Goodyear, AZ Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval required
- Use Permit + City Council finding
- Site Plan review
- Required under Section 6.3
- Guideline minimum acreage
- 30 contiguous acres
- Guideline freeway frontage
- 1,000 feet minimum
- Max distance from ROW
- 200 feet (15-foot min setback)
- Signs per site
- Typically one pylon sign
Summary
Goodyear will not let a business simply put up a big sign facing I-10: a freeway pylon sign needs a discretionary Use Permit approved by the City Council, not just a building permit, and the applicant carries the burden of proving it meets the City's design findings.
Freeway Pylon Signs shall require a Use Permit approved in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.5 of this Ordinance. The authorization of a Use Permit for a Freeway Pylon Sign shall be upon an additional finding by the City Council that the proposed Freeway Pylon Sign is consistent with the purpose and intent of this section and the Freeway Pylon Sign Design Guidelines contained herein, and that the proposed Freeway Pylon Sign furthers the interests of the community and is reasonable and necessary to provide business identification and economic vitality. The burden of proof that the proposed Freeway Pylon Sign meets the required findings for the Use Permit and is consistent with the provisions of this section rests with the applicant.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1648, passed April 27, 2026).
Full Breakdown
" The applicant bears the burden of proof on every finding. 3; the Use Permit and Site Plan applications may run concurrently at the Zoning Administrator's discretion. The Design Guidelines steer approval even though they are not hard minimums: the site should hold at least 30 contiguous acres with 1,000 feet of freeway frontage, signs on the same side of the freeway should be separated by at least half a mile, and typically only one pylon sign is allowed per qualified site (more may be considered for sites well over 30 acres or with regionally significant tenants).
Signs should sit no farther than 200 feet from the freeway right-of-way line and no closer than 15 feet to it. Height is not a fixed number: the applicant must justify it with field tests (crane or balloon), computer simulation, or similar evidence showing the minimum height needed for freeway visibility. Sign copy is capped to the development name, logo, and a reasonable number of major tenants, and including "Goodyear" on the sign is encouraged.
Violations & Fines
A pylon sign built or displayed without the required Use Permit and Site Plan approval is unlawful under the Article 4 sign rules and can be declared a public nuisance subject to abatement. Zoning Ordinance violations generally carry civil sanctions of $100 to $1,000 per offense, or, if prosecuted criminally, a class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to $2,500, three years of probation, or six months in jail; issuing a permit does not excuse noncompliance with other codes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a freeway pylon sign in Goodyear with just a building permit?
How big or tall can a Goodyear freeway pylon sign be?
Can any business put up a freeway pylon sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Goodyear
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Freeway-Facing Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle freeway-facing signs.