Sign Regulations in Multnomah County, OR (2026)
5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Multnomah County, Oregon.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Unincorporated Multnomah County treats campaign and election signs as temporary signs: six-month time limit, no permanent attachment, and a three-square-foot cap for lawn signs under the zoning code's sign standards.
Political Signs in Multnomah County
Some RestrictionsMultnomah County Code § 39.6810(A)-(C)
(A) Time Limit. Temporary signs and support structures, if any, must be removed within six months of the date of erection. (B) Attachment. Temporary signs may not be permanently attached to the ground, buildings, or other structures. (C) Lawn Signs. Lawn signs may not be greater than three square feet in area and may not be over 42 inches in height. (D) Banners. One banner is allowed per pri...
Garage Sale Signs
In unincorporated Multnomah County, a garage-sale sign counts as a temporary lawn sign: capped at 3 square feet and 42 inches tall, and it must come down within six months of going up.
Garage-Sale Signs, Multnomah County
Some RestrictionsMultnomah County Code § 39.6810(A), (C)
(C) Lawn Signs. Lawn signs may not be greater than three square feet in area and may not be over 42 inches in height. ... (A) Time Limit. Temporary signs and support structures, if any, must be removed within six months of the date of erection.
Holiday Displays
In the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area's General Management Area, Multnomah County exempts seasonal holiday light displays from its ban on luminous and internally illuminated signs, but only within the Gorge overlay boundary, not countywide.
Holiday Lights Exempt From Sign Ban in Gorge
Few RestrictionsMultnomah County Code § 38.0080(C)(1)(a)
Luminous signs or those with intermittent or flashing lights. These include neon signs, fluorescent signs, light displays and other signs which are internally illuminated, exclusive of seasonal holiday light displays. (b) New billboards. (c) Signs with moving elements. (d) Portable or wheeled signs, or signs on parked vehicles where the sign is the primary use of the vehicle. (2) The following ...
Digital Billboards
Multnomah County Code § 39.6770(E)(9) bans any billboard with moving parts, flashing lights, or intermittent lights anywhere in unincorporated Multnomah County, which closes the door on digital and electronic message-center billboards. Only static poster-face and paint-face billboards qualify under the Planning Director's Total Billboard Allowance permit system. Code Compliance Services enforces the ban.
No Digital Billboards Allowed in Multnomah County
Heavy RestrictionsMultnomah County Code § 39.6770(A), (E)(9)
(A) Billboards are allowed in unincorporated Multnomah County as described in MCC 39.6700 through MCC 39.6820. ... (9) No billboard shall contain moving parts or flashing or intermittent lights.
Freeway-Facing Signs
Multnomah County caps freeway billboards at the pre-existing countywide inventory and limits relocated interstate billboards to a 2,000-foot separation: unincorporated area only, since Portland runs its own sign code.
Freeway Billboards, Multnomah County
Significant RestrictionsMultnomah County Code § 39.6770(D)(4)
The owner of a billboard shall not maintain any greater number of billboards on interstate highways in unincorporated Multnomah County than were established prior to the effective date of this section. However, in the event that the owner is unable to continue the lease for the property upon which the existing billboard is located, the owner may relocate that billboard to another location on an...
Sign Regulations by City in Multnomah County
2 cities in Multnomah County have their own sign regulations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
All Multnomah County ordinances
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