Sign Regulations in Santa Fe, NM (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Santa Fe, New Mexico, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Santa Fe lets political campaign signs go up without a building permit but caps each sign at 32 square feet, bars them from public property and rights-of-way, and requires every candidate to name a liaison responsible for lawful placement. Unlawful signs draw a $50-per-sign, per-day fine under Section 9-2.15 SFCC 1987.
Santa Fe Temporary Political Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsSFCC 1987 § 9-2.15
9-2.15 - Temporary political signs. The following requirements shall apply for political campaign signs: A.No building permit is required.B.Signs shall not be located on or overhang onto public property, including but not limited to, rights-of-way. Signs placed on a curb strip in front of a private residence, with the permission of the owner, are exempt from this section...D.Political campaign ...
Garage Sale Signs
Santa Fe allows one temporary garage or yard sale sign per property without a building permit, but Subsection 14-8.10(D)(7) caps it at two square feet and requires the sign to stay on the premises where the sale is actually held, not on a neighbor's lawn or the public right-of-way.
Santa Fe Limits Garage Sale Signs To 2 Sq Ft
Light RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 14-8.10(D)(7)
(7)Signs for a temporary garage or yard sale that shall be located on the premises where the sale is conducted, the number of which shall not exceed one and the area of which shall not exceed two square feet.
Digital Billboards
Santa Fe bans flashing, scrolling, and video signage outright, but Section 14-8.10(C)(5) carves out a narrow path for electronic messaging signs: displays may change no more than once every 24 hours, must dim automatically at night, and are capped at 2,000 nits by day and 500 nits after dark.
Santa Fe Regulates Electronic Message Sign Brightness
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 14-8.10(C)(5)
(5)No sign shall be erected or maintained which contains, includes, or is illuminated by any flashing light, electronic change in messages, electronic change in background colors, electronic change in light intensity , or electronic video display, except:(a)Those giving public service traffic information such as lane closures, road closures, and detours; and(b)Electronic messaging signs subject...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Santa Fe doesn't sit on an interstate freeway, so its sign code targets the city's de facto highway gateway instead: Subsection 14-8.10(G)(8) regulates signage along the Cerrillos Road Highway Corridor Protection District (US 84/285), scaling maximum sign area and freestanding sign height by which of four corridor zones a business sits in.
Santa Fe Caps Sign Size Along Cerrillos Road Corridor
Some RestrictionsSanta Fe City Code § 14-8.10(G)(8)
(8)For C-2, SC, and I properties located within the Cerrillos Road highway corridor protection district, the following standards shall apply:(a)For one business establishment on a legal lot of record , not more than three signs are allowed, no one of which shall exceed fifty (50) square feet in area in corridor zone one, sixty (60) square feet in corridor zone two, seventy (70) square feet in c...