Dearborn Heights, MI Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Window coverage cap
- 25% of window area
- Message-unit cap
- 10 units per sign
- Temporary window sign limit
- 30 consecutive days
- Applies in
- Sign Control Districts IV-VII
- First-offense fine
- $200 (Class C civil infraction)
Summary
In commercial sign-control districts of the City of Dearborn Heights, interior business signs displayed in a window cannot cover more than 25 percent of the store's window area, cannot exceed ten message units, and temporary window signs must come down within 30 consecutive days.
A business shall be permitted interior signs which occupy not more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total window area of the floor level of each business, not to exceed ten (10) message units. Temporary signs shall not be permitted beyond thirty (30) consecutive days from their initial installation.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 26-7 of the City Code sets the standard for interior business signs, which the sign chapter treats as including window signs viewed from outside a business. In Sign Control Districts IV, V, VI and VII, the commercial and industrial districts under Chapter 36's zoning map, a business may display interior signs occupying no more than 25 percent of the total window area of its floor level, capped at ten message units, where a message unit is a word, abbreviation, number of up to seven digits, symbol or set of initials under Sec.
26-3. Sec. 26-7 also caps how long a temporary interior sign, such as a paper sale banner taped to the glass, can stay up: no more than 30 consecutive days from the day it goes up. The Building and Engineering Department administers the sign chapter, and Sec. 26-16 requires a permit for many sign types, while Sec. 26-14 allows the city to inspect signs covered by Sec. 26-6 or 26-8 once each calendar year. Because Chapter 26 is a Class C classified chapter under Sec.
1-11(e), violating the window-sign coverage or message-unit limits is a municipal civil infraction fined $200 for a first offense, $400 for a second offense within a year, and $800 for a third or subsequent offense, enforced under Sec. 26-19's authority to order noncompliant signs removed at the owner's expense.
Violations & Fines
Covering more than 25 percent of a window with interior signage, exceeding ten message units, or leaving a temporary window sign up past 30 consecutive days violates Sec. 26-7 and is a Class C municipal civil infraction under Sec. 1-11(e): $200 first offense, $400 second offense, $800 third or subsequent offense within a year; the Building and Engineering Department can also order the sign removed under Sec. 26-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my storefront window can a sign cover in Dearborn Heights?
How long can a temporary sale sign stay in my store window?
What happens if a window sign breaks the coverage limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn Heights
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How other cities in Wayne County handle window signs.