Issaquah, WA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Two sections work together. LUC 18.502.120(D)(3)(c) says any sign for a home business must meet the standards of Chapter 18.612 IMC, Signs, and LUC 18.612.070(E), which sits inside the section on signs allowed without a permit, prints the numbers. Table 18.612.070(E)(2) covers residences where home businesses are allowed and present. The sign must be on site and must be a wall or window sign. The table lists a maximum of 1 to 2 total signs, 2 square feet per sign face, 1 sign face per total sign, and a maximum sign height of 12 feet.

Subsection (E)(3) explains the count. Every home business can have one window or wall sign. Where there are ground-related residential units on streets designated for sidewalk use in Chapter 12.05 IMC, Sidewalk Use District, a legal and permitted home business can choose to add a pedestrian-oriented sign as another sign. That second sign requires a permit and must comply with IMC 18.612.090(G), Projection and Pedestrian-Oriented Signs, and its maximum face area is specified in IMC 18.612.080(F). Home business signs are classed as neither primary, secondary nor additional signs, and they have no design type of their own, so the owner selects a window or wall sign.

Placement has a rule for houses that cannot be seen from the road. If the home is not visible from the street, the sign can be placed on the owner's property near the road, but not in the right-of-way. IMC 18.612.080(J) carries the general placement information.

The home business section adds limits that shape any sign. LUC 18.502.120(D)(3)(b) prohibits exterior alterations or designs that indicate operation of a business and requires color, materials and lighting to conform to those allowed for the primary residential use. LUC 18.502.120(D)(3)(h) bars outside storage or display of any kind related to the home business, so the sign cannot be paired with an outdoor display. The City can also attach additional conditions to a home business approval under subsection (D)(8), and an authorized City official can inspect the home business at all reasonable times to verify compliance.