Rothschild, WI Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Section 590-176, the Village's general design requirements for signs, sets the coverage limit plainly: the gross area of window signs shall not exceed 50% of any individual window's area, measured window by window rather than as a storefront-wide average, so a business with several display windows can fill one heavily and leave another mostly clear as long as no single pane crosses the 50% line. Section 590-179B lists window signs among the on-premises signs permitted in commercial, business and office, and industrial districts, alongside wall signs, ground signs, canopy and marquee signs, pole signs, roof signs, and directory and directional signs.

Because window signs are not on the short list of maintenance work exempted from permitting under § 590-169B, a new or changed window sign display still requires a sign permit application to the Zoning Administrator under § 590-169C, with a scale drawing of the sign, the property owner's and sign contractor's contact information, and payment of the fee set in the Village's fee schedule. The permit examiner can deny an application that exceeds the 50% cap, and the applicant then has 30 days to appeal that denial to the Village of Rothschild Board of Appeals, which must decide within 60 days.

All window signs must also meet the article's general construction and installation standards in §§ 590-174 and 590-175, including compliance with applicable building and electrical codes for any illuminated display.