Salt Lake County, UT Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Temporary sale window signs
- fully exempt, no permit
- Residential-zone window sign cap
- 8 sq ft per use
- C-1/C-1-L/C-V window sign cap
- 12 sq ft per use
- Residential-zone window signs
- illumination prohibited
- Governing sections
- §19.82.050.B.1; Table 19.82.190
Summary
Temporary window signs promoting a specific sale are exempt from Salt Lake County's sign code entirely under §19.82.050.B.1, no permit, no size cap. Permanent window signs are different: Table 19.82.190 caps them at 8 square feet per use in the S-1-G, R-4-8.5, R-M and RMH zones, and 12 square feet per use in the C-1, C-1-L and C-V zones.
Signs not regulated by this chapter: 1. On-premises advertising signs that are attached to windows or walls and are clearly of a temporary nature, which promote specific sales;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake County's sign chapter splits window signs into two very different categories. " A banner announcing a going-out-of-business sale or a holiday promotion taped to a storefront window falls squarely in that exemption: no permit, no size limit, no zone-specific cap applies to it. 190 sets its size by zone. 5, R-M and RMH residential zones, a window sign is capped at 8 square feet maximum per use and cannot be illuminated. In the C-1, C-1-L and C-V commercial zones, the cap rises to 12 square feet maximum per use.
The distinction matters for enforcement: a business owner who leaves a "temporary" sale banner in the window indefinitely, past the point where it's genuinely temporary and promoting a specific, time-limited sale, risks the county treating it as an unpermitted permanent window sign subject to the applicable zone's square-footage cap and the general sign-removal process.
Violations & Fines
An oversized or non-exempt window sign is enforced under Chapter 19.94's general zoning-violation process: written notice, a 28-day warning period, then per-day civil penalties if uncorrected, plus Class C misdemeanor exposure under §19.94.040(A) for continuing to display a sign that exceeds the applicable 8- or 12-square-foot cap.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a sale sign in my store window in Salt Lake County?
How big can a permanent window sign be?
Can a window sign in a residential zone be lit up?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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