Asheville, NC Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

The City of Asheville's on-premises sign standards, Code of Ordinances section 7-13-4(a)(8), treat window signs as a category of temporary sign. Signs affixed to the inside of a window that do not exceed a cumulative total of 16 square feet for the business are allowed outright, with no sign permit and no time limit. Once a business's window signage exceeds that 16-square-foot cumulative total, or the business instead posts freestanding or wall-mounted temporary signs, the rule shifts: those signs are capped at 32 square feet each, require a sign permit issued by the planning and development department's sign administrator, and are limited to twice a year per business, either as one continuous run of up to 60 days or split into up to six separate 10-day occurrences, never exceeding 60 total days.

No time extensions are granted on a permitted temporary sign once its 30-day window (per permit) runs out. 6, ground-story window and door coverage there is capped at 20 percent of the glazed area, with an unlimited number of individual window signs allowed as long as that percentage is not exceeded. Sign permits generally are administered under section 7-13-2(b), and the code is explicit that failing to secure a required permit is itself a violation of the sign article, independent of any size violation. General window displays of merchandise, pictures, or models that are an integral part of a display, rather than lettering or graphics applied to the glass, are exempt from sign regulation entirely under section 7-13-2(c)(6).