Surprise, AZ Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

City Code Sec. 9(B)(7) governs window signs and sunscreens under the sign chapter's building-mounted sign standards. The combined sign area of every window sign affixed to a particular window pane cannot exceed 40 percent of that pane; etched or stained glass that's integral to the window doesn't count toward the calculation. Sunscreen material, by contrast, may cover the entire window pane, but any mural or other graphic printed on that sunscreen is capped at 40 percent of the pane, same as a standalone window sign.

Window signs also don't add to a building's aggregate wall sign area total, which is otherwise limited under Sec. 9(B)(1) to one and one-half square feet of sign per linear foot of the tenant's building elevation. Under Sec. 8(A)(3)(c), a window sign is exempt from the city's construction permit requirement, but only if it is not electrically connected to the building; an illuminated or electrically wired window display loses that exemption and needs a permit like any other permanent sign. Enforcement runs through Sec. 17: the city manager or designee issues a written notice of violation describing the property and the specific violation, with a 30-day correction period for permanent signs (temporary signs get no notice period).

Re-erecting or replacing a noncompliant sign after a notice of violation is treated as a continuation of the original violation, and each day it persists is a separate offense under Sec. 17(A)(3).