Jefferson Parish, LA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Window sign cap
- 25% of window area
- Awning sign cap
- 20 sq ft per awning
- Building directory cap
- 6 sq ft, within 8 ft of entry
- Applies to
- FC-1, FC-2, FC-3 Fat City districts
- Governing section
- Sec. 33-3.53.7(c)
Summary
Storefronts inside Jefferson Parish's Fat City Mixed-Use districts (FC-1, FC-2, FC-3) cannot cover more than 25 percent of a window with a sign. The cap sits inside the same sign article that limits awning signs to 20 square feet and building directory signs to 6 square feet, so a Fat City tenant has to balance all three sign types against the district's overall attached-sign allowance.
c.Awning.1.Awning sign area shall not exceed twenty (20) square feet per awning; or2.In the FC-3 district, where an awning sign is used instead of a flat or projecting sign, the awning sign area shall not exceed the lesser of the allowable flat or projecting sign area or forty (40) percent of the area of the awning on which the sign is located.(2)Window. Window signs shall occupy no more than twenty-five (25) percent of a window.(3)Building directory. For buildings with tenant spaces lacking direct entry from a sidewalk or exterior walkway at ground level, a single building directory sign not larger than six (6) square feet in area may be attached to a wall within eight (8) feet of the building's primary entry.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 7(c) governs attached signs for every tenant space in the Fat City districts along Severn Avenue, 18th Street, Edenborn, Hessmer, and Division near Metairie's Lakeside Shopping Center. Subsection (c)(2) caps window signage at 25 percent of the window's area, whether the sign is painted, applied, or hung inside the glass. The same subsection sets companion limits so a tenant cannot simply move oversized signage into a window instead: an awning sign cannot exceed 20 square feet per awning, and in the FC-3 district an awning sign used instead of a flat or projecting sign cannot exceed 40 percent of the awning's own area.
A single building directory sign, used only where a tenant space lacks direct entry from a sidewalk or exterior walkway, is capped at 6 square feet and must sit within 8 feet of the building's primary entry. Flat and projecting signs are governed separately under Sec. 7(c)(1), with projecting signs limited to a 4-foot extension from the facade (10 feet in the FC-3 district or off 17th/18th Streets) and any right-of-way encroachment subject to public works approval. Because Fat City is a mapped overlay rather than a parish-wide standard, a business outside FC-1, FC-2, or FC-3, including storefronts elsewhere in Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan, or Westwego, is not bound by this specific 25 percent window cap and instead follows its own zoning district's sign rules or the incorporated city's own code.
Violations & Fines
A window, awning, or building directory sign that exceeds these caps is a sign-code violation subject to the parish's standard zoning enforcement: a correction notice, a compliance deadline, and a citation through Chapter 40's enforcement provisions if the tenant does not bring the display back into compliance. Sign permits for new or replacement signage in Fat City go through the planning department's site plan or sign permit review before installation, so an oversized window display can also hold up permit approval for the storefront.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 25 percent window sign rule apply outside Fat City?
Can a window sign be painted directly on the glass?
What other signs count against my Fat City storefront's total allowance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jefferson Parish
Compare Jefferson Parish to another location·View the Louisiana sign regulations overview
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