Auburn, WA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

ACC 18.60.020(G) is the specific signage clause inside Auburn's 11-part home occupation requirements. It reads that only one sign is permitted for a home occupation, capped at 18 inches by 24 inches in area, must be nonilluminated, and must be attached to a building rather than freestanding. The single exception is for home occupations located in commercial or industrial zones, which may instead follow whatever sign standards apply to the applicable zoning district under Chapter 18.56 ACC, the city's general sign code. Because signage is one of the 11 enumerated requirements in ACC 18.60.020, a home occupation that hangs a larger sign, illuminates it, or posts more than one is no longer meeting all 11 requirements outright; depending on how many of the other 10 it still satisfies, it may need to fall back on the special home occupation permit track under ACC 18.60.040, which requires planning director review and can be escalated to the hearing examiner if public comment raises controversy.

The sign limit sits alongside the chapter's other exterior-facing restrictions, such as the ban on outdoor storage in ACC 18.60.020(K) and the requirement in ACC 18.60.010 that the dwelling's residential character not be altered by colors, materials, lighting, or signs associated with the business.