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Scottsdale prohibited signs, sign lighting and window signs

Last checked: October 2026. Part of our Scottsdale sign rules guide. Every statement below is quoted or summarized from a saved official city source; the numbered markers open the Sources list at the bottom.

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.

Prohibited signs

Rule Requirement Source
Moving signs No sign may be permitted that moves by any means or has animation, except flags (§8.421). [3][4]
Right-of-way and public property Only signs erected, maintained or required by the City or another governmental entity are allowed in the public right-of-way or on public property (§8.102.C). [5]
Sight distance No sign may interfere with the sight distance requirements of the Design Standards and Policies Manual or with ADA requirements (§8.102.D). [6][2]
Portable and post-and-panel signs Post-and-panel, portable (A-frame type) and off-premise traffic directional signs: no illumination, searchlights, amplified sound, animation, reflective materials, or attachments such as balloons, flags, pinwheels, ribbons or speakers (§8.600). [7][8][9]

The city's Code Enforcement page lists as not allowed: [10]

  • neon signs unless hung 3 feet back from the window face; [10]
  • inflatable objects unless used with a Special Event permit; [10]
  • temporary signs on utility poles or street signs and bandit signs; [10]
  • gobo (lighting) signs; [10]
  • street banners; [10]
  • vertical feather/blade banners; [10]
  • pennants, balloons and other inflatable devices unless approved with a Special Event Permit. [10]

The city's Intersection & Driveway Sight Distance PDF is for calculating sight visibility triangles at intersections and driveways. [6] [2]

Sign lighting

Rule Requirement Source
Internal or indirect lighting Permanent signs may be illuminated only by internal, internal indirect or indirect lighting unless otherwise specified; indirect lighting must be shielded so the source is not visible from any adjacent street or property (§8.422.I). [11]
Prohibited lighting Prohibited (§8.422.II): flashing, blinking or rotating light emitting devices; exposed neon or similar cold or hot cathode, fiber or rod illumination; exposed incandescent, fluorescent, metal halide, mercury vapor and high and low pressure sodium lamps; exposed LEDs except for indirect lighting. [3][11]

Window signs

Rule Requirement Source
Permanent window signs Permanent window signs (§8.418): one (1) per business; two (2) square feet; internal illumination if lit; placed inside the building (may be displayed in a door or window), and no sign is permitted in unglazed openings; not counted in the sign budget; no permit unless required by Chapters 31 and 36 of the Scottsdale Revised Code. [12]
Temporary window signs Temporary window signs (§8.600.G): 25 percent of any window pane over four (4) square feet, 100 percent of panes four (4) square feet or less; on any one side of a building, no more than one (1) square foot per linear foot of building wall and no more than the sum total sign area allowed for permanent signs. No permit is needed for temporary window signs affixed to the window pane (§8.303). [13][14]

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.

Sources (14)

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Each numbered marker on this page points to the source entry with the same number below.

  1. City of Scottsdale, Master Sign Programs web page. Page shows: "Updated: May 21, 2026". scottsdaleaz.gov/…/master-sign-programs
  2. City of Scottsdale, Signs web page. Page shows: "Updated: Jul 27, 2026". scottsdaleaz.gov/codes-and-ordinances/signs
  3. Scottsdale City Council packet for Ordinance No. 4117 (sign lighting and animation), PDF page 10. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this 19" … "day of November. 2013". scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset50855.aspx
  4. Scottsdale City Council packet for Ordinance No. 4117 (sign lighting and animation), PDF page 26. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this 19" … "day of November. 2013". scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset50855.aspx
  5. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 3. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  6. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 4. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  7. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 11. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  8. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 10. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  9. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 12. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  10. City of Scottsdale, Code Enforcement web page. Page shows: "Updated: May 21, 2026". scottsdaleaz.gov/…/code-enforcement
  11. Scottsdale City Council packet for Ordinance No. 4117 (sign lighting and animation), PDF page 27. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this 19" … "day of November. 2013". scottsdaleaz.gov/Asset50855.aspx
  12. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4315 (permanent signs), with Resolution No. 10834, PDF page 14. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/1-TA-2017_Sign%20Update.pdf
  13. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 14. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf
  14. Scottsdale Ordinance No. 4300 (temporary signs and permits), with Resolution No. 10727, PDF page 7. Adoption line: "PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Scottsdale this" … "2017" (day and month are handwritten and not legible in the text copy). eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/…/2_TA_2016_Sign_Update.pdf

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