Fountain, CO Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign count
- One exempt sign per licensed home-based business
- Max area
- Four square feet
- Yard height cap
- Three feet if freestanding
- Fence/building mount
- No higher than fence top or roofline
- Illumination
- No electrical, illuminated, animated or reflective signs
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. 1742, January 14, 2020
Summary
A licensed home-based business in Fountain gets one exempt on-premise sign under Fountain Municipal Code § 17.12.030(A)(10): four square feet maximum, three feet tall if freestanding, no higher than the fence or roofline if mounted, and never illuminated, animated or reflective.
10.One on premise sign per properly-licensed home-based business, in addition to the site signs allowed by this chapter, and shall also comply with the following requirements.a.The sign may be placed on the wall of any structure or fence or mounted in the yard.b.Signs shall not exceed four square feet in area.c.Signs placed in the yard may not exceed three feet in height.d.Signs placed on fences may not be placed higher than the top of the fence.e.Signs placed on buildings shall be no higher than the roof or parapet line.f.No home-based business sign shall be electrical or illuminated, animated or constructed of reflective materials.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
Fountain's Sign chapter, adopted with the rest of Title 17 by Ordinance No. 030(A)(10). The sign is allowed in addition to whatever other on-premise site sign the property already qualifies for under the residential exempt-sign category earlier in the same subsection, and it may be placed on the wall of any structure, on a fence, or mounted freestanding in the yard. Wherever it goes, it cannot exceed four square feet in area. A yard-mounted sign is further capped at three feet in height; one mounted on a fence cannot rise higher than the top of that fence; and one mounted on a building cannot rise above the roof or parapet line.
The subsection's final limit is about illumination rather than size: no home-based business sign may be electrical, illuminated, animated or made of reflective material, so even a compliant four-square-foot sign cannot be lit at night. 020(E).
Violations & Fines
A home-business sign that exceeds four square feet, exceeds its height limit, or is illuminated, animated or reflective loses its exempt status and is treated as an unpermitted sign under § 17.12.020(E). The zoning administrator can require it removed or brought into compliance, and prosecution proceeds under Fountain's Chapter 1.12 general penalty, capped at a $2,650 fine with no jail time, with each day the sign remains a separate offense under § 1.12.010(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
How big can my home business sign be in Fountain?
Do I need a permit for a home business sign?
Can I put my home business sign on my fence?
Can I illuminate my home business sign at night?
Sources & Official References
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