Rutherford County, TN Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 1205 A lists nine categories of signs allowed in every zoning district in unincorporated Rutherford County without a sign permit, and window signs are the seventh: window signs in which the total area of signage does not exceed 25 percent of the area of the window or any glass door to which they are visible. The 25 percent ceiling is measured against the glass area itself, window by window or door by door, not against the building's total window area, so a business with several storefront windows can post signage on each one as long as no single pane crosses the 25 percent threshold.

Because window signs fall under Section 1205 A rather than the permit-required categories in Section 1205 B (ground, wall, projecting, awning, canopy, and flag signs sized by district), they are exempt from the square-footage caps, setback rules, and height limits that apply to freestanding and building-mounted signs elsewhere in Chapter 12. A window sign is still subject to the general prohibitions in Section 1204, so it cannot flash, scroll, animate, or otherwise simulate movement, and it cannot use words like 'STOP' or 'DANGER' in a way that could be mistaken for a traffic control sign.

If a window display is illuminated, Section 1205 D requires the light be directed or shielded so it does not affect the safe vision of drivers or spill onto neighboring premises.