Las Cruces allows political signs up to 32 square feet each. Under Land Development Code Sec. 36-86, signs may go up no sooner than 90 days before an election and must come down within 10 days after it. No permit is required.
Las Cruces Political Sign Rules (Sec. 36-86)
Few RestrictionsLas Cruces Land Development Code § 36-86 (Political signs)
(a) No individual political sign shall exceed 32 square feet in sign area. (b) All political signs may be erected no sooner than 90 days before the election and/or caucus to which they pertain and shall be removed within ten days following the same election and/or caucus.
Garage Sale Signs
Las Cruces caps garage and yard sale signs at 3 square feet. Under Land Development Code Sec. 36-84, off-premises directional signs are allowed only during the sale, and both the person who posts them and the property owner must remove them afterward.
Las Cruces Garage Sale Sign Rules (Sec. 36-84)
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces Land Development Code § 36-84 (Garage, private sale or event signs)
Off-premises signs may be used to advertise any garage sale, private sale or event, provided that the signs are not over three square feet in sign area and are used only during the duration of the event.(b)The person erecting the sign and the property owner at the sign location shall be responsible for sign removal and all other requirements concerning signs. (Ord. No. 2575, § II(exh. A), 4-26...
Holiday Displays
Las Cruces exempts holiday and festival decorations from the sign code's permit requirement, but Section 36-41 gives them a hard deadline: any display must come down within five days after the holiday or event ends. Decorative flags used for holidays are exempt too, as long as they carry no logo or advertising message.
Las Cruces Holiday Display Removal Rule
Light RestrictionsLas Cruces, NM, Land Development Code § 36-41(3), (6); § 36-9(b)(4) (Ord. No. 2575, 4-26-10)
Sec. 36-41. - General conditions. The following general conditions apply to on-premises signs: ...(3)Decorations. Any display shall be removed no later than five days after the event/holiday. ...(6)Flags.a.Displays incorporating the identification of a nation, state or corporation shall follow accepted flag protocol. Only one corporate flag will be allowed per lot.b.Displays used to serve as de...
Digital Billboards
Downtown Las Cruces bans moving, flashing, or animated signs outright, a category the code says includes searchlights, streamers, and spinners, which rules out digital billboards and LED message boards with changing displays anywhere in the Downtown, Main Street, or General Urban transect districts. Manually changeable copy on display cases and ground signs is still allowed, and billboards elsewhere in the city are capped at 300 to 400 square feet.
Las Cruces Downtown Digital Sign Ban
Heavy RestrictionsLas Cruces, NM, Land Development Code § 38-43(N)(1) (Downtown Development Code, prohibited signs)
1.Prohibited Signs.a.Moving, flashing, or animated signs including but not limited to searchlights, streamers and spinners;b.Inflatable signs, such as but not limited to balloons, gas inflated signs or similar inflated signs;c.Portable signs, except for sidewalk signs as allowed in Table 10;d.Flags, other than those specifically allowed in Chapter 36, Signs;e.Outdoor image projections (signs pr...
Window Signs
Las Cruces treats window signs as attached signage under Chapter 36 of the code, counted the same as wall and awning signs against a property's overall sign allowance. Permanent window signs can substitute for wall signage square footage but do not include products or models displayed in the window itself.
Las Cruces Window Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsLas Cruces, NM, Land Development Code §§ 36-3, 36-41(19), 36-45(a) (Ord. No. 2575, 4-26-10)
Window sign means any sign that is applied or attached to the exterior or interior of a window or a window frame. ... Sec. 36-41. - General conditions. The following general conditions apply to on-premises signs: ...(19)Window sign.a.Permanent window signs may be substituted for wall signage with a corresponding reduction of wall signage.b.A window sign does not include merchandise or models of...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Billboards along Interstate 10 and Interstate 25 in Las Cruces get a bigger allowance than billboards on ordinary streets: up to 400 square feet and 40 feet tall on the interstates, versus 300 square feet and 30 feet elsewhere. Every billboard is restricted to C-2, C-3, M-1/M-2, or M-3 zoned land and must sit 1,000 feet from the next one.
Las Cruces Freeway Billboard Size Rules
Significant RestrictionsLas Cruces, NM, Land Development Code § 36-83 (Ord. No. 2575, 4-26-10)
Sec. 36-83. - Billboards. (a)Billboards shall be located only in areas zoned C-2, C-3, M-1/M-2, or M-3.(b)Billboards may be located only along the following roadways and only along street segments having a minimum of 75 percent office, commercial or industrial zoning...(c)Total sign area, spacing, height and setbacks shall be subject to the following requirements:(1)Billboards located along int...
Looking for Doña Ana County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Las Cruces city rules.
Sign Regulations in Doña Ana County →