# Sign Regulations in Nampa, Idaho

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Nampa, Idaho (ID)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/idaho/nampa
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-08
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/ID/Nampa/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT10PLZO_CH23SI)

## At a glance

Nampa, Idaho regulates 26 sign types across 12 zoning districts. Freestanding pole or monument sign (School)s in the RMH zoning district are capped at 25 ft tall and 150 sq ft (Sec. Table 10-23-20(I)). Most commercial signs in Nampa require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (12 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 6 | — | 90 sq ft or 45% of sign area, whichever is less | — |
| AG | 2 | 40 ft | 20 sq ft | — |
| BC, BF, HC | 3 | 40 ft | 312 sq ft (per street), 672 sq ft (per lot and abutting I-84) | — |
| BN, DB, DV | 2 | 25 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| DH | 2 | 20 ft | 100 sq ft | — |
| GB1, GB2, GBE | 2 | 25 ft (70 ft if abutting I-84) | 200 sq ft (300 sq ft if abutting I-84) | — |
| IH, IL | 3 | 40 ft | 400 sq ft per street; 672 sq ft if abutting I-84 | — |
| IP | 3 | 40 ft | 400 sq ft per street | — |
| RML | 6 | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| RMH | 7 | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| RP | 7 | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — |
| RS6, RS7, RS8.5, RS12, RS15, RS18, RS22, RA, RD | 9 | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 12 zones)

### RMH

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (School) | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Wall sign (School) | — | — | — | — | 1 or more up to max | Facing street | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Apartment project) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Freestanding monument sign (subdivision identification) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entry | 1 per entry | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Religious facility) | Not to exceed height of building | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 or more | 1 or more | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (All other) | 8 ft | 18 sq ft | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |
| Wall sign (All other) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | Table 10-23-20(I) |

### RP

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (School) | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Wall sign (School) | — | — | — | — | 1 or more up to max | Facing street | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Apartment project) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Freestanding monument sign (subdivision identification) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per entry | 1 per entry | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Religious facility) | Not to exceed height of building | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 or more | 1 or more | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Freestanding pole, monument, projecting or marquee sign (All other) | Not to exceed height of building | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |
| Wall sign (all other) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | Table 10-23-20(J) |

### RS6, RS7, RS8.5, RS12, RS15, RS18, RS22, RA, RD

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall or door sign (Residential use) | — | 2 sq ft | — | — | 1 | — | — | Table 10-23-20(K); 10-23-7.B |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (School) | 25 ft | 150 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Wall sign (School) | — | — | — | — | 1 or more up to max | Facing street | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Apartment project) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 1 per street frontage | 1 per street frontage | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Freestanding monument sign (subdivision identification) | 8 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | 2 per entry | 2 per entry | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Religious facility) | Not to exceed height of building | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 or more | 1 or more | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Wall sign (Religious facility) | — | — | — | — | 1 or more | Facing street | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |
| Freestanding pole or monument sign (Business use) | 5 ft | 32 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Businesses only | — | Table 10-23-20(K) |

## Prohibited signs in Nampa

- No person shall construct, erect, enlarge, alter, or relocate any sign, or install electrical parts, wiring, or illumination in or upon a sign, until all required permits have been obtained.
- No person shall erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, convert, equip, use, or maintain any sign, or cause or permit the same to be done, in violation of any provision of this chapter or a permit issued hereunder.
- No sign may be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, or maintained in any place or manner unlawful under other federal, state, or local law. Stricter standards prevail.
- No sign (permanent or temporary) shall be placed within any utility or access easement, public right-of-way (or projected future right-of-way area), or within any vision triangle.
- No sign permit will be issued for any property/business without an existing structure, valid building permit, or certificate of compliance for an allowed use within the applicable district.
- All signs must be attached per the most stringent of manufacturer, design professional, or contractor specifications.
- All signs must be constructed of permitted materials as stipulated by the building code.
- No sign shall use lights or illumination that creates an unduly distracting or hazardous condition to motorists, pedestrians, or the public, or may be confused with/construed as an official traffic control device.
- Wall signs, roof signs, and projecting signs placed on a building face that fronts a residential use may not be externally or internally illuminated.
- No sign shall be located in a vision clearance (triangle) area of an intersection unless a variance is granted.
- Any sign that creates a public or moral nuisance, as defined in 10-23-8.A.
- Any hazardous or unsafe sign, including signs that could be confused with a traffic control device, create a hazard, obstruct visibility, emit sound/odor/visible matter, are within a clear vision triangle, or not maintained safely.
- Abandoned signs (on property vacant/unoccupied for 90+ days, or which no longer pertain to an event/purpose).
- Unsightly signs (weak, unsafe, broken, inferior, old, or worn material).
- Any sign, poster, placard, sticker, banner, or device as listed fixed or placed upon public sidewalks, crosswalks, medians, curbs, lampposts, fire hydrants, trees, utility poles, or traffic/fire/police control fixtures, including snipe signs.
- Animated signs, except as specifically permitted in section 10-23-20.
- Wind signs.
- Car window flags, except as permitted for vehicles adjacent to street frontage at a car sales lot (and only if flags do not exceed two square feet).
- Any illegal sign (structure, material, illumination, size, or placement not specifically allowed, unless nonconforming).
- New 'billboard type' outdoor advertising signs are prohibited (existing may be relocated with restrictions).
- Temporary signs in lieu of permanent wall signage.
- Any sign advertising illegal activity.
- Any sign advertising an establishment selling a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia.

## Signs exempt from permit in Nampa

- Balloons 12 inches or less in diameter.
- One door or wall sign up to two square feet per property.
- Two directional or instructional signs per property, provided such signs are less than six square feet.
- Historical markers erected or maintained by a public authority, historical society, or organization identifying sites, buildings, or structures of recognized historical value.
- Holiday decorations and signs of a decorative nature incidental to national, local, or religious holidays, provided vision triangles are maintained.
- Hospitals or city public facilities may have signage per BC zoning sign standards, even in non-BC zones.
- House and building numbers.
- Nonilluminated interior signs in commercial and industrial zones attached to or painted on the inside of a window, provided total window coverage does not exceed 50%.
- Illuminated interior signs intended to be viewed from the public, provided the sign does not flash or employ an effect and does not exceed eight square feet.
- Nonilluminated interior signs not visible from the public right-of-way.
- Murals and public works of art as defined, provided they do not meet the definition of a sign.
- Official traffic control signs, including wayfinding signs.
- Permanent building plaques, cornerstones, nameplates, and similar building identifications, one nonilluminated or externally illuminated sign not exceeding one square foot in area.
- Signs required by law or by order of the court.
- United States and government flags.
- Temporary signs authorized by use within city parks or on city owned property.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- All business parks, commercial shopping centers, special purpose centers, malls, single-family residential subdivisions and residential apartment complexes must create a detailed sign program to govern sign type and placement in their developments.
- Owners/developers must submit a sign application package (sign program) describing/signifying the sign program, including: colors/materials, mounting details, supporting structures, illumination, sign locations, copy/logo heights and dimensions, methods of mounting/illumination, and design motif.
- Approval of a planned sign program does not waive the requirement to obtain individual sign permits.
- If a site has no preapproved sign program, all signs are regulated by default city code until a sign program is submitted and approved.
- After approval of a planned sign program, no signs may be constructed except in conformance with such plan, and the plan applies to all tenants and must be in tenant leases.
- Proof of sign program inclusion in leases must be submitted to the planning department by the lessor.
- A sign program is also called a 'Master Sign Plan' or 'Comprehensive Sign Program' in the ordinance.
- Where permanent or temporary sign types or deviations are not recognized/listed in applicable tables, a variance or conditional use permit is required for approval.
- Nonconforming use sign structures require a conditional use permit to be erected, enlarged, altered, or relocated, with a pictorial sketch required.

## 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 12 zoning districts in Nampa — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Nampa+ID&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-nampa

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