Arapahoe County, CO Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Freestanding signs, lots <10 acres
- 1 sign per right-of-way access point
- Freestanding signs, 10-100 acres
- 2 signs allowed on Arterial/Freeway frontage
- Sign setback
- 5 feet from ROW and side/rear lot lines
- Billboards
- Not permitted anywhere in unincorporated county
- Governing section
- LDC § 4-1.7.F.2 (Freestanding Signs)
Summary
In unincorporated Arapahoe County, a freestanding sign facing an Arterial/Freeway frontage is capped at one sign per right-of-way access point on parcels under 10 acres, rising to two signs on parcels of 10 to 100 acres, under Land Development Code § 4-1.7.F.2. Every freestanding sign must sit at least five feet back from the road right-of-way and side or rear lot lines, and may only serve a non-residential use.
i. Freestanding signs at access points to a public right-of-way shall be permitted for each lot or parcel, or for contiguous lots or parcels under common ownership or control, provided that the primary use of the property is institutional, commercial, or industrial, or a combination of such uses, as shown in the table below. ... ii. Permanent freestanding signs must be set back a minimum distance of five feet from all adjacent public road rights-of-ways and five feet from side and rear property lines property lines. iii. All permanent freestanding signs shall be accessory to an allowed non-residential use on a lot or parcel within the zone district and no freestanding sign may be the principal use on any lot or parcel of property.
Full Breakdown
3 of the Arapahoe County Land Development Code sets the freestanding sign allowance by lot size and by the classification of the abutting street. For a lot or contiguous group of lots under common ownership smaller than 10 acres, the code allows one freestanding sign per right-of-way access point whether the frontage is classified Local, Collector, or Arterial/Freeway, and whether that frontage runs under 400 feet or 400 feet and more. Once contiguous holdings reach 10 to 100 acres, the allowance doubles to two freestanding signs on Local, Collector, or Arterial/Freeway frontage, and a parcel exceeding 100 acres that contains a primary civic or institutional use also qualifies for two signs on Collector or Arterial/Freeway frontage.
i limits this entitlement to lots whose primary use is institutional, commercial, or industrial: a purely residential lot along a freeway does not qualify. ii requires every permanent freestanding sign, freeway-facing or not, to be set back a minimum of five feet from the adjacent public road right-of-way and five feet from the side and rear property lines. iii bars a freestanding sign from ever being the principal use of a lot; it must remain accessory to an allowed non-residential use. 6.
Violations & Fines
A freestanding sign that exceeds the Table 4-1.7.3 count for its lot size and frontage class, that sits inside the five-foot setback, or that stands as the sole use on a lot is a Land Development Code violation the Planning Division can require the owner to remove or relocate. Signs that predate current standards but no longer conform are governed as nonconforming signs under Section 6-4.6 rather than ordered removed outright, unless a Planned Sign Program deviation under Section 5-4.4 has been approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a large sign facing a freeway in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
Does a residential property get a bigger sign for facing a freeway?
How far back from the road must a freeway-facing freestanding sign be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arapahoe County
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