Highland, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 16.56.080 covers window signs and displays in commercial, business park, office professional and industrial zones. The core rule is one number: window signage, business identification and accessory signs combined, cannot exceed 25 percent of the area of the window in which the sign is placed. Tables 16.56.080.A and B repeat that the 25 percent aggregate includes noncommercial signs.

Window identification signs get a sign permit reviewed by the community development director. The table allows 1 window sign per building frontage, provided there is no other business identification sign on the same frontage, and the sign can have neon or other internal illumination. Area is calculated as the aggregated area within 3 rectangular figures that enclose and connect the extreme limits of up to 3 message areas consisting of any writing, representation, emblem or similar figure.

Accessory window signs need no sign permit; the director reviews and approves them under Table 16.56.080.B. There is no limit on the number a business posts, except a maximum of 3 neon signs per business, and total neon area cannot exceed 6 square feet per business. The table describes accessory window signs as address numbers, days and hours of operation and similar accessory signage, and allows external illumination. The category includes signs mounted or affixed to the window and interior wall-mounted signs within 3 feet from any window.

Temporary posters in windows have their own cap. Under Table 16.56.050.B, a temporary poster for an event to be held within 30 days of placement can go up without a temporary sign permit, one per business suite or space per street frontage, and a poster mounted in a window is limited to 25% of the aggregate area of the window. Posters attach only to an exterior wall of the first floor or a first floor window, must have a professional appearance, and cannot hang from awnings.