Gilroy, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

City Code § 30.37.20 requires a sign permit for nearly every sign in Gilroy, but subsection (d) lists exemptions from that permit requirement, and item (7) covers windows directly: temporary signs on windows of commercial buildings are exempt provided no more than 25 percent of the window surface is covered. The exemption is not unconditional; the opening language of subsection (d) states that no sign is exempt if it is separately listed as a prohibited sign under § 30.37.30(a), so a window display that otherwise qualifies as a banned sign type, such as a flashing or scrolling display, loses the exemption.

Businesses that want to exceed the 25 percent window coverage threshold, or install a permanent (non-temporary) window sign, must go through the standard sign permit process under § 30.37.20(a) and (b), including submitting scaled sketches and paying the fee set by council resolution, and the installed sign is subject to design review under § 30.50.40 at no separate charge. A sign permit issued for work not completed within six months becomes void under § 30.37.20(c), and the planning director may remove a partially completed sign left incomplete past that window.