Arcadia, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

The City of Arcadia, California caps window signs by share of glass. In the professional office (C-O), general commercial (C-G), regional commercial (C-R), commercial manufacturing (C-M), industrial (M-1), downtown mixed use (DMU), mixed use (MU) and Central Business District (CBD) zones, Table 3-13 in § 9103.11.070 allows one window sign area that includes all glazed areas, including glass curtain walls and doors, on a single-tenant site, and one sign per tenant space on a multiple-tenant site. Window signs cannot occupy more than 25 percent of the total window/door area on any tenant's wall or storefront, and on a single-tenant corner lot the 25 percent applies to each street frontage.

Interior signs within five feet of a storefront window count as window signs when calculating total sign area and number of signs, which matches the Division 9 definition of a window sign as any sign applied or attached to a window, or located within five feet of the inside of a window, and visible from outside the structure. Window signs are allowed only on ground floor windows of a designated primary or secondary building frontage and never on or above the second story, must allow unobstructed observation by safety personnel, and must be permanent material such as paint or decals, permanently affixed.

Illumination is not permitted except luminous tube signs. Window lettering can go on the interior or exterior of the glass. For temporary signs, § 9103.11.100(A)(5) allows window signs beyond the maximum area to advertise special events, up to 60 cumulative days in any one calendar year, with a Temporary Sign Permit from the Planning Division before the sign is painted, posted or affixed. Section 9103.11.120(B)(2) exempts incidental signs on hours of operation, menu, credit card information and emergency contact information, up to four square feet for all such signs combined, and holiday window painting, which must come down within 10 days after the holiday.

A for sale or lease sign can sit in a window under § 9103.11.040(G) and must be removed within 14 days after the sale, lease or rental is completed. Under § 9103.11.060, no more than one-third of a window sign's area can carry a non-English translation of the business identification, and the sign must be readable from 100 feet.