# Sign Regulations in Greenwood Village, Colorado

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Greenwood Village, Colorado, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Greenwood Village, Colorado (CO)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/colorado/greenwood-village
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/CO/Greenwood_Village/codes/Municipal_Code?nodeId=CH16LADECO_ART21SIDEST_DIV4SI)

## At a glance

Greenwood Village, Colorado regulates 33 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Freestanding Ground Signs in the Residential District (R-2.5, R-2.0, R-1.5, R-1.0, R-0.75, R-0.5, R-0.25, R-0.1, R-0.05), A District, O District zoning district are capped at 4 ft tall and 1 sq ft per dwelling unit, to 30 sq ft per sign face, with a 20 ft from curb setback (Sec. Sec. 16-21-440(c)(1); Sec. 16-21-460(a),(e)-(f)). Most commercial signs in Greenwood Village require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-2.5, R-2.0, R-1.5, R-1.0, R-0.75, R-0.5, R-0.25, R-0.1, R-0.05), A District, O District | 5 | 20 ft for flagpole | 15 sq ft | — |
| Commercial District (B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, MC, TC, LI) | 25 | 40 ft (flagpole) or 15 ft above bldg height | 100 sq ft per tenant or 10% of wall area, whichever is less | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | — | 20 sq ft sign area | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Residential District (R-2.5, R-2.0, R-1.5, R-1.0, R-0.75, R-0.5, R-0.25, R-0.1, R-0.05), A District, O District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Ground Sign | 4 ft | 1 sq ft per dwelling unit, to 30 sq ft per sign face | — | 20 ft from curb | 1 per street frontage | Min. 20 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(1); Sec. 16-21-460(a),(e)-(f) |
| Building Mounted Sign (Multi-family Only, R-0.05 and R-0.1) | — | 15 sq ft | — | — | 1 per multi-family complex | On multi-family residential building | — | Sec. 16-21-450(c)(1); Sec. 16-21-460(a),(e)-(f) |
| Temporary Sign (Residential, Commercial Speech) | 3 ft | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 per lot | Ground-mounted on residential lot | — | Sec. 16-21-435(a)(4); (b)(1); (b)(2) |
| Temporary Sign (Residential, Non-Commercial Speech) | 3 ft | 6 sq ft per sign, 36 sq ft total per lot | — | — | Multiple, up to 36 sq ft aggregate | Ground-mounted on residential lot | — | Sec. 16-21-435(b)(1) |
| Flagpole Sign | 20 ft for flagpole | 15 sq ft per flag | — | — | 1 flagpole, 2 flags per lot | On residential property | — | Sec. 16-21-445(a) |

### Commercial District (B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, MC, TC, LI)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (B-1 Office Building, Single-Use, Commercial Single-Use) | 4 ft | 30 sq ft per sign face | — | 20 ft from curb | 1 per street frontage | Min. 20 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(2),(4),(5) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (B-1 Multi-Building Office Directory) | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per sign face; 4-inch copy height | — | 20 ft from curb | 1 per building | Near primary building entrance; Min. 20 ft from curb | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(3) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (B-1 Commercial Multi-Tenant, 1 per street frontage) | 10 ft | 30 sq ft per sign face | — | 20 ft from curb | 1 per street frontage | Min. 20 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(5) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (B-2, B-3, B-4 - Single-Tenant) | 15 ft | 30 sq ft per sign face | — | 20 ft from curb; none for I-25 corridor 2nd sign | 1 per street frontage (plus 1 extra sign in I-25 corridor) | Min. 20 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(6) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (B-2, B-3, B-4 - Multi-Tenant) | 15 ft | 66 sq ft per sign face | — | 20 ft from curb; none for I-25 corridor 2nd sign | 1 per street frontage (plus 1 extra sign in I-25 corridor) | Min. 20 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(7) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (MC - Office Building) | 4 ft | 50 sq ft per sign face | — | 10 ft from curb | 1 per street frontage | Min. 10 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(8) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (MC - Multi-Bldg Office Directory) | 4 ft | 8 sq ft per sign face; 4-inch copy height | — | 20 ft from curb | 1 per building | Near primary building entrance; Min. 20 ft from curb | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(9) |
| Freestanding Ground Sign (MC - Commercial Building) | 15 ft | 50 sq ft per sign face | — | 10 ft from curb; none for I-25 corridor 2nd sign | 1 per street frontage (plus 1 extra sign in I-25 corridor) | Min. 10 ft from curb; 1 per street frontage | — | Sec. 16-21-440(c)(10) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Display Structure/Kiosk | — | 20 sq ft sign area | — | — | — | Where structures are allowed on site | — | Sec. 16-21-440(d) |
| Directional Sign (over 6 sq ft) | — | Not specified | — | — | — | As needed for directions | — | Sec. 16-21-440(e) |
| Area Identification Sign (10+ acre area) | — | — | — | — | — | As approved, must blend with surroundings | — | Sec. 16-21-440(f) |

## Prohibited signs in Greenwood Village

- Signs with spinning or moving parts are prohibited.
- Search lights or projected light displays are prohibited except temporary projected displays for national, local, or religious celebrations.
- Light bulb strings intended to draw attention to a business are prohibited, except for temporary decorations for national, local, or religious celebrations.
- Signs painted on or affixed to benches are prohibited.
- Animated, flashing or moving signs (including those that change position, color, or message) are prohibited.
- Inflatable signs, balloons or similar 'lighter than air' objects tethered to the ground or wall are prohibited.
- Building-mounted signs projecting above the highest point of the roof line, parapet, or fascia, or on walls enclosing mechanical equipment are prohibited.
- Cabinet signs other than logos are prohibited.
- Signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited.
- A-frame signs are prohibited except sandwich board signs used for traffic control with design and location approved by the Director.
- Changeable copy or color signs (by manual or electronic means), including electronic message displays, are prohibited.
- Off-site signs, including hand held signs, advertising a service, business, or activity not on the premises, are prohibited.
- Signs on vehicles parked and visible from the public right-of-way are prohibited unless the vehicles are functional, used as motor vehicles, have current registration and tags, signage is incidental to vehicle use, and are properly parked.
- Signs that emit sound are prohibited.
- Signs on umbrellas in outdoor eating or dining areas are prohibited.
- Signs at a street intersection that create a traffic hazard by obstructing vision, or that interfere with, obstruct the view of, or could be confused with an authorized traffic sign are prohibited.
- Signs with iridescent, fluorescent or 'day-glo' colors are prohibited.
- Signs located within or projecting over a public right-of-way are prohibited, except pedestrian-oriented blade signs expressly permitted by variance or an approved plan.
- Commercial wraps on stationary outdoor objects (e.g., ice machines, dumpsters) are prohibited.
- Signs on fences or painted/affixed to any fence set back five feet or less from rights-of-way are prohibited.
- Signs attached to landscaping elements or other natural objects (except neighborhood identity signs) are prohibited.
- Murals applied directly to any exterior surface intended to convey a message or image to inform or attract public attention are prohibited.
- Signs that are not constructed of new, durable materials capable of withstanding the elements are prohibited.
- Signs must be maintained in good condition and kept rust-free; failure to do so may result in order for repair, replacement, alteration, or removal.
- Signs shall not be illuminated in residential districts other than neighborhood identity signs.
- It is unlawful for any person to erect, maintain, or allow any sign that is not permitted under this sign code.
- Any sign pertaining to enterprises or occupants that are no longer using a property must be removed within thirty days after vacation; signs of a temporary nature must be removed within ten days after the event or served purpose.
- No sign shall obstruct the sight distance of traveling motorists at roadway intersections or driveway entrances.
- Signs shall not create hazardous glare for pedestrians or vehicles.
- No sign shall be illuminated after 10:00 p.m. or one hour after close of business, whichever is later (with exceptions for illuminated scoreboards when fields are in use).
- Signs painted on or affixed to fences set back five feet or less from rights-of-way are prohibited.
- Barbed wire fences are prohibited.
- Fences, decorative monuments, or noise-attenuating structures which obstruct the sight distance of motorists at intersections or driveway entrances are prohibited.
- No lighting shall be installed on top of, integrated within, or attached to a fence.
- No privately owned fence or decorative monument shall be erected on City-owned property except entry walls and decorative monuments as allowed.
- Signs that obstruct, confuse, or can be construed as traffic control or emergency signals are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Greenwood Village

- Non-commercial official notices authorized by a court, public body, or person in the performance of a public duty are exempt.
- Directional, warning, or informational signs authorized by a federal, state, or municipal government are exempt.
- Any sign located on a parcel, inside or outside of a structure, which cannot be seen from any public right-of-way, public property, or other parcel of property is exempt.
- Holiday and community special event decorations that do not display commercial speech and are of limited duration are exempt.
- Memorial plaques less than one (1) square foot in size are exempt.
- Signs placed by or at the direction of a utility showing the location of underground facilities are exempt.
- Scoreboards without commercial speech and temporary signs within a ball park or recreational facility that cannot be seen from a public street or adjacent property are exempt.
- Signs not exceeding six (6) square feet in area displayed for the direction, information, or convenience of the public, including those identifying rest rooms, public telephones, freight entrances, parking restrictions, or similar, and which do not contain commercial speech, are exempt.
- Signs not exceeding six (6) square feet depicting the address number of the building on which it is located are exempt.
- Time and temperature signs not containing commercial speech are exempt.
- Live data regarding public transportation is exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A Planned Sign Program (PSP) is required for retail centers having ten (10) or more retail tenants or retail tenant spaces, if deviations from Div. 4 signage standards are desired.
- Applications for PSPs must include submittal materials as outlined in the submittal requirements table and follow the review process table.
- Sign variances must be requested for any sign that deviates from the standards in Div. 4, except for signs in retail centers with ten or more retail tenants, which require approval via the Planned Sign Program process.
- Amendments to an existing PSP for retail centers having ten or more retail tenants are required for any changes in area, height, location, quantity, materials, letter style, illumination, or sign shape.
- Where a PSP is silent regarding sign types, an amendment is required for signs requiring a permit (except for temporary banners).
- Notification of landowners by mail is required for public hearings on sign variances and PSPs.
- The Planning and Zoning Commission reviews applications for sign variances and PSPs at public hearings within 90 days of submission.
- The PSP is intended to be written as general signage regulations (types, sizes, locations, and quantities), not content-specific.
- Signs in areas with an approved PSP must be reviewed for compliance with the PSP prior to permit issuance.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Greenwood Village, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Greenwood+Village+CO&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-greenwood-village

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