Skip to main content
PermitBase

Sign Permit in Yuma, Arizona

Required for the installation, construction, reconstruction, alteration or replacement of all signs and sign structures in the City of Yuma. The permit is issued by the City of Yuma Building Safety Department under Yuma City Code § 154-17.07(B)(1); administration of the sign regulations is shared between the City Zoning Administrator and the Building Official (§ 154-17.07(A)). All permanent sign installations require a permit, including signage painted or otherwise attached to the exterior of a building, wall, roof, fence or other outdoor surface. A temporary sign requires a permit only if it exceeds BOTH 32 square feet of sign face area and six feet in height, but any temporary sign exceeding ten square feet of sign face area must have its location registered with the Department of Planning and Neighborhood Services. An illuminated sign additionally requires a separate electrical permit. The sign permit fee is not a flat fee: it is the valuation-based building permit fee (Table 1-A at § 150-016(I)) applied to the total valuation of the sign and sign structure, calculated from the building valuation data maintained by the Building Safety Department, plus a plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee.

Verified 2026-08-16 · Source

When you need this permit

  • A permit issued by the City of Yuma Building Safety Department is required for the installation, construction, reconstruction, alteration or replacement of all signs and sign structures; failure to obtain the permit is a violation of Chapter 154 (§ 154-17.07(B)(1))
  • Permanent signage: a permit is required for all permanent sign installations as regulated by Chapter 154, including the painting or other attachment of any signage on the exterior of any building, wall, roof, fence or other outdoor surface as a new sign installation; the sign owner must indicate in writing whether the sign is an on-site or an off-site installation (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(b))
  • Temporary signage — two different thresholds: a PERMIT is required for any temporary sign installation exceeding 32 square feet in sign face area AND exceeding six feet in height, and the applicant must state in writing the date by which the signage will be removed; separately, the installer of any temporary sign exceeding ten square feet of sign face area must REGISTER its location with the City of Yuma Department of Planning and Neighborhood Services (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(c))
  • If the sign or sign structure is to be illuminated by electrical means, a separate electrical permit is required under the electrical code adopted by the City (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(d); NFPA 70 2020 NEC adopted at § 150-076, fees at § 150-077(L))
  • Each application must be accompanied by a plan or plans drawn to scale showing: complete dimensions illustrating sign face area and the height of the structure if freestanding, or the dimensions of the wall, roof or canopy on which the sign is mounted or painted; the total sign face area already existing on the property (permanent and temporary, on-site and off-site) and its locations; the location of the sign installation on the property together with all property lines, curb lines, curb cuts and sidewalks pertinent to the location; the method of attachment, illumination and structural support, plus any calculations required by the Building Official; and the exact location of the property by address or legal description (§ 154-17.07(B)(2))
  • Approval of the permit by the City does not eliminate any requirement to secure a permit from the State of Arizona pursuant to state law where applicable (§ 154-17.07(B)(1))
  • Nonconforming signage (§ 154-17.02(C)): a lawfully existing nonconforming sign may be continued indefinitely, but any addition, enlargement or other alteration increasing the degree of nonconformity is prohibited; a nonconforming sign abandoned for more than one year is subject to the abandoned-signage removal provisions of § 154-17.05(E); if damage or deterioration makes the cost of repair equal to 50% of sound replacement value, or the cost of alteration exceeds 50% of replacement value, the sign must be rebuilt or replaced in conformance or removed altogether
  • Business name change: when the name of an activity changes, any nonconforming on-site signage related to that activity must be replaced or modified to meet Chapter 154 unless the signage was previously constructed with interchangeable panels, letters or copy. Maintenance, repair, repainting a previously painted face or repapering a previously papered sign is expressly not a “replacement” (§ 154-17.02(C)(3))
  • Additional sign standards apply within the Aesthetic Overlay Zoning District (§ 154-14.01(D)(3)) and within the Old Town Zoning District (§ 154-10.03), which publishes its own permitted sign types, prohibited signs and sign standards (§ 154-10.03)
  • A noncommercial message may be substituted for all or part of any message on any sign allowed under Chapter 154, with no special or additional approval required, provided the sign structure is already approved or exempt from approval and no structural or electrical change is made; the sign remains subject to all design, locational, structural, building and electrical requirements (§ 154-17.02(E))
  • Where a sign has two or more faces the area of all faces counts toward sign area, except that only one face of a double-faced sign counts where the angle between faces does not exceed 30 degrees (§ 154-17.02(F))

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 2 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our checklist will assemble all of them, free →

Fee schedule

Sign Permit Fee — valuation-based (no flat sign fee exists)Yuma City Code § 154-17.07(C)(1): before issuing any sign permit the Building Safety Department collects a permit fee “in the amount specified by current adopted building code”, based on the total valuation of the sign and sign structure (whether or not made locally) as calculated from the building valuation data maintained by the Building Safety Department, which includes the unit cost per square foot of sign face area for illuminated and nonilluminated signage. For an addition to an existing sign or sign structure the valuation is based on the square footage of sign face area added (§ 154-17.07(C)(1)(a)-(b)). The bracket figures shown are Table 1-A at § 150-016(I) as amended by Ord. O2025-033 (passed 10-1-25), read row-by-row from the American Legal HTML table markup on 2026-08-16 rather than from text extraction. NOT OBTAINED: the Department’s per-square-foot sign valuation unit costs are not printed in the code, and the City’s “Building Permit Fees” PDF could not be retrieved — yumaaz.gov is behind Akamai (403 to every non-browser client), the PDF yields no extractable text in Chrome’s viewer, and the Wayback Machine returned 429/503 this session. Obtain the sign valuation figures from Building Safety at (928) 373-5163.
$50.00 minimum ($1 to $500 valuation); $50.00 for the first $500 plus $4 per additional $100 to $2,000; $110.00 for the first $2,000 plus $16 per additional $1,000 to $25,000; $478.00 for the first $25,000 plus $12 per additional $1,000 to $50,000; $780.00 for the first $50,000 plus $8 per additional $1,000 to $100,000; $1,180.00 for the first $100,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 to $500,000; $3,580.00 for the first $500,000 plus $6 per additional $1,000 to $1,000,000; $6,580.00 for the first $1,000,000 plus $4 per additional $1,000
Plan Check FeeYuma City Code § 154-17.07(C)(2); collected by the Building Safety Department at the time the permit is applied for and plans are submitted, and payable whether or not a permit is issued.
65% of the sign permit fee
Investigation Fee (work begun without a permit)Yuma City Code § 154-17.07(C)(3): where work requiring a permit has begun without one, the Building Safety Department conducts a special investigation before issuing any permit, and the investigation fee equals the permit fee. The party performing the work is also subject to the penal provisions of Chapter 154 and of any other adopted code or ordinance.
An amount equal to, and in addition to, the sign permit fee
Re-inspection Fee — TWO OFFICIAL FIGURES CONFLICTCONFLICT DISCLOSED, NOT RESOLVED by this research and deliberately not averaged or silently chosen. § 154-17.07(C)(3)(b) states a re-inspection fee “shall be $15”, assessed when the work called for inspection is not complete or previously noted corrections have not been made. Table 1-A at § 150-016(I), as amended by Ord. O2025-033 passed 10-1-25, instead sets “Reinspection fees of $75 per hour” (or the total hourly cost to the jurisdiction, whichever is greater). Both texts are live in the same code version (2026 S-74) and both were read directly on 2026-08-16; the sign-chapter figure descends from ordinance history predating the 2025 building-fee update. Confirm which applies with Building Safety at (928) 373-5163.
$15 per re-inspection under the sign chapter (§ 154-17.07(C)(3)(b)); $75 per hour under the building fee table (§ 150-016(I), Table 1-A, “Other Inspections and Fees”)
Electrical Permit (illuminated signs only)A separate electrical permit is required for any sign illuminated by electrical means (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(d)). Its fee is not set by the sign chapter; no electrical figure is restated here rather than re-derived.
Per the electrical fee table at Yuma City Code § 150-077(L) — see this file’s electrical-permit entry
Variance from sign design standards (only if relief is sought)Yuma City Code § 154-01.05(D), read 2026-08-16. IMPORTANT CAVEAT published in the same section: “An annual increase in the above planning and zoning fees is to be done each subsequent July 1 based on the previous year’s West B/C Cost of Living Index” — so these printed figures may lag the amount actually charged. Sign variances are heard by the City of Yuma Hearing Officer, who may not grant any variance increasing the degree of nonconformity of existing signage and may grant no relief at all for signs prohibited by § 154-17.06(A) (§ 154-17.07(D)(1)). Variances from the structural or mechanical requirements of the building code, or appeals from a Building Official interpretation, go instead to the Board of Appeals or Building Advisory Board (§ 154-17.07(D)(2)).
Variance or appeal application per § 154-01.05(D): $125 for the first acre plus $20 per additional acre in all residential districts; $500 for the first acre plus $20 per additional acre in commercial/industrial districts; $200 for an appeal of an ordinance interpretation; minor variance or exception request 50% of the variance fee

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Sign Permit permit actually take in Yuma?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Sign Installation Inspection(s)

    Chapter 154 publishes no sign-specific inspection sequence. It does establish that inspections occur and are re-called: § 154-17.07(C)(3)(b) assesses a re-inspection fee “when the work for which the inspection is called is not complete, or when corrections previously noted have not been made”. The number, order and trigger points of sign inspections are not published — confirm with Building Safety at (928) 373-5163 rather than assuming a sequence from another jurisdiction.

  2. 2

    Electrical Inspection (illuminated signs)

    Work performed under the separate electrical permit required by § 154-17.07(B)(1)(d) is inspected under the electrical code adopted at § 150-076 (NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2020 Edition, with the 2006 ICC Electrical Code administrative provisions). All work must be inspected prior to covering (City of Yuma Building Permits page).

See the full Yuma inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • The two temporary-sign numbers are different and are easy to confuse. A temporary sign needs a PERMIT only if it exceeds BOTH 32 square feet of sign face area and six feet in height (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(c)). But any temporary sign over ten square feet must have its location REGISTERED with the Department of Planning and Neighborhood Services — a separate obligation with a much lower threshold.
  • An illuminated sign needs two permits, not one: the sign permit from Building Safety plus a separate electrical permit (§ 154-17.07(B)(1)(d)). Budget both.
  • There is no flat sign permit fee in Yuma. The fee is the valuation-based building permit schedule (Table 1-A) applied to the sign’s valuation, which the Building Safety Department computes from its own building valuation data using a unit cost per square foot of sign face area that differs for illuminated and nonilluminated signs. Those unit costs are not published in the code — ask Building Safety for the current figures before pricing a job.
  • Two official City sources give different sign re-inspection fees: $15 in § 154-17.07(C)(3)(b) and $75 per hour in Table 1-A at § 150-016(I) as amended 10-1-25. Both are live in code version 2026 S-74. Confirm before budgeting rather than assuming the lower figure.
  • Rebranding a tenant space can force a sign into conformance. Under § 154-17.02(C)(3), when the name of an activity changes, nonconforming on-site signage must be replaced or modified to conform — unless the sign was originally built with interchangeable panels, letters or copy. Repainting or repapering an existing face is expressly not a replacement.
  • The Hearing Officer cannot rescue a nonconforming sign: § 154-17.07(D)(1) bars any variance that would increase the degree of nonconformity of existing signage, and § 154-17.07(D) allows no relief at all for signs prohibited by § 154-17.06(A).
  • Starting sign work without a permit doubles the cost: the investigation fee under § 154-17.07(C)(3) equals the permit fee and is charged in addition to it, plus penal exposure under Chapter 154.
  • Zoning and planning fee figures printed in § 154-01.05 escalate every July 1 by the previous year’s West B/C Cost of Living Index, so printed dollar amounts can lag the amount actually charged at the counter.
  • Signs in the Old Town Zoning District and in the Aesthetic Overlay Zoning District carry their own permitted types, prohibited types and standards (§§ 154-10.03, 154-14.01(D)(3)) on top of Article 17 — check the district before designing.

Frequently asked questions

Yes for every permanent sign. Yuma City Code § 154-17.07(B)(1) requires a permit from the Building Safety Department for the installation, construction, reconstruction, alteration or replacement of all signs and sign structures, including signage painted or attached to a building, wall, roof, fence or other outdoor surface. Temporary signs need a permit only if they exceed both 32 square feet of sign face area and six feet in height, though any temporary sign over ten square feet must be registered with Planning and Neighborhood Services.

There is no flat fee. Under § 154-17.07(C)(1) the fee is the valuation-based building permit fee (Table 1-A at § 150-016(I)) applied to the total valuation of the sign and sign structure, which the Building Safety Department calculates from its building valuation data using a unit cost per square foot of sign face area (different for illuminated and nonilluminated signs). A plan check fee of 65% of the permit fee is due at submittal whether or not the permit issues. The Department’s per-square-foot sign valuation figures are not published in the code; call Building Safety at (928) 373-5163.

Yuma does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Yuma Department of Community Development, Building Safety Division at (928) 373-5163 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Sign Permit Application; Scaled Sign Plan(s). Depending on your project, Yuma may also ask for: Banner Permit; Electrical Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Yuma requires 2 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: Sign Installation Inspection(s), Electrical Inspection (illuminated signs). Schedule each through City of Yuma Department of Community Development, Building Safety Division ((928) 373-5163).

Apply through City of Yuma Department of Community Development, Building Safety Division at Yuma City Hall, Second Floor, One City Plaza, Yuma, AZ 85364-1436. Phone: (928) 373-5163, email: Inspection@YumaAZ.gov. Office hours: Monday - Thursday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM; every other Friday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM; closed on designated City holidays. Inspections: (928) 373-5170 (non-emergency, request by 3 p.m. for next-business-day scheduling); after-hours/emergency inspections (928) 373-5163.. Official information: https://www.yumaaz.gov/government/building-safety.

Yes. § 154-17.07(B)(1)(d) requires a separate electrical permit, in accordance with the electrical code adopted by the City (NFPA 70, 2020 NEC, at § 150-076), whenever a sign or sign structure is illuminated by electrical means.

If the sign is nonconforming, changing the name of the activity triggers § 154-17.02(C)(3): the nonconforming on-site signage must be replaced or modified to meet current standards, unless it was originally constructed with interchangeable panels, letters or copy. Simply repainting or repapering an existing face does not count as a replacement and is permitted.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-16.

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Yuma building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

Other permits in Yuma

Residential Building Permit (New Construction)Residential Addition / Remodel / Alteration PermitElectrical PermitPlumbing PermitMechanical / HVAC PermitRe-Roofing PermitSolar Photovoltaic (PV) PermitDemolition PermitFence and Wall PermitEV Charger / Electric Vehicle Charging Station PermitCommercial Building Permit (New Construction / Addition)Commercial Tenant Improvement / Alteration PermitFire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm PermitChange of Use / Change of Occupancy Permit

Sign Permit in other cities

Ak-Chin Indian Community, ArizonaApache Junction, ArizonaAvondale, ArizonaBenson, ArizonaBisbee, ArizonaBuckeye, ArizonaBullhead City, ArizonaCamp Verde, Arizona

Compare sign permit fees across Arizona →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Now live

Build your Yuma project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Yuma — in one checklist. Free, for any city and any number of projects.

Get started →