Oldham County, KY Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Window sign cap
- 20% of each window area
- Exclusion
- State ABC-mandated licenses/notices excluded
- Applies to
- County alcohol-licensed premises only
- Related rule
- No flashing exterior signs (§ 110.147)
- Related rule
- No product ads on freestanding signs (§ 110.148)
- First offense fine
- Not less than $100 or jail to 6 months
Summary
In unincorporated Oldham County, Kentucky, alcohol-licensed premises may not cover more than 20% of any window area with temporary or permanent window signs. State ABC-mandated licenses and notices are excluded from that calculation.
§ 110.146 WINDOW SIGNS. Window signs, either temporary or permanent, shall not exceed 20% of each window area. State ABC-mandated licenses and notices are excluded from the 20% calculation.
Full Breakdown
Oldham County Code § 110.146 sets a flat coverage cap on window signage at any premises holding a county alcohol license: window signs, whether temporary or permanent, cannot exceed 20% of each window's area. The rule excludes state ABC-mandated licenses and notices from the 20% calculation, so the required state license postings do not count against a bar or restaurant's sign allowance. The provision sits within the chapter's product signs and advertising subchapter, which opens at § 110.145 by requiring all signage at licensed premises to comply with every other existing county rule and regulation and with the county comprehensive zoning ordinance, except as the alcohol chapter's own sign sections (§§ 110.146 et seq.) otherwise provide.
The surrounding sections layer on further restrictions specific to licensed premises: § 110.147 bars flashing lights or signs used to illuminate the exterior of any licensed premises, § 110.148 prohibits product advertisement on any freestanding sign, and § 110.149 makes it unlawful for a licensee to distribute handbills, circulars or cards advertising alcoholic beverages. Because § 110.146 is a chapter-110 alcohol-licensing rule rather than a general zoning sign standard, it applies specifically to premises licensed to sell alcoholic beverages in unincorporated Oldham County, on top of whatever the county's separate comprehensive zoning ordinance requires for sign area generally.
Violations & Fines
Sections 110.147, 110.148 and 110.149 each carry an explicit penalty cross-reference to § 110.999, and § 110.146 sits in the same subchapter under the chapter's general penalty scheme: a first violation is fined not less than $100 or up to six months in the County Jail, or both, and a second or later violation is fined not less than $200 or up to six months in jail, or both, with license revocation or suspension possible in addition.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of a bar's window can be covered with signs in Oldham County?
Does the 20% window sign limit apply to every business in the county?
Can a licensed bar use flashing signs in its windows?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oldham County
Compare Oldham County to another location·View the Kentucky sign regulations overview
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