Pocatello, ID Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Window coverage cap
- 50% of window space per elevation
- Counts toward
- Total building sign area allowed
- Building sign cap example
- 15%-20% of elevation by zone
- License needed
- Sign permit, no separate contractor license
- Enforcing office
- Planning and Development Services / Building Official
Summary
Window signs in Pocatello count against a building's total sign area and cannot cover more than 50% of the window space on any building elevation. City Code section 17.07.050.C.6 also pulls window graphic displays and coverings into the same coverage cap even when they do not technically meet the code's sign definition.
6. Window signs. Such signs shall count towards the total building sign area allowed and shall not exceed a maximum of 50% coverage of window space per building elevation. Window graphic displays or coverings adhered or mounted to, or in front of, glass that do not clearly fall within the definition of a sign shall meet the coverage requirement for window signs.
Full Breakdown
Section 17.07.050 sets sign specifications that apply citywide regardless of zoning district. Subsection C.6 addresses window signs specifically: they count toward the total building sign area allowed under the Sign Standards Table in section 17.07.050.D, and they cannot exceed 50% coverage of window space on a per-building-elevation basis. That table sets the overall building sign allowance by zone, for example a maximum of 15% of each building elevation in RE, RL, RMS, RMM, RH and RCP districts and 20% in CC, CG, OP, LI and I districts, so a heavily glazed storefront in a lower-percentage zone can hit the building sign cap well before reaching the 50% window threshold.
The rule closes a gap that would otherwise let a business dress an entire storefront in window graphics without a permit: section 17.07.050.C.6's second sentence extends the coverage requirement to window graphic displays or coverings adhered or mounted to, or placed in front of, glass whenever they do not clearly qualify as a sign under the code's own definition. Window signs are not exempt from the permit requirement of section 17.07.020, but under section 17.07.030.D they do not require a separate City sign contractor license, only the sign permit application itself.
Violations & Fines
A window display that exceeds the 50% coverage limit or that pushes the building's total sign area over its zoning district's cap under the Sign Standards Table is a code violation subject to enforcement by Planning and Development Services or the Building Official. Because unlawfully displaying a sign contrary to chapter 17.07 is declared unlawful under section 17.07.020.A, an over-coverage window sign can be ordered removed or reduced, and a business that installed it without the required sign permit application faces the same enforcement exposure as any other unpermitted sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much of my storefront window can I cover with signage in Pocatello?
Do window graphics that aren't technically 'signs' still count?
Do I need a license to install window signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pocatello
Compare Pocatello to another location·View the Idaho sign regulations overview
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