Shoreline, WA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

SMC § 20.50.540(G) sets a tiered sign dimension table across three zone groupings: NR zones, MUR-35', Campus, PA 3 and TC-4 on one tier; MUR-45', MUR-70', NB, CB and TC-3 on a middle tier; and MB, TC-1 and TC-2 on the largest tier, covering monument sign area, height, number permitted, and illumination. Exception (1) to that table carves out properties zoned NB, CB, or TC-3, normally limited to the middle tier's monument sign standards, when the parcel has frontage on a State Route, specifically SR 99, SR 104, SR 522, or SR 523.

A qualifying parcel may instead use the larger MB, TC-1, and TC-2 monument sign standards, recognizing that businesses fronting these higher-traffic state highways need greater sign visibility than an equivalent parcel set back on a local or collector street. The Aurora Square Community Renewal Area carries its own separate sign regulations under SMC § 20.50.620 that apply on top of, or instead of, the general table depending on the specific parcel. Departures from any of these dimensional standards still require administrative design review approval as a comprehensive signage package under SMC § 20.30.297, and every sign, temporary or permanent, needs a sign permit under SMC § 20.50.532 unless a specific exemption, such as the A-frame or EV charging signage exemptions, applies.