Charles County, MD Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Charles County treats window signs two different ways depending on whether they are temporary or permanent. Temporary signs attached to the interior of a building window or glass door are exempt from any sign permit or fee under § 297-320I, but individually or collectively they can't cover more than 25% of the transparent surface area of the window or door they're attached to, leaving at least three-quarters of the glass clear. Permanent window signage, the kind treated as a sign attached to buildings under § 297-324B, is regulated differently and does require a permit and fee: § 297-324B(4)(a) requires that 75% of any window be left unobstructed, which mirrors the 25%-coverage ceiling on the temporary side, and § 297-324B(4)(b) adds a separate absolute cap for larger openings, so any window greater than four feet in height or width can't carry lettering, graphics or signs totaling more than four square feet regardless of how that compares to the 25% figure.

Illuminated 'Open' signs get a narrow carve-out from the coverage math but are still capped at four square feet under § 297-324B(4)(c). Because the temporary and permanent standards sit in different articles of the same Zoning Ordinance chapter, a business posting both a taped paper sale sign and a painted or vinyl storefront sign has to keep each category within its own limit rather than combining them into a single 25% or 75% allowance.