Denver, Colorado Sign Code & Sign Permit Guide
Wall, monument, and freestanding sign limits for Denver by zoning district — cited to the exact code section, with the sign permit process. Every number is checked against the published code text before it ships.
Two zoning codes run in parallel in Denver
Most of Denver is governed by the current zoning code (the sign rules below). But land never rezoned into it — older districts, planned developments, waiver/condition parcels — is still governed by Former Chapter 59, a separate, older code with its own sign rules. A generic "AI summary" of the current code alone will confidently return the wrong numbers for these parcels; Sightline checks which code actually governs a parcel before showing a single figure.
Zones like H-1-A, under Former Chapter 59
Downtown (D-*)
Zones like D-*
These are Denver's DOWNTOWN sign standards (§10.10.14), verified for the downtown D-* zones. Commercial mixed-use districts have their own family (§10.10.11); other Denver zones still warn.
Formula-based area: Sign area is formula-based — it scales with your street frontage (use the calculator). All sign types share the one property allowance.
Ground sign (monument)
§10.10.14| Max height | 32 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | None required |
| Sign area | 2 sq ft/lf single-tenant · 4 sq ft/lf multi-tenant · max 600 sq ft per tenant |
| Signs allowed | 3 per street frontage + 1 per 100 ft over 200 ft |
| Lighting | ≤25 W per bulb direct · flashing/animated not allowed |
Multi-tenant centers (3+ businesses) can add one shared ID sign per street frontage: ≤200 sq ft, ≤25 ft tall, 5 ft setback (§10.10.14.4).
Wall signs
§10.10.14.2| Sign area | Shares the property's sign allowance: 2 sq ft/lf single-tenant · 4 sq ft/lf multi-tenant ground-floor frontage · max 600 sq ft per tenant, no single sign over 200 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Mounting height | Up to the building roof line (vs 32 ft for ground signs) |
| Signs allowed | 3 per street frontage + 1 per 100 ft over 200 ft (shared count) |
| Projection | Can project over the sidewalk/right-of-way per D.R.M.C. §49-436 |
| Lighting | ≤25 W per bulb direct · flashing/animated not allowed |
Wall, window, ground & arcade signs all share ONE sign allowance for the property — a big ground sign leaves less for wall signs, and vice-versa.
See the exact numbers
Height, setback, area, count, and lighting limits for Downtown (D-*) — cited to the code section, ready to quote from.
Get notified at launch- Downtown overlays (e.g. 16th Street Mall) trigger design review that can restrict signage beyond the base zone numbers — the most likely gotcha for downtown addresses.
Commercial mixed-use (MX / CC Tier 1)
Zones like S-CC-3X
DZC §10.10.11 (Mixed Use Commercial Zone Districts — Tier 1), exact district list from §10.10.11.1.B. The Main Street (MS-3/5) and non-x CC districts run under §10.10.12 Tier 2, multi-unit residential under §10.10.6, industrial under §10.10.13 — none of those documented yet, so they still warn.
Formula-based area: Sign area scales with street or storefront frontage (use the calculator). Wall, window, ground, and projecting signs share the one allowance per business.
Wall signs / channel letters
§10.10.11.2| Area — single tenant | 1 sq ft/lf of street frontage (up to 2 connected street fronts counted) |
|---|---|
| Area — multi-tenant | 1.5 sq ft/lf of your storefront frontage for the first 200 ft, then 1 sq ft/lf |
| Minimum | Every business gets at least 50 sq ft |
| Caps | No single sign over 200 sq ft · total per business ≤ 600 sq ft |
| Number of signs | Greater of 5 signs or 2 per street front · max 5 signs on any one street front |
| Mounting height | Up to the building roof line |
| Lighting | ≤25 W per bulb direct · flashing/animated not allowed |
Wall, window, ground, projecting, canopy & arcade signs all share ONE allowance per business — a big ground sign leaves less for wall signs.
Ground sign (monument)
§10.10.11.2| Max height | 32 ft |
|---|---|
| Area | Shares the same allowance and formula as wall signs (see the Wall card) |
| Setback | 5 ft in from every zone-lot line where the district requires setbacks |
| Lighting | ≤25 W per bulb direct · flashing/animated not allowed |
Multi-tenant centers (3 or more businesses) can add one shared ID sign per street front: greater of 100 sq ft or 1 sq ft per 2 lf of street frontage, ≤200 sq ft per front line, ≤25 ft tall (§10.10.11.4).
Projecting / blade signs
§10.10.11.2| Number | 1 per street front where you have an entry (or 1 corner sign covering 2 frontages) — needs DOTI right-of-way approval (§49-436) |
|---|---|
| Height band | Bottom at least 8 ft above the sidewalk · top no higher than 15 ft |
| Projection | ≤ 5 ft out from the building · not above the parapet · signs ≥ 8 ft apart |
| Lighting | LED / neon OK for storefronts over 20 lf of frontage (smaller: direct external only) · internally-lit plastic sign boxes not allowed |
Only for businesses with direct street access at street level.
See the exact numbers
Height, setback, area, count, and lighting limits for Commercial mixed-use (MX / CC Tier 1) — cited to the code section, ready to quote from.
Get notified at launchFormer Ch. 59 — Low-density residential (RS-4, R-0, R-1, R-X, P-1)
Zones like RS-4
Denver's FORMER CHAPTER 59 (frozen pre-2010 text, §59-547) — governs RS-4, R-0, R-1, R-X and P-1 zone districts that were never rezoned into the 2010 Denver Zoning Code. This is a DIFFERENT code than DZC Article 10.
Zone-lot-area formula (not frontage): Sign area is capped by a formula based on the property's total zone lot square footage — 2 sq ft of signage per 1,000 sq ft of lot area — not by street frontage. Wall/window and ground signs share the same allowance and count against the same 2-sign limit.
Ground sign (monument)
§59-547| Max height | 6 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | 10 ft from every zone lot line |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 60 sq ft total (80 sq ft for a church or school); no single sign over 20 sq ft (non-church/school) |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · curfew 11:00 p.m.–6:00 a.m. · flashing/animated not allowed |
Ground and wall/window signs share ONE combined allowance and 2-sign limit per front line — this isn't 2 ground signs AND 2 wall signs.
Wall signs
§59-547| Max height | 20 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | Same as the building's required setback (wall signs may project into it by the sign's depth) |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 60 sq ft total (80 sq ft for a church or school); no single sign over 20 sq ft (non-church/school) |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · curfew 11:00 p.m.–6:00 a.m. · flashing/animated not allowed |
Wall and window signs share ONE combined allowance and 2-sign limit under §59-547 — the same numbers shown here apply to window signs too.
Window signs
§59-547| Max height | 20 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | Same as the building's required setback |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 60 sq ft total (80 sq ft for a church or school); no single sign over 20 sq ft (non-church/school) |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · curfew 11:00 p.m.–6:00 a.m. · flashing/animated not allowed |
Window signs share the SAME combined allowance and 2-sign limit as wall signs under §59-547 — this isn't an additional allowance on top of the Wall card's numbers.
See the exact numbers
Height, setback, area, count, and lighting limits for Former Ch. 59 — Low-density residential (RS-4, R-0, R-1, R-X, P-1) — cited to the code section, ready to quote from.
Get notified at launch- Signs are only allowed for a legal "use by right" on the property — a plain single-unit dwelling generally can't have commercial signage at all, aside from a few exempt sign types (address/political/noncommercial, home-occupation ID) (§59-547(a)).
- Temporary construction/sale signs get a separate limited allowance (§59-547(j)): up to 12 sq ft plus 1 sq ft per acre (max 50 sq ft), 12 ft height, 5 ft setback, valid 12 months (one renewal).
Former Ch. 59 — Mid-density residential (R-2, R-2-A, R-2-B, R-3-X, R-3, H-1-A)
Zones like R-2
Denver's FORMER CHAPTER 59 (frozen pre-2010 text, §59-548) — governs R-2, R-2-A, R-2-B, R-3-X, R-3 and H-1-A zone districts that were never rezoned into the 2010 Denver Zoning Code. This is a DIFFERENT code than DZC Article 10.
Zone-lot-area formula (not frontage): Sign area is capped by a formula based on the property's total zone lot square footage — 2 sq ft of signage per 1,000 sq ft of lot area — not by street frontage. Wall/window and ground signs share the same allowance and count against the same 2-sign limit. Hospitals and university/college campuses use a separate street-frontage-based formula instead.
Ground sign (monument)
§59-548| Max height | 12 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | 5 ft from every zone lot line |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 96 sq ft total, no single sign over 32 sq ft |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · flashing/animated not allowed |
Ground and wall/window signs share ONE combined allowance and 2-sign limit per front line. Hospitals get a different formula (2 sq ft per 5 lf of street frontage, cap 96 sq ft on one street front, up to 2 contiguous fronts); a university/college campus gets 2 sq ft per 5 lf of frontage, cap 150 sq ft per street front, no single sign over 50 sq ft within 100 ft of the lot/campus line.
Wall signs
§59-548| Max height | 25 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | Same as the building's required setback (wall signs may project into it by the sign's depth) |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 96 sq ft total, no single sign over 32 sq ft |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · flashing/animated not allowed |
Wall and window signs share ONE combined allowance and 2-sign limit under §59-548 — the same numbers shown here apply to window signs too.
Window signs
§59-548| Max height | 25 ft |
|---|---|
| Setback | Same as the building's required setback |
| Sign area | 20 sq ft or 2 sq ft per 1,000 sq ft of zone lot area, whichever is greater — capped at 96 sq ft total, no single sign over 32 sq ft |
| Signs allowed | 2 signs per front line of the zone lot |
| Lighting | Concealed source only · flashing/animated not allowed |
Window signs share the SAME combined allowance and 2-sign limit as wall signs under §59-548 — this isn't an additional allowance on top of the Wall card's numbers.
See the exact numbers
Height, setback, area, count, and lighting limits for Former Ch. 59 — Mid-density residential (R-2, R-2-A, R-2-B, R-3-X, R-3, H-1-A) — cited to the code section, ready to quote from.
Get notified at launch- Signs are only allowed for a legal "use by right" on the property — a plain single-unit dwelling generally can't have commercial signage at all, aside from a few exempt sign types (address/political/noncommercial, home-occupation ID) (§59-548(a)).
- Temporary construction/sale signs get a separate limited allowance (§59-548(j)): up to 15 sq ft plus 1 sq ft per acre (max 100 sq ft), 12 ft height, 5 ft setback, valid 12 months (one renewal).
Sign permits in Denver
Denver CPD permit counter — 720-865-2705 (fees are valuation-based)
Denver sign code FAQ
What is the sign code for Denver, Colorado?
Denver's sign regulations are set by Zoning Code Art. 10 §10.10 Signs · PDF, and vary by zoning district. Sightline tracks 4 verified zone families for Denver below, each with wall, freestanding, and other sign-type limits cited to the exact section.
Do I need a permit for a sign in Denver?
In nearly every Colorado municipality, including Denver, permanent signs — wall signs, channel letters, cabinets, monument signs — require a sign permit. Denver's permit process is linked below. Always confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before finalizing a design.
Does Denver have more than one sign code?
Yes. Most of Denver follows its current zoning code, but parcels never rezoned into it are still governed by Former Chapter 59 — a separate document with its own sign rules. Sightline checks which code governs a specific parcel rather than assuming the current code applies everywhere.
Look up an exact address in Denver
Get the live zoning district and the sign limits that apply to a specific parcel, with a frontage calculator and a permit-ready citation.
Get notified at launch