El Monte, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

El Monte's sign code addresses window signs two ways depending on their content and size. First, Section 17.80.030(K) exempts small informational window signs from the chapter's regulations entirely: signs "limited to the address, open/closed, hours of operation, occupancy and emergency information," capped at a combined 4 square feet, need no permit. Second, for building signs generally, defined in 17.80.070(A) to include "wall, building identification/major tenant, marquee/projecting, canopy/awning, hanging and window signs", Section 17.80.070(F) sets the operative coverage limits: window sign area counts toward the overall façade sign budget in Table 17.80-1, and window signs "shall not occupy more than fifty (50) percent of any individual window" and "shall not occupy more than twenty-five (25) percent of the combined area of all windows along each façade." The same subsection bans internal or external illumination of window signs outright.

Because window sign area counts toward Table 17.80-1's overall façade allowance (up to 2.0 sq. ft. per foot of frontage on a primary façade under 50 linear feet, scaling up to 100 sq. ft. or more on longer façades), a tenant with heavy window coverage can exhaust the façade's total sign budget even while staying under the 50%/25% window-specific caps. A Sign Permit from the Planning Division and a Building Permit from the Building Division are required for non-exempt window signs under the general permitting procedures of 17.80.050(B).