Denver sign permit at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Do I need a permit? | Denver says most signs on private property need a zoning permit; a sign over a sidewalk, street or alley also needs a right-of-way permit, and electrical work needs an electrical permit (permit stack). Other cities compared. |
| How big? | Set by district group: 20 sq ft, 50 sq ft or 80 sq ft flat, or a frontage formula, with a total cap of 192 sq ft or 600 sq ft per use in the districts the calculator covers (calculator). Other cities compared. |
| How many signs? | The greater of 5 signs or 2 signs per front line of the zone lot (3 per front line in Tier 2 and I-A/I-B). |
| Historic district? | Landmark Preservation design review comes first; plastic and internally illuminated signs are not allowed there. Other cities compared. |
| What does it cost? | The sign permit is $25; a comprehensive sign plan is $500 (fee table). |
| How long does it take? | Denver publishes no turnaround for a sign permit (timing). Other cities compared. |
| Sidewalk A-frame sign? | It needs permission from Transportation and Infrastructure, at a permit fee of $50 a year per sign: no more than three feet tall and 30 inches wide, at least two feet behind the curb line, one per street-level business per street front, and removed whenever the business is closed (DRMC §49-437). Other cities compared. |
| When does the permit run out? | If the sign also needs a building permit, it must be obtained within 180 days of the zoning permit, or you re-apply for the zoning permit (Denver CPD). Other cities compared. |
| Already installed without a permit? | If the sign needed a building permit, the permit fees for work started without one are doubled, with a minimum of $100, and an investigation fee equal to that late permit fee is added (Denver Building Code §138.2–138.3). Other cities compared. |
| Grand opening banner? | A banner with commercial advertising copy promoting a temporary event, sale or service of the business on the same lot needs no permit for up to 45 days; the zoning rules of DZC §10.10.3 still apply (Denver sign page). Other cities compared. |
| Window signs? | A temporary window sign without illumination promoting an event, sale or service needs no permit for up to 45 days; a lit one needs an electrical permit (city sign page). Other cities compared. |
Work out your permanent sign allowance
Denver Zoning Code Division 10.10 gives each district group a flat allowance and a frontage formula for uses other than dwellings, lodging and colleges ("All Others"). Pick your district group and enter your frontage.
Calculated from Denver Zoning Code §10.10.9.2, §10.10.10.2, §10.10.11.2, §10.10.12.2 and §10.10.13.2, "Maximum Sign Area — All Others" (Article 10, republished February 25, 2025), read 10 October 2026. The code states a flat figure "or" the frontage formula; this calculator applies whichever is larger, which is how the "or" reads but is our reading, so confirm it with Denver zoning review. The allowance is the total for your use, counting every permanent sign.
Allowance calculator Permit stack How to apply Fees overview Timing Tricky rules Checklist Permit fees Sign companies
Your sign's allowed area is set by your zoning district in Division 10.10 of the Denver Zoning Code. Denver's sign page says most signs on private property need a zoning permit; a sign that extends over a sidewalk, street or alley also needs a right-of-way permit from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure; and any electrical work needs an electrical permit.
The permit stack you're actually facing
Depending on your sign and location, you may need several of these. The first three are from Denver's sign page:
Source: Denver Development Services — Signs, read 10 October 2026.
How to apply for a Denver sign permit — 5 steps
The permits above are the what. This is the order they come in — each step decides what the next one needs.
Steps 3–5 from Denver Development Services — Signs; step 1 from Denver Zoning Code Division 10.10. Read 10 October 2026.
What other cities ask you to submit: sign permit application checklists by city.
Fees
Denver's zoning-side sign fees are published and are listed in what a Denver sign permit actually costs below — the sign permit itself is a small flat amount, while comprehensive sign plans cost far more. What the published page does not tell you is the rest of the stack: a sign can also need a right-of-way permit from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure and an electrical permit, each a separate permit, and Denver's fee page does not state which of those apply to a given sign. Budget for more than one permit fee if your sign projects over the sidewalk or has electrical work.
How long it takes
Denver does not publish a turnaround for a sign permit — no service standard, no target, no range — so this page gives no number. What it can tell you is which path is longer, and confirm with Development Services for your case:
No timeline figure appears on this page because Denver publishes none. The permit list is from Denver Development Services — Signs.
The rules that catch people off guard — 5 items
- Sign area is set by district group — 20 sq ft, 50 sq ft or 80 sq ft flat, or a frontage formula, with a total cap of 192 sq ft or 600 sq ft per use in the districts the calculator covers (DZC 10.10.9–10.10.13).
- Every permanent sign counts toward one total for the use, and a use may have the greater of 5 signs or 2 signs per front line of the zone lot (3 per front line in Tier 2 and I-A/I-B).
- Wall and window signs stop at the roof line in Tier 1, Tier 2 and industrial districts, where ground signs may be up to 32 feet; in residential mixed-use and Mixed Use 2x districts most wall signs stop at 25 ft and ground signs at 25 ft.
- Animated and flashing signs are prohibited in all five sections, and fully internally lit plastic sign boxes are prohibited for projecting signs. A projecting sign may use direct, indirect, neon, LED or fluorescent light only if the user has over 20 linear feet of frontage; with less, direct external illumination only.
- Projecting signs over the sidewalk need DOTI approval: one per street where the user has frontage and an entry, bottom at least 8 feet and top no higher than 15 feet above the sidewalk, no more than 5 feet out from the building.
Source: Denver Zoning Code Article 10, Division 10.10 (republished February 25, 2025), §10.10.9.2–§10.10.13.2, read 10 October 2026.
Downtown (D-) districts, the Denver Theatre District sign plan (§10.10.15), Cherry Creek North, campus, open space and single- and multi-unit residential districts follow their own sections. Dwellings, lodging and colleges have separate formulas in each section. Temporary signs and joint identification signs are counted separately.
Not sure how the code reads for your sign?
Send your dimensions and we will reply with how the Denver code reads for that sign, at no charge. We are not a sign contractor and do not file permits; the sign companies listed on this page say they handle the permit.
Send your sign details →Get my free sign quote →Denver sign checklist — 5 items
Before you design or order anything, confirm:
- What's my zoning district? (It sets my sign-area allowance.)
- Which permits do I need — zoning, right-of-way if it projects over the sidewalk, electrical if it has electrical work?
- Is the building a landmark or in a historic district? → the sign needs Landmark Preservation design review.
- Will a wall or window sign go above the roof line (or 25 ft in residential mixed-use and Mixed Use 2x districts), or will any sign be animated or flashing? → not allowed in these districts.
- Am I in a downtown district or the Denver Theatre District? → separate standards (§10.10.14, §10.10.15).
Official Denver resources
Go straight to the city for permits and the binding code:
Denver Development Services — Signs — which permits a sign needs, and the temporary and political sign rules.
Denver Zoning Code Article 10 (PDF) — Division 10.10 Signs, the binding sign standards by district.
Other US city sign guides
Sources & how this page is maintained
Sources and official references: Denver Development Services — Signs. Measured on 21 August 2026: this city page is collected successfully. This page quotes no numeric limit of its own, so there is nothing for the numeric check to match against it.
How much does a Denver sign permit cost?
Denver's sign permit itself is a small flat fee. The expensive items are the sign plans — a comprehensive sign plan, or a district sign plan in the D-TD zone district.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sign permit | $25 |
| Comprehensive sign plan | $500 |
| Comprehensive sign plan for large facilities, and large facility amendments | $500 |
| Comprehensive sign plan for vital signs and supplemental buildings | No fee |
| D-TD zone district — district sign plan | $500 per acre or $5,000, whichever is less |
| D-TD zone district — district sign plan amendment | $250 per acre or $2,500, whichever is less |
| Outdoor general advertising devices — initial review | $225 |
| Outdoor general advertising devices — annual renewal | $225 |
These are the zoning-side fees. A sign can also need a right-of-way permit, an electrical permit and, on a landmark or in a historic district, Landmark design review. Denver's fee page does not state which of those apply to a given sign, so this page names them without an amount.
Source: Denver Community Planning and Development, Development Fees. Read 7 October 2026. Denver prints no effective date on these sign fee lines, so this page states none; confirm the current amount with Community Planning and Development before filing.
Denver sign companies that say they handle the permit
Compiled from each company's own public website. We are not affiliated with any of them and we are not paid to list them. Confirm licensing and pricing yourself before you hire.
| Company | Phone | Location | What their site says about permits | In-house |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflection Signs & Graphics | 303-450-3255 | 501 S. Cherry St, #1100 Denver, CO 80246 | Most importantly, we do the sign permit application so that you don't have to! | - |
| Signdealz Corporation | 303-447-1101 | 1644 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202 | We will fill out your application and submit it to the City of Denver building department for zoning approval. | - |
| FASTSIGNS of Downtown Denver, CO | (303) 951-4773 | 1650 Champa St, Denver, CO 80202 | Our specialists will perform accurate surveys and procure the appropriate permits to ensure your signage is in full compliance. | - |
Each company's website is linked from its name. Source pages read 7 October 2026.
Ask us how the code reads for your sign
Send your dimensions and we will reply with what the Denver code allows for that sign. No charge. We are not a sign contractor and not a permit agent.