# Sign Regulations in Mt. Crested Butte Town, Colorado

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Mt. Crested Butte Town, Colorado (CO)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/colorado/mt-crested-butte-town
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-28

## At a glance

Mt. Crested Butte Town, Colorado regulates 15 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the High Density Multiple-Family District (HDMF), Residential Portions of a PUD zoning district are capped at 7 ft tall and 10 sq ft, with a See location_of_sign setback (Sec. 16-52(f)). Most commercial signs in Mt. Crested Butte Town require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Single-Family Residential District (SFR), Low Density Multiple-Family District (LDMF) | 5 | 7 ft | 20 sq ft or 3% building elevation | — |
| High Density Multiple-Family District (HDMF), Residential Portions of a PUD | 10 | 7 ft | 36 sq ft | — |
| Business District, Commercial District, Business and Commercial Portions of a PUD | 11 | 7 ft | 36 sq ft | — |
| Recreational and Open Space District | 6 | 7 ft | 36 sq ft | — |
| Town's Rights-of-Way | 4 | 7 ft | 36 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 3 | 40 ft (flagpole) | 40 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 6 zones)

### High Density Multiple-Family District (HDMF), Residential Portions of a PUD

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Awnings mounted at least 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway; any valance may be at least 7 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-52(c) |
| Canopy Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On canopy | — | 16-52(d) |
| Under Canopy Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Minimum 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-52(e) |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 10 sq ft | — | See location_of_sign | 1 | No closer than 6 ft to street ROW or pedestrian walkway, no projection into ROW; no closer than 5 ft to side lot line or projection into adjacent lot; On corner lot, not within 35 ft triangle, must have clear air space 30 in to 8 ft. | — | 16-52(f) |
| Wall Sign | Not above 2nd floor in multi-level, nor above ground-level wall in single-level, never above 25 ft. | 20 sq ft or 3% building elevation | — | — | — | On building, must not interrupt architectural projections. | — | 16-52(g) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | See location_of_sign | Per entrance | On building elevation with access point. Max projection 5 ft from building face, not more than 1/2 setback dimension into required setback or 1/4 into required distance between buildings. When attached to balcony, cannot extend past edge. Min 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-52(h) |
| Banner | — | 36 sq ft | — | — | — | Minimum clearance 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-52(i) |
| Window Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per window | On window | — | 16-52(j) |

### Business District, Commercial District, Business and Commercial Portions of a PUD

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | — | Awnings mounted at least 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway; any valance may be 7 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-62(c) |
| Projecting Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | See location_of_sign | Per entrance | On building elevation with access. Max projection 5 ft from building, not more than 1/2 setback dimension into required setback or 1/4 into required distance between buildings. If attached to balcony, cannot extend beyond edge. Min 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-62(d) |
| Canopy Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On canopy | — | 16-62(e) |
| Under Canopy Sign | — | 6 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Min 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-62(f) |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 10 sq ft | — | See location_of_sign | 1 | No closer than 6 ft to street ROW/pedestrian walkway. No part projecting into ROW. Not closer than 5 ft to side lot line/adjacent lot. On corner lot, not within triangle measured 35 ft from each ROW corner, must have clear air space 30 in to 8 ft. | — | 16-62(g) |
| Wall Sign | Not above 2nd floor (multi-level), or above ground level wall area (single-level), never above 25 ft. | 20 sq ft or 3% building elevation | — | — | — | On building, must not interrupt architectural projections. | — | 16-62(h) |
| Banner | — | 36 sq ft | — | — | — | Min 15 ft clearance above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-62(i) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | — | 8 sq ft per side | — | — | See sign_size_restrictions | Within 10 ft of access point; outside only during hours of operation. | — | 16-62(k) |

### Recreational and Open Space District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exempt Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16-72(a), 16-3 |
| Statuary Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16-72(b) |
| Banner | — | 36 sq ft | — | — | — | Min. clearance 15 ft above vehicular ROW, 8 ft above pedestrian walkway. | — | 16-72(c) |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 10 sq ft | — | See location_of_sign | — | No closer than 6 ft to street ROW or walkway, no projection into ROW, not closer than 5 ft to side lot, on corner lot not within 35 ft triangle, must have clear air space from 30 in to 8 ft. | — | 16-72(d) |
| Wall Sign | Not higher than 2nd floor (multi-level) or above ground-level wall (single-level), never above 25 ft. | 20 sq ft or 3% building elevation | — | — | — | On building, must not interrupt architectural projections. | — | 16-72(e) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | — | 8 sq ft per side | — | — | — | Displayed outside only during hours of operation. | — | 16-72(f) |

## Prohibited signs in Mt. Crested Butte Town

- A sign which is structurally unsafe, or constitutes a hazard to the safety or health of any person by reason of inadequate maintenance or dilapidation, or which is not kept in good repair or is capable of causing electrical shocks to persons likely to come in contact with it.
- Signs imitating or resembling official traffic or government signs or signals, or signs other than government signs using any words, phrases, symbols or characters implying the existence of danger or the need for stopping or maneuvering a motor vehicle or in any other way creating an unsafe distraction for motor vehicle operators.
- Flashing, animated or rotating signs, except for dials and gauges animated to the extent necessary to display correct information.
- Signs that obstruct the view of motor vehicle operators entering a public roadway from any parking area, service drive, private driveway, alley or other thoroughfare, or which obstruct free ingress to or egress from a required door, window, fire escape or other required exitway.
- Non-conforming signs.
- Signs erected on a public right-of-way without proper authorization.
- Wind-driven signs.
- Searchlights.
- Roof signs.
- Signs that swing.
- Signs which require guy wires for support.
- Vehicular signs.
- Billboards.
- Snipe signs.
- Luminescent signs, exterior, or as window signs greater than four square feet.
- Walking signs.
- Signs containing an obscene statement, word or picture describing or depicting sexual activities or sexual anatomical areas.
- Signs with messages that are intended to incite imminent unlawful action(s).

## Signs exempt from permit in Mt. Crested Butte Town

- Government signs.
- Wayfinding signs.
- Flags (provided flags do not exceed 40 square feet in size and no flagpole is higher than 40 feet above the ground).
- Temporary signs, except for those placed in the town's rights-of-way. Unless expressly allowed elsewhere, temporary signs shall be removed upon completion of the purpose for which they were erected.
- Yard signs with an aggregate maximum of 24 square feet, and no individual sign more than six square feet. Yard signs may not exceed a maximum height of four feet measured from the ground.
- Signs not visible beyond a property line.
- Special Event Signs located within the permitted event area (Special event sign outside of the permitted event area requires a permit. The zoning administrator may waive the permit fee).

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The owner, builder or developer of a new building or structure designed for occupation by two or more separate occupants or businesses shall present to the planning commission at the time of design review or site specific review approval a comprehensive sign plan showing proposed sign locations, types and methods of allocating signs and allowances to tenants' use.
- An amendment to the comprehensive sign plan shall be submitted upon any change in use or ownership requiring a change in the previously approved comprehensive sign plan.
- The zoning administrator will not accept any sign permit application not in accordance with the current comprehensive sign plan.
- For mixed use or multiple-business buildings, a comprehensive sign plan shall be submitted to the planning commission at the time of design review or site specific review.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 6 zoning districts in Mt. Crested Butte Town — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Mt.+Crested+Butte+Town+CO&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-mt-crested-butte-town

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