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Washington County, UT Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Standard height cap
25 feet
Freeway exception
Up to 50 feet within 500 ft of exit
Signs per parcel
One (two if double street frontage)
Sign face cap
32 square feet
Ground clearance
Min. 15 feet ground-to-sign
Adopted
Ord. 2014-1042-O, 11-18-2014

Summary

Freestanding signs in Washington County's commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones top out at twenty-five feet under § 10-19-3(B)(3), but a sign within five hundred feet of a freeway exit can rise to fifty feet, double the normal cap, to stay visible to passing highway traffic.

City-specific rules exist: St. George has its own freeway-facing signs rules that differ from Washington County's county-level regulations. If you live in St. George, check the city-specific page instead.

3. Height: Freestanding signs shall not exceed twenty five feet (25') in height except for signs within five hundred feet (500') of a freeway exit which may be a maximum of fifty feet (50') in height above grade level of the sign.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).

Full Breakdown

Washington County's freestanding sign height cap lives in § 10-19-3(B), the standards for commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones. Paragraph 3 sets the baseline at twenty-five feet, but carves out a specific exception for road frontage near highway interchanges: a freestanding sign within five hundred feet of a freeway exit can rise to fifty feet above grade, double the normal limit, so businesses at an interstate off-ramp can be seen from the highway. The same subsection layers on other freestanding-sign limits that apply regardless of height: each parcel gets one freestanding sign, with a second allowed only if the property has more than five hundred feet of frontage on a public street or fronts two different public streets (§ 10-19-3(B)(1)); no part of the sign structure may project over the property line (§ 10-19-3(B)(2)); there must be at least fifteen feet of clearance between the ground and any part of the sign (§ 10-19-3(B)(4)); and the sign face is capped at thirty-two square feet (§ 10-19-3(B)(5)).

Freestanding signs, including the taller freeway-adjacent ones, still cannot flash, show a message board, or animate under § 10-19-3(B)(7). The ground within ten feet of any ground sign's base, including a freeway-adjacent freestanding sign, must be kept clear of weeds, rubbish and flammable material under § 10-19-3(C)(4), with the building inspector responsible for inspecting and enforcing that upkeep. A sign permit from the building inspector is required before any freestanding sign, tall or short, goes up.

Violations & Fines

A freestanding sign that exceeds the height cap, whether the standard twenty-five feet or the fifty-foot freeway allowance, is an illegal sign enforced under § 10-19-2. The building inspector can require it be brought into conformance within thirty working days of written notice; if it isn't, the county abates and removes it and bills the removal cost to the sign owner within thirty calendar days. Erecting the sign without first obtaining a sign permit under § 10-19-2(H) is independently unlawful, and a denied permit or removal order can be appealed under § 10-2-4.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall can a freestanding sign be near the freeway in Washington County?
Up to fifty feet above grade if the sign sits within five hundred feet of a freeway exit, under § 10-19-3(B)(3); everywhere else in the county's commercial, industrial and manufacturing zones, the same paragraph caps freestanding signs at twenty-five feet.
Can a business put up two freestanding signs?
Only if the parcel has more than five hundred feet of street frontage or fronts two different public streets; otherwise § 10-19-3(B)(1) limits each parcel or development to one freestanding sign, regardless of the freeway-exit height exception.
Can a tall freeway-facing sign flash or show changing messages?
No. Section 10-19-3(B)(7) bans flashing, message-board displays and animation on any freestanding, low-profile or monument sign, on or off premises, so the fifty-foot freeway exception raises the height limit only, not the lighting rules.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Washington County

All Washington County rules

Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah sign regulations overview

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