Thurston County, WA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- 4 named commercial/industrial zones
- Visibility ban
- I-5, US 101, SR 507/12, others
- Spacing
- 1,000 feet between billboards
- Size cap
- 300 square feet per display
- Faces
- Max 2, only 1 facing traffic
Summary
Thurston County allows billboards only in its Arterial Commercial, Highway Commercial, Planned Industrial, and Light Industrial districts, and Code Section 20.40.033 strips that permission away entirely if the sign would be visible from Interstate 5, US 101, Yelm Highway, Rainier Road, State Routes 507 or 12, Tilley Road, or Old Highway 99 south of 93rd Avenue SE. Billboards must also sit at least 1,000 feet apart and stay under 300 square feet.
1.Location.a.Billboards are only permitted in the following districts, subject to the provisions of this title: Arterial commercial district (Chapter 20.25); Highway commercial district (Chapter 20.26); Planned industrial park district (Chapter 20.27); Light industrial district (Chapter 20.28).b.Billboards shall not be located in the following areas, regardless of the zoning district:i.In the Nisqually valley planning area, as shown in the Nisqually Subarea Plan, dated 1992, and as hereafter amended;ii.Where visible from the travel lanes of: Interstate 5; US Route 101; Yelm Highway (SR 510); Rainier Road; State Routes 507 and 12; Old Highway 99 south of 93rd Avenue SE to the Lewis County line; or Tilley Road.2.Spacing. Billboards shall be separated by one thousand feet from other billboards on the same side of the road.3.Size. Billboard display surfaces shall not exceed three hundred square feet in size.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 77).
Full Breakdown
28). Even inside those districts, subsection (1)(b) overrides the underlying zoning and bars a billboard outright wherever it would be visible from the travel lanes of a named list of high-traffic corridors: Interstate 5, US Route 101, Yelm Highway (SR 510), Rainier Road, State Routes 507 and 12, Tilley Road, and Old Highway 99 south of 93rd Avenue SE to the Lewis County line, plus the entire Nisqually Valley planning area regardless of zoning. That freeway-visibility exclusion means a parcel can sit squarely in a Light Industrial or Highway Commercial district and still be off-limits for a billboard if the sign would be seen from I-5 or US 101.
033(2) requires 1,000 feet of separation from any other billboard on the same side of the road, subsection (3) caps the display surface at 300 square feet, and subsection (4) limits a billboard to two sign faces, only one of which can face oncoming traffic, preventing a single structure from doubling its advertising exposure to passing freeway drivers. 045.
Violations & Fines
A billboard erected in a zoning district that permits them but positioned so it is visible from Interstate 5, US 101, or any of the other listed corridors violates Section 20.40.033(1)(b) regardless of the underlying zone, as does a billboard closer than 1,000 feet to another one on the same side of the road, one exceeding 300 square feet, or one with more than one sign face oriented toward oncoming traffic; the county can deny or revoke the sign permit for any of these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard be built next to Interstate 5 in Thurston County?
Which Thurston County zoning districts allow billboards at all?
How far apart do billboards have to be in Thurston County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thurston County
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