Gaston County, NC Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

B lists the temporary and specialty signs allowed in commercial and industrial zoning districts without going through the Administrator's zoning permit process, provided every other applicable requirement of the sign chapter is still met. ' The exemption is measured strictly by area coverage of the glass, not by message content, sign type, or duration, distinguishing it from the county's other no-permit categories such as balloons, banners, sidewalk signs, or umbrellas, each of which is capped by its own square-footage or physical limit rather than a percentage of a surface.

3(B) specifically carves out that 'signs painted onto windows shall not be prohibited, nor shall neon and similar signs attached to windows,' confirming that window signage generally is contemplated and controlled by area rather than banned outright. 4, including the applicable district's maximum sign area, height, and location table, and obtain a sign permit from the Administrator before installation. This exemption applies only in commercial and industrial districts of unincorporated Gaston County; the county's residential window-sign standard, and the rules of Gastonia, Belmont, Mount Holly, Cherryville, Dallas, Stanley and Bessemer City, are set separately.