Yolo County, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone
- Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone only
- Window sign cap
- 20% of total window frontage per storefront
- Interior sign allowance
- Up to 10% of ground-floor window area
- Temporary window displays
- Max 10 sq ft, 30 days per year
- Pole signs
- Prohibited in the DMX zone
- Ground signage height
- 5 feet maximum
Summary
In Yolo County's Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone, centered on Esparto's Yolo and Woodland Avenues, Sec. 8-2.1208(f)(6) caps window signage at 20 percent of a storefront's total window frontage, on top of separate limits on temporary window graphics and interior signs visible from outside.
In addition to the design standards described above, the following additional design standards shall be applied in the Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone. If there is a conflict between the general or design standards for all signs and these sign regulations specifically adopted for the DMX zone, the DMX zone regulations shall apply: ... (6) Window signage shall be limited to twenty (20) percent of the total window frontage per storefront. ... (10) Signs located on the interior of a structure, but visible from the exterior of the building, are permitted and are not charged against the maximum allowable signage area if such signs are not physically attached or painted to the window and do not obscure more than ten percent (10%) of ground floor street side building transparency. The ten percent (10%) is not to exceed total glass area calculated for both unattached and temporary window signs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Supplement 2026 S-21 includes: Local legislation current through Ord. 1584, effective June 25, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The county's general sign design standards apply in every zoning district, but Sec. 1208(f) layers additional, more detailed rules onto the Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone, and those DMX rules control if they conflict with the general standards. ' Two related paragraphs give storefronts room for interior displays without eating into that 20 percent budget. Paragraph (10) allows signs mounted inside a building but visible from the street, so long as they are not physically attached or painted to the glass and do not obscure more than 10 percent of the ground-floor street-facing window area; that 10 percent cap already covers both unattached and temporary window signs together, so the two allowances are not stacked.
Paragraph (11) separately allows temporary signs, banners, window graphics, or placards as part of a window display, capped at 5 square feet of text and 10 square feet overall, displayed inside the business only, and limited to no more than 30 days total in a calendar year. The same DMX paragraph set bans pole signs outright, favors monument signs, caps ground signage at 5 feet, and requires attached signs to sit flat against the building facade. The DMX design package was adopted with the rest of the sign ordinance by Ord. 1445 (eff. August 14, 2014) and refined by Ord. 1466 (eff. March 24, 2016).
Violations & Fines
Covering more than 20 percent of a DMX storefront's window frontage, or leaving a temporary window display up past the 30-day yearly cap set by Sec. 8-2.1208(f)(11), makes the signage a Zoning Code violation subject to the county's standard sign-application process in Sec. 8-2.1206 and, if uncorrected, an administrative citation and fine under Sec. 1-5.07.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my storefront window can I cover with signage in Yolo County's DMX zone?
Can I put a temporary banner in my store window?
Do interior signs visible through the window count against my 20 percent limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yolo County
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