Tempe, AZ Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeway right-of-way distance
- within 300 feet
- Distance from single-family use
- at least 500 feet
- Size/height limit
- set by Council development agreement, no fixed cap
- Tradeoff required
- remove a 600+ sq ft nonconforming Type D sign
- Additional permit needed
- structural permit
- Approval authority
- Tempe City Council
Summary
Tempe only allows a freeway-facing freestanding sign, Sign Type E, on parcels within 300 feet of freeway right-of-way and at least 500 feet from any single-family use, and only under a City Council development agreement that sets its size and design.
E P Any permanent freestanding sign that is not a sign type C that is on a property with lineal frontage adjacent to the freeway and not within five-hundred (500) feet of a single family use property measured from the property's edge. Must be within three-hundred (300) feet of freeway right-of-way. A sign type E requires authorization of a Development Agreement, that may be entered into at the discretion of City Council, in which the size and structural design specifications will be determined. ...shall also provide for the removal of a single, legal non-conforming Sign Type D within the City of Tempe; containing no less than six hundred (600) square feet of display area for the purpose of installing one Sign Type E. Yes (b) ...(b) A structural permit is required.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: City Code: Supplement 33 Update 4 | Zoning and Development Code: Supplement 11 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Table 4-903B in the Zoning and Development Code's Chapter 9 defines Sign Type E as any permanent freestanding sign, other than a Sign Type C, on a property with lineal frontage adjacent to the freeway. Two distance tests gate eligibility: the property must sit within 300 feet of freeway right-of-way, and cannot be within 500 feet of a single-family use property measured from that property's edge. Unlike Tempe's other freestanding sign types, Type E has no fixed height or square-footage cap in the table; instead, it requires authorization of a Development Agreement, entered into at the discretion of City Council, which sets the size and structural design specifications case by case.
The development agreement must also describe the allowable height and size and provide for removing a single legal non-conforming Sign Type D elsewhere in the City containing at least 600 square feet of display area, as a tradeoff for installing the new Type E sign. A structural permit is required in addition to the development agreement, per the table's footnote (b).
Violations & Fines
Installing a freestanding freeway-facing sign without an approved City Council development agreement, or without retiring the required 600-square-foot legal non-conforming Type D sign elsewhere in the city, does not meet Section 4-903's Type E requirements and cannot be permitted. Erecting one anyway exposes the structure to removal as an unauthorized sign under Section 4-902(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any business put up a billboard-style sign facing an Arizona freeway in Tempe?
How big can a Tempe freeway-facing sign be?
Is there a tradeoff for installing a new freeway sign in Tempe?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tempe
Compare Tempe to another location·View the Arizona sign regulations overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Freeway-Facing Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle freeway-facing signs.