Sign Regulations in Spotsylvania County, VA (2026)
4 rules for unincorporated Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Holiday Displays
Spotsylvania County's outdoor lighting ordinance exempts holiday decorative lighting from its commercial lighting standards only while it stays temporary. Sec. 23-5.12.3(c) requires that construction, agricultural, special-event, emergency and holiday lighting be discontinued within seven days of finishing the project or holiday it marked, after which the display must meet the full shielding and brightness rules for permanent nonresidential fixtures.
Spotsylvania County Holiday Lighting Time Limit
Light RestrictionsSpotsylvania County Code § 23-5.12.3(c)
The following outdoor lighting and related acts shall be exempt from the requirements of these outdoor lighting regulations: ... c.Construction, agricultural, special event, emergency or holiday decorative lighting, provided that the lighting is temporary, and is discontinued within seven (7) days upon completion of the project or holiday for which the lighting was provided;
Digital Billboards
Spotsylvania County bans digital and electronic signs that flash, blink or run animated presentations under Sec. 23-5.8.6(4). The only carve-out is for displays that simply show date, time, temperature, weather or on-site business information, and even those must hold each message for at least four seconds and cannot create a safety or traffic hazard.
Spotsylvania digital sign flashing ban
Heavy RestrictionsSpotsylvania County Code § 23-5.8.6(4)
(4)Any sign, electronic or digital display, with flashing or intermittent lights, copy or animated digital presentations in motion. This prohibition shall not apply to sign, electronic or digital display that display date, time, temperature, weather, environmental conditions, or other on-site business information, with messages displayed in intervals of at least four (4) seconds. Such signs sha...
Window Signs
Show-window signs in Spotsylvania County's office, commercial and industrial districts do not need a sign permit, but they cannot take over the glass. Sec. 23-5.8.5(c)(11) limits signs naming the occupant, business or products sold to no more than 20 percent of the window area, and Sec. 23-5.8.3(k) separately lists window signs among the uses exempt from permitting altogether.
Spotsylvania window sign coverage limit
Some RestrictionsSpotsylvania County Code §§ 23-5.8.3(k), 23-5.8.5(c)(11)
The following signs are exempt from the provisions of these regulations and may be erected or constructed without a permit but in accordance with the structural and safety requirements of the county's building code: ... (k)Window signs. ... (11)Signs advertising only the name of the occupant of a store, office or building, the business or occupation conducted or the products sold therein may be...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Freestanding sign height in Spotsylvania County depends on how close the lot sits to an Interstate 95 interchange. Sec. 23-5.8.2(c) caps signs at 25 feet everywhere more than 2,600 feet from an interchange, allows 35 feet within that 2,600-foot ring, and drops the limit to just 5 feet for any sign with a height-to-setback ratio greater than one-to-one.
Spotsylvania I-95 freestanding sign heights
Some RestrictionsSpotsylvania County Code § 23-5.8.2(c)
(c)Maximum height. The maximum height of freestanding signs shall be as follows except as provided for in section 23-5.8.7 of this chapter:(1)Twenty-five (25) feet in height when located more than twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet from an Interstate 95 interchange;(2)Thirty-five (35) feet in height when located twenty-six hundred (2,600) feet or less from an Interstate 95 interchange; or(3)Five (...
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