Port Townsend, WA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit threshold
- lettering 6+ inches tall
- Upper-floor sign cap
- 1 sq ft per lineal ft of glass
- Enforcing office
- Dept. of Planning & Community Development
- Applies to
- National Historic Landmark District signs
Summary
Window signs need a city sign permit unless the lettering is under six inches tall, and upper-floor window signs are capped at one square foot of area per lineal foot of window-glass width.
D. Window Signs.
1. Window signs require a sign permit unless lettering is less than six inches in height.
2. Window signs above the first floor are allowed only to businesses located exclusively above the first floor, are restricted to a total sign area of one square foot for each lineal foot of the width of the window glass, and such signs are not included in allowable sign area of the building.
E. Freestanding Signs.
1. Monument signs shall be no more than 12 square feet in sign area per side.
2. Pole signs are permitted only if mounted on two poles placed at the outermost sides of the sign face.
F. Sandwich Board Signs.
1. The intent of sandwich board signs is to help identify businesses located within the National Historic Landmark District but not at street level and/or not on Water or Lawrence Streets. Sandwich board signs may be placed upon a public or private sidewalk subject to the following restrictions and requirements:
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Port Townsend's sign code regulates window signs by district. In the National Historic Landmark District, which covers the Water Street and uptown commercial cores, any window sign needs a permit unless its lettering is under six inches tall, and window signs placed above the first floor are limited to businesses located exclusively upstairs, capped at one square foot of sign area per lineal foot of window-glass width, and don't count against the building's overall allowable sign area. The same permit-unless-under-six-inches rule applies citywide in other commercial districts under PTMC 17.76.100(D). The planning and community development director enforces the sign chapter and can order noncompliant signs removed.
Violations & Fines
No permit for larger window lettering, or oversized upper-floor window signage, draws a director's written order to remove the sign or bring it into compliance, with as little as 5 days' notice for temporary signage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all window signs in Port Townsend need a permit?
Can a second-floor business put a sign in its window?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
Compare Port Townsend to another location·View the Washington sign regulations overview
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