Garden Grove, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

D, Window Displays, is part of the same specific sign design standards chapter that regulates freestanding, political, and temporary advertising signs. Subsection 1 sets the baseline: window signage cannot exceed 15% of the total window area on the frontage where it is displayed, measured against that specific storefront's glazing rather than the whole building. Subsection 2 grants a narrow add-on: an additional five percent of window display area is allowed specifically for notifying the public of cultural, social, or community events or announcements, bringing the maximum to 20% when that carve-out applies.

Subsection 3 closes an obvious workaround by counting any opaque material applied to the glazing (frosting, vinyl, paper, paint, or similar coverings) toward the maximum window coverage area, so a business cannot exceed the cap by using non-transparent material instead of printed signage. Because the standard is anchored to the actual glass area of the frontage in question, a business with multiple street frontages must calculate the percentage separately for each frontage's windows rather than combining the storefront's total glazing citywide. G, which requires a sign permit for any change in color, message, copy, design, or size, and any window display exceeding the percentage cap is treated the same as an unpermitted sign under the chapter's enforcement provisions.