Middletown, OH Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

04 lists the signs that do not require a certificate of zoning compliance, and window signs are one of them under division (i), provided they meet the standards spelled out there. 04(i)(1): window signs cannot occupy more than 50% of the window area in nonresidential districts generally, but that ceiling is cut to 25% of the window area specifically within the UC-C and UC-S Subdistricts, the code's urban-core overlay. The ordinance directs sign owners to Figure 1220-A for how the window area itself is measured for the calculation, and clarifies that the sign-area math is based on the window opening regardless of whether an awning covers it.

03(m) separately bars any illuminated sign, including a window sign visible from outside, from flashing, moving, or displaying changing degrees of light intensity, carving out only the electronic-message-center exception. 04, a retailer swapping out paper sale signs or seasonal window graphics does not have to file with the Development Code Administrator so long as the coverage percentage and lighting rule are both respected; exceeding the 50% (or 25% downtown) threshold turns the display into a sign that is out of compliance with the chapter rather than one that merely lacks a certificate.