Scottsdale monument and freestanding sign rules: height, area and setback
Confirm with the city before you build or bid. This page is a plain-English summary for planning only. It is not legal advice and not the official code. Many Scottsdale sites have a master sign program; the city says a master sign program is typically required for developments in the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Overlay (ESLO) District and developments with freestanding signs that include multiple tenant panels. [1] Questions: One Stop Shop, 7447 E. Indian School Road, 480-312-2500 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wednesday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; no transactions after 4 p.m.; the page adds "Wednesday, Permit Services 1-5 p.m."). [2] If anything here disagrees with the code or city staff, the city is right.
Commercial and mixed use developments
Commercial, industrial, mixed use, P-1, P-2, S-C and W-P developments (§8.515): one (1) sign type per street. [3]
| Development gross floor area | Street and frontage width | Allowed (number / height / area per face) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 30,000 sq ft | Any | Monument or landscape wall: 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4] |
| 30,000 to under 60,000 sq ft | Arterial or collector, 300 ft or more | Tower 1 / 15 ft / 50 sq ft; mid-size monument 2 / 8 ft / 30 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4] |
| 30,000 to under 60,000 sq ft | Arterial or collector, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 8 ft / 30 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4] |
| 30,000 to under 60,000 sq ft | Unclassified, 300 ft or more | Mid-size monument 1 / 8 ft / 30 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4] |
| 30,000 to under 60,000 sq ft | Unclassified, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 6 ft / 24 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4] |
| 60,000 to under 100,000 sq ft | Arterial or collector, 300 ft or more | Tower 1 / 20 ft / 75 sq ft; mid-size monument 2 / 10 ft / 40 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 60,000 to under 100,000 sq ft | Arterial or collector, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 10 ft / 40 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 60,000 to under 100,000 sq ft | Unclassified, 300 ft or more | Mid-size monument 1 / 8 ft / 30 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 60,000 to under 100,000 sq ft | Unclassified, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 6 ft / 24 sq ft; monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 100,000 sq ft and over | Arterial or collector, 300 ft or more | Tower 1 / 25 ft / 120 sq ft; mid-size monument 2 / 12 ft / 60 sq ft; monument or "landscape monument" (the Table 8.515.B.4 column heading) 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 100,000 sq ft and over | Arterial or collector, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 12 ft / 60 sq ft; monument or "landscape monument" 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 100,000 sq ft and over | Unclassified, 300 ft or more | Mid-size monument 1 / 10 ft / 40 sq ft; monument or "landscape monument" 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 100,000 sq ft and over | Unclassified, under 300 ft | Mid-size monument 1 / 6 ft / 32 sq ft; monument or "landscape monument" 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [5] |
| 30,000 sq ft and over | Unclassified, any width abutting a residential district | Monument or landscape wall only: 1 / 5 ft / 24 sq ft | [4][5] |
Setback, landscape area and copy
| Rule | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Setback from curb | Set back a minimum of fifteen (15) feet from back of curb, unless a lesser setback is approved; must not obstruct the sight distance requirements of the Design Standards and Policies Manual. | [6] |
| Landscape area | Minimum landscape area for column, tower, mid-size monument, monument and landscape wall signs: two hundred forty (240) square feet for signs twelve (12) feet tall or less; twenty (20) square feet times the sign height for taller signs. | [7] |
| Top of the structure | Minimum distance between the top of the structure and the copy: six (6) inches. | [7] |
| Businesses identified | Maximum businesses identified (Table 8.511.E): monument 2; mid-size monument 4; tower 4; gas station monument 2; column, entryway monument, entryway wall and landscape wall 1. | [7] |
| Scenic corridors | Scenic corridors: for freestanding signs, "the provisions of Section 8.411 shall apply" (§8.511.G). | [7] |
| Downtown Type 1 Area | Downtown Type 1 Area: building signs are capped at 40 sq ft, and column, drive-through, entryway monument, entryway wall, landscape wall, mid-size monument, monument, perimeter site wall and tower signs are prohibited (§8.511.F). | [8][7] |
Residential and land division developments
| Rule | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded land divisions | Recorded land divisions (§8.512): sign types per street: one (1) under ten (10) gross acres; two (2) from ten (10) to under one hundred (100) acres; four (4) at one hundred (100) acres or more. Monument, entryway monument and entryway wall signs: 5 feet, 24 sqft. Landscape wall signs: 5 feet; area 24 square feet (under 40 gross acres), 48 square feet (40 to under 100 acres), 72 square feet (100 acres or more). | [9] |
| Non-residential and multiple-family developments | Non-residential developments (except R-5) and multiple-family developments in residential districts and O-S (§8.513): one (1) sign type per street; monument or landscape wall sign, 1 / 5 feet / 24 sqft. | [10] |
| Non-residential uses in R-5 | Non-residential uses in R-5 (Table 8.514.B): 30,000 square feet or more on an arterial, 300 feet or more: tower 1 / 15 feet / 50 sqft, mid-size monument 1 / 8 feet / 50 sqft, or monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 feet / 24 sqft; 30,000 square feet or more on an arterial, less than 300 feet: mid-size monument 1 / 8 feet / 50 sqft, or monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 feet / 24 sqft; less than 30,000 square feet: monument or landscape wall 1 / 5 feet / 24 sqft. | [11] |
| Entryway signs | Entryway signs (multiple family, and R-4R/R-5 non-residential): five (5) feet high; twenty-four (24) square feet each; forty-eight (48) square feet total. | [12] |
| P-C and PRD districts | Planned Community (P-C) and PRD districts of one hundred sixty (160) acres or more: one (1) sign per street entrance, one hundred (100) square feet, eight (8) feet high (§8.517). | [13] |
Gas station, drive-through, directory and directional signs
| Rule | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Gas station monument | Gas station monument: allowed "in-lieu of the development's freestanding sign allowed in a Section 8.515" (not in addition to it); one (1) per street, thirty (30) square feet, and one-half of the sign area may be fuel change panels. | [12] |
| Drive-through signs | Drive-through signs (commercial, industrial and mixed use districts in Tables 4.100.B to 4.100.D, not including the Downtown or Downtown Overlay districts): two (2) per drive-through lane, within ten (10) feet of the lane, at least twenty (20) feet from any street line, forty-five (45) square feet, screened from streets, subject to Development Review Board approval. | [12][14] |
| Directory signs | Directory signs: seven (7) feet high (twelve (12) feet in PRC); not within 100 feet of a street line (7 ft or less) or 150 feet (taller) unless separated by a structure and not visible; four (4) square feet per panel; thirty-two (32) square feet total. | [14] |
| Traffic directional signs | Traffic directional signs: one (1) per driveway; three (3) feet high; within fifty (50) feet of the back of the driveway curb; four (4) square feet, or eight (8) square feet when serving two (2) or more lots. | [14][15] |
Again: confirm with the City of Scottsdale One Stop Shop (480-312-2500) before you fabricate or submit. [2] Codes and fees change. Last checked October 2026.
Section numbers (§) refer to the city's zoning ordinance unless noted. Each statement on this page is checked against a saved copy of an official city source, and where official sources disagree we show both. Spotted an error or an outdated fee? Report an error.