Snohomish County, WA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Max sign area
- 2 square feet
- Lighting
- Unlighted only
- Mounting
- Flat to building, no yard signs
- Applies to garage occupations
- Yes, via SCC 30.28.050(3)(a)
- Enforcing agency
- PDS Code Enforcement Division
- Appeal window
- 14 calendar days
- Base penalty range
- $500-$10,000 non-commercial
Summary
Unincorporated Snohomish County caps a home occupation sign at two square feet under SCC 30.28.050(1)(f). The sign must be unlighted and attached flat to the building, so no yard signs, no illuminated signs, and no projecting or freestanding signs. The limit is one of eight standards a home business must meet countywide.
(1) General.
(a) Not more than one person outside the family shall be employed.
(b) The occupation shall be secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes.
(c) There shall be no external display of merchandise. No sales or fees for the use of merchandise except that produced by the inhabitants shall be made in the dwelling or on the premises.
(d) The maximum nameplate horsepower rating of any single piece of mechanical equipment used in the home occupation shall be five horsepower, and no equipment shall be three-phase motors. The electrical service for the home occupation shall not exceed 200 amps.
(e) Not more than one-fourth of the total square footage of the dwelling may be used in the occupation.
(f) Signs in connection with the occupation shall be unlighted, shall not exceed two square feet, and shall be attached flat to the building.
(g) The home occupation shall in no way affect the appearance of the building as a residence.
(h) The home occupation shall be fully enclosed within the residence with no outside storage of equipment or materials.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
050(1) sets eight general conditions every home occupation must satisfy to operate without a special land use permit, and the sign rule at (1)(f) is one of them: signs must be unlighted, capped at two square feet, and mounted flat against the building, not freestanding in the yard or projecting from a wall. The other conditions in the same subsection cap outside employment at one non-family worker, limit equipment to five horsepower with no three-phase motors and a 200-amp electrical service ceiling, restrict the business to one-fourth of the dwelling's square footage, bar external display of merchandise, and require the home to keep its residential appearance with no outside storage.
The sign cap is not limited to occupations run inside the house. 050(3)(a) carries the (1)(f) sign standard over to home occupations conducted in an accessory building or attached garage, and the winemaking home occupation allowed in the R 9,600 zone under (2)(f) is likewise bound to comply with (1)(f) even though most of subsection (1) is waived for that use. 120, and the operator must not exceed the other subsection (1) limits on employees, floor area, and equipment alongside the sign restriction. A home occupation that installs a lit sign, a sign over two square feet, or a post-mounted yard sign is out of compliance with the same subsection that authorizes the business to operate in a residential zone in the first place.
Violations & Fines
Sign violations are enforced under SCC chapter 30.85 by the Department of Planning and Development Services' code enforcement division. The department can issue a warning notice or a notice of violation; monetary penalties under SCC 30.85.170 start at $500 for a non-commercial violation (day 1 to day 20) and climb to a $10,000 cap, or start at $1,500 for a commercial violation and cap at $25,000, with repeat violations doubled under SCC 30.85.280. A recipient has 14 calendar days to file a written appeal to the hearing examiner under SCC 30.85.190.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I light up my home business sign at night?
Can I put a sign for my home business in my yard?
Does the two-square-foot sign limit apply if I run my business out of my garage?
What happens if my home business sign doesn't meet the size or lighting rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
Compare Snohomish County to another location·View the Washington home business overview
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