Santa Maria, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Municipal Code Section 12-34.05(a)(5) sets the window sign cap: no more than 25% of the overall window area on a given building face. The rule is time-triggered, not just size-triggered. If the same window sign stays displayed for more than 30 consecutive days within a calendar quarter, the code reclassifies it as a permanent sign, and it then has to be counted against the total sign area allowed for the site under Section 12-34.04(h)(6), the one-square-foot-per-lineal-foot-of-frontage formula (minimum 25 square feet per parcel). Any window sign, like other permanent signs, generally requires a sign permit from the Zoning Administrator under Section 12-34.04(b), and applications are processed under Section 12-34.07: the Community Development Director has 30 calendar days to find an application complete, another 30 days to approve or deny it, and denials or removal orders can be appealed to the Planning Commission within 14 calendar days under Chapter 12-41.

Nonconforming window displays that are structurally altered beyond 50% of the sign's existing area lose their nonconforming protection and must meet current standards under Section 12-34.10(c). Businesses with multiple tenants on one site must fold their window signage into a master sign plan under Section 12-34.07 so the 25% limit and the site's overall sign area budget are allocated fairly among tenants.