Memphis, TN Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Memphis Code Section 12-36-6, subsection M, sets the window-sign rule for the Central Business Improvement District: permanent window signs must be affixed to the window and are limited to 25 percent of the total area of the window in which they're displayed, while temporary window signs are limited to 15 percent of the total window area. S allows temporary signs, including window signs and banners, for a predetermined length of time approved by the design review board, provided they don't obscure a building's architectural detail and are installed and removed without damaging the facade.

Window signs are treated as distinct from primary signs (ground, wall and projecting signs) under the chapter's definitions in Section 12-36-2, meaning window coverage is regulated separately from, and in addition to, a business's allowable wall or ground signage. The CBID sign code applies within the district boundaries mapped in Section 12-36-4 and was established by Ordinance No. 4750 in 2000. Enforcement runs through the same design review board that oversees the rest of the CBID sign standards, and a sign exceeding the window-coverage caps is treated as noncompliant signage subject to the chapter's removal process, the same mechanism used for identification signs that fall into disrepair under subsection A.