Snohomish County, WA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- UC zone per-sign cap
- 25% of window area
- UC zone aggregate cap
- 50% of window area, all signs
- PCB/BP/IP zone cap
- 25% of total window area
- Governing table
- SCC Table 30.27.047(1)
- Permit required
- Yes, under SCC 30.27.010(2)
Summary
In the Urban Center zone, SCC Table 30.27.047(1) caps any single window sign at 25 percent of the window area, and limits all window signs on that window, permanent and temporary combined, to 50 percent of the window area. Elsewhere, SCC 30.27.045(6) sets a flat 25 percent cap for window-integral signs.
Window | Painted on or attached to a window and is visible to pedestrian or vehicular traffic | See maximum area per sign face | Not applicable | 25% of the area of a window and the total area of all window signs, including both permanent and temporary, shall not exceed 50% of the window area | No additional requirements
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
047(1) for the specific standards by sign type. The window sign row of that table sets its area at 'the area per sign face,' meaning a single window sign can be painted on or attached to the glass and be visible to pedestrian or vehicular traffic, but it caps that individual sign at 25 percent of the area of the window it occupies, and separately caps the cumulative area of all window signs on that window, whether permanent or temporary, at 50 percent of the window's total area.
Unlike other UC sign types in the same table, such as freestanding, monument, wall, or awning signs, the window sign category carries no additional design conditions beyond the size caps themselves. 045(6) states that signs which are an integral part of a window shall occupy no more than 25 percent of the total window area, without the UC zone's separate 50-percent aggregate ceiling. 010(2) before any sign, including a converted or newly installed window display, can be constructed, installed, or converted from static to digital.
Violations & Fines
A window sign that exceeds either the 25 percent per-sign cap or the 50 percent aggregate cap in the UC zone, or the 25 percent cap in the PCB, BP, and IP zones, is enforced as a Title 30 zoning violation under chapter 30.85 SCC. A commercial property owner faces a $1,500 monetary penalty starting on day one of an uncorrected notice of violation, escalating under SCC 30.85.170's schedule to a $25,000 cap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my storefront window can a sign cover in Snohomish County's Urban Center zone?
Does a temporary paper sign in a window count toward the coverage limit?
Is the window sign limit different outside the Urban Center zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
Compare Snohomish County to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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