Stafford County, VA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 28-122(3) of the Zoning Ordinance lists seven types of signs 'prohibited based on location,' and item (g) is the county's window-sign rule: any window sign with an opaque area covering more than twenty-five percent of the window is barred. The list sits alongside other location prohibitions in the same subsection, including off-premises signs not otherwise permitted, roof signs or signs that extend above a building's parapet wall, and signs that obstruct clear vision for vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians. The window rule works together with subsection (2)(d), which bans illuminated neon tubing outlining doors, windows or wall edges everywhere except 'interior to windows,' meaning window-mounted neon is allowed only under that neon carve-out while opaque coverage of the glass itself is capped separately by (3)(g).

Article VIII was rewritten in full by Ord. No. O17-04, adopted January 24, 2017, replacing the prior sign article that dated to Ord. No. 094-29 in 1994. A sign permit is required to display most signs under section 28-123, filed with the department of public works, though temporary signs of three or fewer per lot under thirty-two square feet each, displayed no more than sixty days twice a year, do not need one under section 28-124(3)(b). A retailer papering over more than a quarter of a storefront window with an opaque poster or film exceeds the twenty-five percent cap regardless of whether a permit was ever sought for the display.