Youngstown, OH Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Youngstown Codified Ordinances § 1102.05(b)(3) defines window signs as lettering, logos and illustrations painted directly on the glass surface of windows, doors or storefront bays in the Central Area's B-1 Central Business District, and it is one of seven sign types the Design Review Committee permits under § 1102.05(b), alongside wall signs, ground signs, canopy and awning signs, marquee signs, and permit-only temporary signs. The Committee's guidance is that such window lettering should not exceed thirty percent of the total glass area of the window, and that lettering must be clear and use colors compatible with the building's facade or storefront; only one window sign per street front is permitted, which the code says helps create a more uniform street front.

These window-sign standards sit inside the chapter's broader signage review under § 1102.05(a), which lets the Committee review every proposed sign's size, scale, geometry, placement, materials, colors, legibility and illumination as a supplement to the city's separate signage regulations, and which caps illumination from flashing or pulsating and bars moving parts, noise or smoke on any downtown sign. For comparison, wall signs under § 1102.05(b)(1) may not project more than twelve inches from the building and must sit at least eight feet above the sidewalk, while ground signs under § 1102.05(b)(2) top out at twenty-two feet above grade and need a five-foot side yard clearance, showing how the same chapter dimensions each downtown sign category differently.