Charlottesville, VA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Development Code Sec. I defines a window sign as any building sign painted on, applied to, attached to or projected upon the glass of a facade, including doors, or placed within 12 inches of the interior of a window. Two general standards govern where and how much can be displayed. First, window signs may be displayed in ground-floor windows only, so upper-story glass cannot carry them. Second, no combination of temporary and permanent window signs may cover more than 50% of any window panel, meaning a business advertising a sale cannot stack a temporary poster on top of an already-full permanent display.

The number of window signs allowed is capped at 2 per lot, or 2 per 30 feet of building frontage, whichever produces the higher count for a larger building. Total sign area is likewise capped at 1 square foot per linear foot of building frontage, or 30 square feet, whichever is greater, matching the citywide formula used for other building-mounted signs. Individual sign dimensions differ depending on the sign's background: a window sign with an opaque background is capped at 10 square feet, while a sign with no background at all has no stated maximum area.

Any illuminated window sign must also comply with the Illumination standards in Sec. 11 and the Outdoor Lighting standards in Div. 12. 3, reviewed and issued by the Administrator.