Kirkland, WA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- Interior window signs excluded from Chapter 100
- Exception trigger
- Master sign plan or design regulations
- Permit required
- No, absent an exception
- Governing section
- KZC 100.15(11)
- Enforcing department
- Planning and Building Department
Summary
Kirkland's sign code does not regulate signs placed on the interior side of a window, so there is no citywide coverage-percentage cap on window signage, unless the property sits under a master sign plan or design regulations.
This chapter applies to all signs erected or altered after the effective date of this code. This chapter does not apply to the following: ... 11. Except when the subject property is regulated by a master sign plan or design regulations, signs that are located on the interior side of a window and visible from the exterior of a building.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4945, passed July 21, 2026).
Full Breakdown
15, Scope and Exclusions, opens by stating Chapter 100 applies to all signs erected or altered after the code's effective date, then lists eleven categories the chapter does not reach. 25. 115. The carve-out is narrower than a blanket exemption, though. 80, or to separate design regulations for a subarea such as the CBD, JBD, or YBD, the interior-window exclusion does not apply and the property's window signage falls back under whatever coverage or area limits that plan or those design regulations set. Outside those two situations, a business can fill its interior window glass with signage without triggering Chapter 100's sign-area math, sign-type limits, or permitting process, because the code simply does not treat interior window signs as regulated signs in the first place.
Violations & Fines
Because interior window signs fall outside Chapter 100's scope, the Planning and Building Department does not cite them under the sign code's area or permit rules unless a master sign plan or subarea design regulations apply to the property; in that case, the sign is treated as a regulated sign and enforcement follows the plan's own terms plus KZC 100.90, Sign Maintenance and Removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kirkland cap how much of my storefront window I can cover with signage?
Do I need a permit for a sign taped inside my shop window in Kirkland?
When does the interior window sign exclusion not apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kirkland
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Window Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle window signs.