# Sign Regulations in Royal City, Washington

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Royal City, Washington (WA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/washington/royal-city
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-05
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/WA/Royal_City/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT14BUCO_CH14.08SI)

## At a glance

Royal City, Washington regulates 43 sign types across 6 zoning districts. Construction Signs in the Commercial zones, Industrial zones zoning district are capped at 8' tall and 32 sq. ft. per street frontage per construction site (Sec. 17.58.030; Table, Construction row). Most commercial signs in Royal City require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (6 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial zones, Industrial zones | 19 | 45' | 350 sq. ft. per site | — |
| Agricultural zone, Municipal Airport zone | 1 | Contained within outline of facade | 25% of each facade; no individual sign larger than 15% of a facade | — |
| R-3 zone | 3 | Contained within outline of facade | 12 sq. ft. combined with free-standing signs | — |
| Public zones | 3 | See applicable base sign type | See applicable base sign type | — |
| Residential zones | 5 | 8' | 32 sq. ft. per site | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 17 | Same as wall sign | 2 sq. ft. per sign, one sign per dispenser | — |

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

### Commercial zones, Industrial zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Architectural Appendage Sign | Flush-mounted or suspended under appendage; minimum 8' clearance above grade if suspended | See Building sign | — | — | — | Exterior of building; commercial and industrial zones only | — | 17.58.030; Table, Architectural Appendage row |
| Building Sign | Contained within outline of facade | 25% of each facade; no individual sign larger than 15% of a facade | — | — | — | On building facades | — | 17.58.030; Table, Building row |
| Changeable Copy Sign | 25' for free-standing, freeway or freeway interchange sign; or wall height for wall sign | See applicable base sign type | — | — | — | Applies to building, wall, free-standing, freeway, or temporary signs | — | 17.58.030; Table, Changeable Copy row |
| Community Sign | See applicable base sign type | See applicable base sign type | — | — | — | Building or free-standing | — | 17.58.030; Table, Community row |
| Construction Sign | 8' | 32 sq. ft. per street frontage per construction site | — | — | 1 per street frontage | On construction site | — | 17.58.030; Table, Construction row |
| Directional Sign | 6' (for free-standing); wall height for wall sign | 8 sq. ft. per sign | — | — | — | On site, construction or directing traffic | — | 17.58.030; Table, Directional row |
| Free-standing Sign | 25' | 150 sq. ft. per site; if street frontage > 300', additional 150 sq. ft. per 300' increment | — | — | Up to two per 300' of frontage, see additional requirements | Commercial & industrial zones only; one per site without street frontage; up to two per each 300' of street frontage. | — | 17.58.030; Table, Free-standing row |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 4' | 8 sq. ft. per face | 2' | — | — | On-site; or within right-of-way with city council approval | — | 17.58.030; Table, Sandwich Board row |

### Residential zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Garage Sale Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.58.030; Table, Garage Sale row |
| Home Occupation Sign | Same as for wall sign | 2 sq. ft. per residential dwelling unit with home occupation license | — | — | 1 per dwelling unit | On wall of dwelling with home occupation | — | 17.58.030; Table, Home Occupation row |
| Real Estate—Residential Lot | No limit | 6 sq. ft. per sign | — | — | — | Residential lot or parcel | — | 17.58.030; Table, Real Estate—Residential Lot row |
| Residential Identification Sign | 8' | 32 sq. ft. per site | — | — | — | Residential subdivisions and similar developments | — | 17.58.030; Table, Residential Identification row |
| Residential Subdivision Sign | 8' | 32 sq. ft. per subdivision/manufactured home binding site plan/or residential planned development | — | — | — | Subdivision or similar residential development | — | 17.58.030; Table, Residential Subdivision row |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Abandoned Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.58.030; Table, Abandoned row |
| Billboard | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.58.030; Table, Billboard row |
| Dilapidated or Hazardous Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.58.030; Table, Dilapidated or hazardous condition row |
| Flashing Sign | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17.58.030; Table, Flashing row |
| Political Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Private property or in right-of-way adjacent to private property with owner's permission | — | 17.58.030; Table, Political row |
| Temporary Gas Pump Sign | — | 2 sq. ft. per sign, one sign per dispenser | — | — | 1 per dispenser | On gas pump | — | 17.58.030; Table, Temporary Gas Pump row |
| Temporary Sign On Wall | Same as wall sign | See Building sign | — | — | — | On wall | — | 17.58.030; Table, Temporary Sign On Wall row |
| Vehicle Sign | Flush-mounted to vehicle | — | — | — | — | On vehicle used primarily for transportation | — | 17.58.030; Table, Vehicle row |

## Prohibited signs in Royal City

- Billboards are prohibited.
- Abandoned signs are prohibited.
- Flashing signs are prohibited.
- Signs in a dilapidated or hazardous condition as determined by the Building Official are prohibited.
- Signs which could be confused with or obstruct the view of a traffic sign or signal, as determined by city engineer, are prohibited.
- Signs which restrict ingress to or egress from a building are prohibited.
- Signs on vehicles other than vehicle signs are prohibited.
- No sign is allowed on or over right-of-way except as approved by city council for city streets.
- No sign is allowed within right-of-way of the interstate or primary system where there are no curbs.
- No permanent sign is allowed on or over a public utility easement.
- A sign shall comply with applicable provisions of the state building code and Chapter 15.20 of this code.
- A sign is subject to Chapter 8.21 of this code entitled Nuisances.
- State law (RCW 70.54.090) prohibits the attachment of a sign to a utility pole.
- No sign shall be erected or maintained if it is visible from the main traveled way of the interstate or primary system except as permitted by WAC 468-66 or RCW 47.42.
- A sign type that is not listed in the sign table is not allowed to be displayed.

## Signs exempt from permit in Royal City

- Government flags are exempt.
- Official signs or legal notices issued by a court, public agency, or as authorized by law or federal, county, or city authority are exempt.
- Open, Closed, Business Hours, Address, or Greeting signs are exempt.
- Private warning/directional signs (e.g., KEEP OUT, NO TRESPASSING) are exempt.
- Traffic control signs as defined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices are exempt.
- The replacement of the face or faces of a cabinet sign is exempt from sign permit requirements.
- Maintenance of a sign or sign structure (by repair, replacement of parts, cleaning, or touch-up) is exempt from sign permit requirements.
- Sign removal without any sign installation is exempt from sign permit requirements.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A site plan is required as part of the sign permit application for new, replacement, or certain types of signs.
- Planning agency review and approval is required for signs for a conditional use in the R-3 zone, certain free-standing signs on vacant sites, public zone signs (other than public or recreational facility identification), residential identification signs in residential zones, and others as specified in the ordinance.
- A variance application and hearing before the hearing examiner is required for requests to deviate from sign regulations.
- An inventory of each and every existing sign on the site is required as part of the sign permit application.
- A completed sign permit application is required for all signs unless specifically exempted; the application must include a site plan, scaled sign drawings, and an inventory.

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

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