Eagan, MN Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage cap
- 60% of window/door area within 18 in of glass
- Exemption filing window
- 6 months from ordinance effective date
- Small-sign exemption
- Open/Closed or hours signs up to 2 sq ft
- Exemption voided by
- Any sign, business, or window/door change
Summary
In the City of Eagan, a window or door sign cannot cover more than 60 percent of the windows and doors on the building side where it is displayed, per City Code § 11.70, Subd. 28.E.8(b). Businesses that already exceeded that limit before the ordinance took effect could keep their existing coverage only by filing a city exemption registration within six months.
(b)A sign displayed on a window or within an area 18 inches from the face of the window, as measured from the interior glass to the building interior, shall not occupy more than 60 percent of the area of the windows and/or doors on the side of the building on which the window/door sign is displayed. ... Window/door signs shall be allowed only on the building façade that has building-mounted signage. Any sign not exceeding a two square feet area that depicts "Open/Closed" or hours of operation shall be exempt from requirements. A sign or display inside the building which is located more than 18 inches from the inside glass face of the window glass is not deemed a "window sign" for purposes of this section.(c)Any property or business that exceeds the 60 percent window/door area as of the effective date of this ordinance shall be exempt from the 60 percent window/door area restriction, provided the following conditions are met:1.The property owner/occupant completes and files an "exemption registration" with the city within six months of the effective date of the ordinance.
Full Breakdown
Subdivision 28.E.8(b) reaches any sign displayed on a window or placed within 18 inches of the interior glass, measured to the building's interior; anything further inside is not a "window sign" for the section's purposes at all. Whatever falls within that 18-inch band cannot occupy more than 60 percent of the window and door area on that side of the building, and the square footage counts against the overall building-mounted sign area the business is allowed elsewhere in Subd. 28.E. Window and door signage is limited to building facades that already carry building-mounted signage, so a blank elevation cannot suddenly become a sign wall through window coverage alone.
A narrow carve-out excuses small "Open/Closed" placards or posted hours of operation up to two square feet from the whole calculation. Subsection (c) is the transition rule for businesses that were already over 60 percent when the ordinance took effect: they stay legal only if the property owner or occupant filed an exemption registration with the city within six months of the effective date, and the registered coverage then becomes their new ceiling. Miss that filing window and the standard 60 percent cap applies immediately.
Even a registered exemption is fragile: any change in sign size or type, any change of business occupying the space, or any modification to the window or door itself voids the registration and puts the property back under the 60 percent rule.
Violations & Fines
Displaying window or door signage above the 60 percent cap without a valid, still-active exemption registration violates Subd. 28.E.8, and under City Code § 1.03 any Code violation is punishable as a misdemeanor or a petty misdemeanor, with a petty misdemeanor capped at a $200.00 fine. A separate general sign permit under Subd. 28.I is required for most signage, and the city can also order excess signage removed or reduced to restore compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of an Eagan storefront window can be covered in signage?
What if a business already exceeded 60 percent window signage before the rule started?
Can a small 'Open' sign in an Eagan window ignore the coverage limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Eagan
Compare Eagan to another location·View the Minnesota sign regulations overview
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