Burlington, WI Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Burlington's Zoning Code defines a window sign in Section 315-63 as any sign area located within an enclosed building and visible from a public way, also including signage mounted onto window surfaces. Section 315-64 requires a sign permit from the Zoning Administrator for any sign that is located, erected, moved, enlarged, or altered, but subsection J carves out an exception: window signs are exempt from the permit requirement as long as they cover no more than 30% of the glass area of the windows used for exits and entrances, or otherwise necessary for visibility to those exits and entrances.

Any glass beyond that 30% allowance, and any glass not serving as an exit or entrance, is treated as part of the building wall and held to the same sign restrictions as any other building surface, meaning a permit is required once coverage exceeds the threshold. The window sign exception sits alongside other small no-permit signs in Section 315-64, including home occupation signs capped at three square feet, address numerals under one square foot, and open/closed signs no larger than two square feet, showing the City treats window displays as a minor sign category rather than a freestanding or wall sign subject to the dimensional tables in Section 315-72.

Businesses that want an electronic or backlit display inside a storefront window still fall under the general sign lighting rules of Section 315-71 once the display exceeds the 30% glass-coverage exemption.