# Sign Regulations in Oroville, Washington

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Oroville, Washington (WA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/washington/oroville
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-05
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/WA/Oroville/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT10VETR_CH10.28STREADWECO_10.28.020SIPO)

## At a glance

Oroville, Washington regulates 8 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Portable Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 48 inches tall, No wider than 36 inches and no higher than 48 inches; no more than 25% of sidewalk width., and 36 inches wide (Sec. 17.72.100(i)-(j)). Most commercial signs in Oroville require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| R-1, R-2 | 2 | 6 ft | 4 sq ft | — |
| R-3, R-4 | 2 | 10 ft | 32 sq ft, up to 32 sq ft or greater for planned developments and similar uses. | — |
| C-1 | 3 | 25 ft | 64 sq ft | — |
| C-2 | 3 | 25 ft | 160 sq ft | — |
| I-1, I-2 | 3 | 25 ft | 160 sq ft (I-1), 100 sq ft (I-2) | — |
| Airport | 2 | 10 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| Conservancy | 3 | 10 ft | 32 sq ft | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 48 inches | 100 sq ft (all temporary); 24 sq ft (rigid material); must not be affixed to ground | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### C-1

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | — | At property boundary, on private property, in required landscape or setback area, or with physical barriers as required. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3; 17.72.100(h) |
| Wall Sign | 25 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | — | Flush mounted to building; no more than 12 inches projection from wall. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3; 17.72.080; 17.72.100(k) |
| Off-Premise Sign | 25 ft | Subject to the maximum signage allowed on the property. | — | — | — | At property boundary, minimum 200 ft apart; must be on highway frontage/arterials when required. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3, note (1) |

### C-2

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft | 160 sq ft | — | — | — | At property boundary, on private property, in required landscape or setback area, or with physical barrier. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3; 17.72.100(h) |
| Wall Sign | 25 ft | 160 sq ft | — | — | — | Flush mounted to building; no more than 12 inches projection from wall. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3; 17.72.080; 17.72.100(k) |
| Off-Premise Sign | 25 ft | Subject to the maximum signage allowed on the property. | — | — | — | Highway frontage and arterials only; 200 ft or more apart. | — | 17.72.090 Table 3, notes (1) and (2) |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Temporary Sign | 6 ft (rigid material); cloth signs over public street, 20 ft clearance | 100 sq ft (all temporary); 24 sq ft (rigid material); must not be affixed to ground | — | — | — | On private property or as permitted over public right-of-way. | — | 17.72.050; 17.72.100(n) |
| Portable Sign | 48 inches | No wider than 36 inches and no higher than 48 inches; no more than 25% of sidewalk width. | 36 inches | — | One per business per building side facing public street | On private property, or by special permit in city right-of-way. | — | 17.72.100(i)-(j) |
| Projecting Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.72.100(e)-(f); 17.72.080 |
| Marquee Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On, attached to, or constructed in a marquee. | — | 17.72.100(l) |
| Electric Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.72.100(m); 17.72.060(f) |

## Prohibited signs in Oroville

- Signs which imitate, closely resemble, confuse or obstruct the visibility or interpretation of an official traffic sign, signal or similar device.
- Signs attached to utility poles, street lights, and traffic control standard poles, except authorized road signs and temporary banners approved by the owner or authority controlling such utility devices and the property over which the sign is placed.
- Signs in a dilapidated or hazardous condition.
- Abandoned signs.
- Signs on doors, windows, fire escapes, or pedestrian paths that restrict free ingress, egress, or movement.
- Roof signs that are not integrated into the architecture of the building and/or exceed the maximum building height, as set forth in this title.
- Signs within the clear view triangle, as defined in Section 17.84.040 OMC.
- Vinyl, plastic, paper or similar flexible signage having the appearance of a temporary nature used as permanent signage (displayed longer than thirty days).
- Video monitor signs in areas where such sign display areas are visible from public streets (excluding alleys), except such monitors that may be located inside a window display with its screen parallel to the street.
- Swinging signs larger than twelve inches high by thirty-six inches long.
- Signs with loud speakers, excluding drive-up windows designed only to communicate with occupants of a vehicle for business purposes.
- Beacons, strobe lights, or flashing signs which change light intensity in a sudden transitory burst, or which switch on and off in a constant pattern in which more than one-third of the light source is on at any time so as to create glare, extreme brightness, or reflection of light onto private or public property.
- Up lighting of signage, except where the fixture is shielded by a roof overhang or similar structure shielding from the sky; all external sign lighting must be downward at such an angle that only the sign is illuminated.
- Electric or electronic signs that display text messages streaming across the display area such that drivers are distracted attempting to read the entire message.

## Signs exempt from permit in Oroville

- Painting, repainting or cleaning of an advertising structure or the changing of the advertising message thereon shall not be considered an erection or alteration which requires a sign permit unless a structural change is made; however, such changes shall conform to the requirements of this code.
- Signs of less than four square feet in sign area (for each of two sides) erected to identify name and address of residences and/or identify the address of public, commercial or industrial facilities, provided that they do not project within a city right-of-way.
- Official flags, emblems, insignia of the United States, other governmental units, and flags of nationally and internationally recognized organizations.
- Official and legal notices by any court, public body, persons, or officer in performance of public duty or in giving any legal notice.
- Monuments or other historical markers, including but not limited to building plaques, cornerstones, nameplates, or similar building identification or monuments.
- Structures and vehicles that are primarily used for other purposes such as phone booths, delivery vehicles, trailers, goodwill containers, or other similar structures.
- Murals in the form of artistic renditions that do not include advertising of businesses or political statements.
- Holiday decorations (temporary not to exceed thirty days total).
- Signs not visible from a public street or alley.
- Official sign: a sign required, authorized or permitted by law, ordinance, rule or regulation, erected or maintained by the responsible public authority, including but not limited to a traffic sign or signal, sign identifying a public building or use or giving directions to a building, structure, use, or area.
- Warning sign: a sign erected or maintained on private property warning the public of a danger on or limiting access to the premises, limited to a maximum dimension of two feet, a sign area of four square feet, and a height of six feet.
- House or building number: house or building number limited to numerals of eight inches in height.
- Signs in windows inside building.
- Existing signs that encumber the title of a building in such a way that the owner of the building cannot remove the sign; such signs shall not affect total allowable sign area for the building owner subject to the encumbrance.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The building official may require the filing of plans or other pertinent information where in his or her opinion such information is necessary to insure compliance with this code.
- Standard plans may be filed with the building official.
- Application for a sign permit or variance must be made in writing and may require plans depending on the type, height, or attachment of the sign.
- Signs over eight feet in height and most signs attached to buildings may require a building permit.

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

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