Blaine, MN Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Under Blaine City Code Sec. 133-6(7), signs or posters painted on or attached to the inside of a window are exempt from the sign permit process entirely, as long as they occupy less than 25 percent of the window area. The provision expressly allows illuminated window signs within that coverage limit, so a backlit or internally lit sign is fine, but it excludes flashing signs, meaning a window sign that blinks or cycles brightness would not qualify for the no-permit exemption even if it stayed under the 25 percent threshold.

This sits among the other no-permit sign categories in Sec. 133-6, alongside small home identification signs, worksite signs, and holiday displays, reflecting the city's approach of exempting low-impact, small-scale signage from its permit and fee structure while still holding it to size and behavior limits. Because window signs are governed under the general definitions in Sec. 133-2, which separately defines a window sign as signage placed behind a pane of glass visible from outside the building, any signage in a display window used to show merchandise, as also defined in that section, is a different category from a posted sign or poster and is not covered by this 25-percent cap.

A business that wants to exceed the 25 percent threshold, or wants a flashing display, would need to apply for a standard sign permit under Sec. 133-10 and meet the district's wall or freestanding sign standards under Sec. 133-7 instead of relying on the no-permit exemption.