Thornton, CO Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Section 70-13(a) governs projecting signs, meaning signs mounted on private property that project over the city's rights-of-way or otherwise extend over city property. Three conditions must all be satisfied before such a sign is authorized: the sign must meet every requirement of Article XI of Chapter 18, the development code's sign standards; it cannot project onto the city's right-of-way by more than 30 inches; and it cannot impede or block the flow of traffic or pedestrians on streets, sidewalks, or trails. The subsection also requires a seven-foot minimum clearance from the bottom of the sign to the ground, unless the applicant demonstrates to the city's satisfaction that the sign's location won't impede or block the regular flow of traffic or pedestrians.

Subsection (b) reaches beyond projecting signs to cover any other permanent nongovernmental sign built in the city's rights-of-way or on city property: construction of that kind of sign requires approval of a revocable permit pursuant to the terms of the Charter of the City of Thornton, meaning the city can revoke the permit and require removal at its discretion. Subsection (c) applies the message-substitution provision of Section 18-711(f) to any sign authorized under Section 70-13, so a permitted sign structure can display a different, noncommercial message without losing its authorization.

This section sits within Chapter 70's sign article, which separately regulates transient and traditional-public-forum signage in Sections 70-11 and 70-12, but Section 70-13 is the specific gate for privately owned sign structures that physically cross into public right-of-way space.