Sign Regulations in Tempe, AZ (2026)
4 verified sign regulations for Tempe, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Arizona law (ARS 16-1019) protects the right to display political signs on residential property. Tempe cannot prohibit political signs on private property within reasonable size limits. Signs may generally be placed 60 days before an election and must be removed 15 days after. HOAs cannot prohibit political signs within the statutory time period.
Tempe Political Sign Rules
Few RestrictionsA.R.S. § 16-1019(C)–(D) — Political signs; printed materials; tampering
C. Notwithstanding any other statute, ordinance or regulation, a city, town or county of this state shall not remove, alter, deface or cover any political sign if the following conditions are met: 1. The sign is placed in a public right-of-way that is owned or controlled by that jurisdiction. 2. The sign supports or opposes a candidate for public office or it supports or opposes a ballot measur...
Digital Billboards
Tempe prohibits freestanding changeable-copy signs and flashing, animated, or intermittently illuminated signs citywide, except for the narrow list of permitted sign types spelled out in the sign code's table of permitted signs.
Tempe Digital and Changeable Copy Sign Ban
Significant RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-902(B)(4)-(5)
B.Prohibited Signs. Prohibited signs include:...4.Signs having intermittent or flashing illumination, animated or moving parts, or that emit sound except as allowed under Section 4-903 (sign type C and F);5.Freestanding changeable copy signs, except as allowed under Section 4-903 (sign type C, E, F, and I);
Window Signs
Tempe caps window signs, Sign Type M, at 25% of a window's total area in commercial, industrial, and mixed-use districts, requires no permit, but bars placement above the ground floor without Development Plan approval.
Tempe Window Sign 25% Coverage Limit
Light RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-903, Table 4-903B (Sign Type M)
M T Any sign in or on a window within commercial, industrial or mixed-use districts are classified as a sign type M. Shall be limited to twenty-five percent (25%) of the window's total area. Glass doors are considered windows, requirements may be modified by Community Development for security or crime prevention reasons, shall not be placed above the ground floor of the building without Develop...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Tempe only allows a freeway-facing freestanding sign, Sign Type E, on parcels within 300 feet of freeway right-of-way and at least 500 feet from any single-family use, and only under a City Council development agreement that sets its size and design.
Tempe Freeway-Facing Sign Rules (Type E)
Significant RestrictionsTempe Zoning and Development Code § 4-903, Table 4-903B (Sign Type E)
E P Any permanent freestanding sign that is not a sign type C that is on a property with lineal frontage adjacent to the freeway and not within five-hundred (500) feet of a single family use property measured from the property's edge. Must be within three-hundred (300) feet of freeway right-of-way. A sign type E requires authorization of a Development Agreement, that may be entered into at the ...
Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tempe city rules.
Sign Regulations in Maricopa County →