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Fort Smith, AR Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Coverage cap
25% of each window's area
Location limit
first story of building only
Material ban
no fluorescent materials
Applies in
Downtown Form-Based Code district only

Summary

Inside Fort Smith's Downtown Form-Based Code district, an attached window sign can cover no more than 25 percent of each window, must skip fluorescent materials, and only goes on the first story.

25% of each window area. 1. Window signs should not obscure the visibility into a shop for the passerby. Every effort should be made to integrate window signs with store window displays. 2. No fluorescent materials shall be used for window signs. 3. Window signs are only permitted on the first story of the building.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).

Full Breakdown

Section 9 (Sign Standards) of the Downtown Fort Smith Form-Based Code - the overlay covering the Garrison, Cisterna, Civic/Medical, Warehouse and Industrial, Riverfront, and Neighborhood character areas - caps attached window signs at 25% of each window's area. The code bars fluorescent materials for window signs and confines them to a building's first story, while carving business-address plaques, open/closed signs, hours-of-operation notices, credit card logos, real estate signs, and 'now hiring' signs out of the area cap. This provision governs only inside the DT FBC boundary, adopted by Ordinance No. 81-21; it is the only window-sign-specific standard anywhere in the Fort Smith code.

Violations & Fines

No sign-specific fine is set in this section; violations of the Code of Ordinances default to the general penalty - up to a $500.00 fine, doubled for repeat offenses - under Ordinance No. 15-92, § 5 (the code's adopting ordinance).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much of my storefront window can a sign cover in downtown Fort Smith?
Up to 25 percent of each window's area, under Section 9 of the Downtown Form-Based Code - and it can't use fluorescent materials.
Does the 25% window sign limit apply citywide?
No. It only applies inside the Downtown Form-Based Code district's character areas, adopted by Ordinance No. 81-21; the general UDO has no separate window-sign rule.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Fort Smith

Parking Rules: Street Parking LimitsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsDigital BillboardsSome RestrictionsHoliday DisplaysFew RestrictionsParking Rules: Driveway RulesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingFew RestrictionsParking Rules: Loading ZonesSome RestrictionsParking Rules: Abandoned VehiclesSome Restrictions

All Fort Smith rules

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