Yellowstone County, MT Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Exempt coverage
- Up to 25% of an individual window
- Over-threshold coverage
- Counted in wall sign area total
- Example in code
- 35% coverage = 10% counted
- Location allowed
- Ground or upper-story windows
- Enforcing body
- City-County Planning Division
Summary
In unincorporated Yellowstone County, window signs are not free of the sign-area cap: the Zoning Code exempts only the first 25 percent of an individual window's face from the overall permitted sign area, and everything above that threshold counts against the wall sign allowance.
(a) The area of window signs shall be counted as part of the overall permitted sign area as follows:
(1) Sign face coverage of up to 25 percent of the area of an individual window is exempt from calculation in the overall sign area maximum.
(2) The total amount of any sign face coverage that exceeds 25 percent of the area of an individual window shall be included in the wall area signage calculation. For example, if a business installs a window sign that covers 35 percent of the window, 10% of the sign area is included in the wall sign area calculation.
Full Breakdown
The Yellowstone County Zoning Code, Section 27-1405(B)(7), sets the rule the Board of County Commissioners applies to every window sign in the unincorporated county. Coverage of up to 25 percent of an individual window's area is exempt from the overall sign area maximum for the building, but coverage beyond that threshold is added directly to the wall area signage calculation for the parcel. B. Window signs may be placed at ground level or on upper-story windows, and installation can be directly on the glass, inside or outside, or hung or mounted from the top, side, or bottom of the window frame or a similar architectural element.
Because the rule folds excess coverage into the wall sign calculation, a business that also has a large wall sign has less room left for window coverage before it must trim either sign to stay under the district's cap. The joint City-County Planning Division, which administers the zoning code for unincorporated Yellowstone County under the Consolidated Yellowstone County Zoning Commission process, reviews sign permit applications against this combined wall-and-window total rather than treating window signage as a separate, unlimited category. Property and business owners planning storefront graphics in the county's commercial districts should measure each window's glass area before installing vinyl lettering, decals, or interior-hung signage, since the 25 percent exemption is calculated per individual window, not per storefront or per building.
Violations & Fines
Window signage that pushes a building's combined wall-and-window sign area over the district maximum is treated as a Zoning Code violation subject to correction by the sign administrator, who under Section 27-1410 may order repair, alteration, or removal of noncompliant signage. Businesses installing new window graphics without accounting for the 25 percent exemption risk having to remove or resize the sign to bring the parcel back under its wall sign area limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cover my whole storefront window with a sign in unincorporated Yellowstone County?
Is the 25 percent exemption measured per building or per window?
Does a window sign need a separate permit from a wall sign in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yellowstone County
Compare Yellowstone County to another location·View the Montana sign regulations overview
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