Sacramento, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Sign count limit
- 2 permanent window signs per ground-floor occupancy
- Area limit
- 4 square feet total window sign area
- Zones exempted
- R residential and A agricultural zones excluded
- Stacking
- Window signs add to, don't replace, other allowed signage
- Enforcement
- Director of building inspections orders removal after 10-day notice
- Current version
- Ord. 2016-0010 § 44; prior code § 3.12.197
Summary
Sacramento City Code § 15.148.910 caps permanent window signage at two signs per ground-floor occupancy and four square feet of total area, for every building except those in the R residential and A agricultural zones. The signs count on top of whatever exterior signage the rest of Chapter 15.148 already allows that occupancy.
Except in the R and A zones, for each ground floor occupancy of a building not more than two permanent signs may be painted on or otherwise displayed from the inside surface of any window, showcase or other similar facility. Such signs shall be in addition to those signs allowed under the other provisions of this chapter. The total area of such signs, however, shall not exceed a maximum sign area of four square feet.
Full Breakdown
148, the citywide sign ordinance, and governs signs painted on or displayed from the inside surface of a window, showcase, or similar facility. Outside the R residential and A agricultural zones, each ground-floor occupancy of a building may display no more than two such permanent window signs, and their combined area cannot exceed four square feet. The allowance is additive: window signs are permitted on top of, not instead of, whatever wall, projecting, or other exterior signage the occupancy already qualifies for under the rest of the chapter.
090) unless a specific exemption applies elsewhere in the chapter. 148, including an oversized or over-count window sign, fall under the removal authority the director of building inspections holds over any nonconforming or illegal sign. 197, and remains in force through Supplement No. 4 (July 2026) of the Sacramento City Code.
Violations & Fines
A window sign that exceeds the two-sign or four-square-foot cap is treated as a sign maintained in violation of the chapter and can be ordered removed by the director of building inspections under § 15.148.820, following a 10-day notice to correct the violation; dangerous or defective signs can be pulled immediately without notice. An owner can appeal a removal order to the city planning director and, beyond that, the sign code board of appeals. Absent a more specific penalty, a violation otherwise defaults to the citywide misdemeanor provision, Sacramento City Code § 1.28.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many window signs can a Sacramento business post?
Does Sacramento's window sign limit include other storefront signage?
What happens if a Sacramento business exceeds the window sign limits?
Are window signs regulated the same way in residential zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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Window Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle window signs.