El Dorado County, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 130.36.120 defines a 'Window Sign' broadly: any permanent or temporary sign, picture, letter, or character placed on, inside, or within three feet of a window so that it can be read from outside. Any window signage that fits that definition is capped by Section 130.36.030(B)(1) at 25 percent of the store window's total area; go past that threshold and the sign is no longer exempt from the County's Sign Permit process, and it becomes an unpermitted sign the way an oversized wall or freestanding sign would be treated.

The 25 percent cap comes bundled with a distinct public-safety condition: window signage must be placed so a law-enforcement officer looking through the glass from outside still has a clear, unobstructed view of the interior of the business, including its cash registers, a requirement aimed at preserving sightlines into retail counters, especially at night. Because window signs are treated as an exempt sign category rather than counted toward a site's overall allowable sign area under Section 130.36.070, a business can post a compliant window display without it reducing the square footage available for its wall sign, freestanding sign, or other permanent signage.