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Sign Permit in Cañon City, Colorado

Required for nearly all exterior signage in Cañon City, whether new or replacement, permanent or temporary, per Chapter 17.07 (Sign Standards) of the Unified Development Code, Sec. 17.07.010.C.2 ('Permit required. No person shall erect, display, alter, relocate, or replace any sign, including a sign face replacement, without the prior issuance of a sign permit... unless the sign is exempt from permit requirements as provided in this chapter.'). Administered by the City's Community Development/Planning & Zoning Division (128 Main Street), not the Building Department, though sign installation contractors must also hold City contractor licensing.

Verified 2026-08-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Permit required for all exterior signage — new, replacement, permanent, or temporary — unless the specific sign type is listed as permit-exempt in Table 17.07.040 (e.g., A-Frame/Sandwich Board signs, temporary window signs, post signs, and yard signs are generally NOT subject to permit; wall, monument, pole/pylon, awning/canopy, projecting, permanent window, and on-site traffic directional signs generally ARE, subject to zoning district)
  • Aggregate permanent sign area limited to one (1) square foot of sign area per linear foot of lot frontage; aggregate temporary sign area limited to the same 1:1 ratio (Sec. 17.07.020(A)-(B)); corner/double-frontage lots receive an additional 0.5 sq ft per linear foot of secondary frontage, displayable only on that secondary frontage
  • Wall sign area may not exceed 5% of the wall face in Residential districts and the NC, CB, and OPR Districts, or 10% of the wall face in the GC, BP, and I Districts (Sec. 17.07.050(A)); wall signs may not protrude above the roofline/parapet and may project no more than 6 inches from the wall with a minimum 10-foot vertical clearance
  • Single-tenant monument signs: max 15 sq ft / 5 ft height in Residential, NC, CB, and OPR Districts; max 50 sq ft / 7 ft height in GC, BP, and I Districts; one per lot frontage, minimum 5-foot setback from property lines/rights-of-way/utility easements, masonry/stone base, required landscaping at the sign base
  • Sign installation contractors must hold a current Outdoor Advertising license or General Contractor's license with the City of Cañon City, and may also require a City sales tax license, before a sign permit will be issued Contractor
  • Signage proposed along U.S. Highway 50 or South 9th Street (Highway 115) must have pre-approval from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in addition to the City sign permit
  • A home-based business compliant with the City's home-occupation standards (Sec. 17.05.140.H) may install an unlighted wall sign not exceeding 2 square feet WITHOUT a sign permit — the City's own Sign Packet cites this exemption under both Sec. 17.05.140.H and Sec. 17.30.070.D without reconciling the two citations; both are reported here as independently published
  • Application must include: completed Sign Permit Application Form, a site plan drawn to scale showing the proposed sign location plus all physical features/structures/traffic patterns on the lot, and sign plans/details/specifications showing structural features, anchoring, supports, wind load resistance, lighting layout, and all dimensions
  • The permit fee is calculated by the Sign Code Officer and is payable upon approval of the application — no fixed flat-fee table is published
  • An issued sign permit expires sixty (60) days after issuance if the sign has not been constructed and inspected

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Sign Permit FeeNo fixed dollar figure or fee table is published on the Signs page, the Sign Packet, or the Sign Permit Application form; the application form itself states 'The application fee is calculated by the sign code officer and payable upon approval of the sign permit application.' Contact the City Planner (719-269-9011) for a project-specific quote.
Calculated by the Sign Code Officer on a per-application basis; payable upon approval of the sign permit application

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Sign Permit permit actually take in Cañon City?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Final Inspection

    Sign must be constructed and inspected within 60 days of permit issuance, or the permit expires

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

Tips

  • The City's own guidance urges talking to Planning & Zoning BEFORE purchasing or installing any signage, since unauthorized signage may have to be removed and there is no flat published fee to budget against in advance — call 719-269-9011.
  • Signage along Highway 50 or South 9th Street (Highway 115) needs CDOT pre-approval in addition to the City sign permit — budget extra lead time for corridor-adjacent locations.
  • The 60-day expiration window is a hard construction/inspection deadline, not just an application deadline — don't let an approved sign permit sit unbuilt.
  • A compliant home-based business's small (≤2 sq ft), unlighted wall sign is one of the few sign types in Cañon City that needs NO permit at all — confirm your home-occupation compliance under Sec. 17.05.140.H before assuming this exemption applies.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, for nearly all exterior signage — new or replacement, permanent or temporary — per Chapter 17.07 of the Unified Development Code. A short list of sign types (A-frame/sandwich board, temporary window signs, post signs, yard signs, and a small compliant home-occupation wall sign) are exempt from the permit requirement.

There is no published flat fee. The application fee is calculated by the Sign Code Officer on a per-application basis and is payable upon approval, per the City's own Sign Permit Application form.

Cañon City does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of Cañon City Building Department at 719-276-5253 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Sign Permit Application Form; Site Plan (to scale); Sign Plans, Details, and Specifications; Sign Contractor License / Sales Tax License. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Cañon City requires 1 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: Final Inspection. Schedule each through City of Cañon City Building Department (719-276-5253).

Apply through City of Cañon City Building Department at 128 Main Street, Cañon City, CO 81212. Phone: 719-276-5253, email: Kathy Ulsh (Certified Building Official) and Susanne Rave (Permit Technician II) — see City of Cañon City Building Department contact page for current email addresses. Office hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (the building opens to the public at 8:00 a.m.; staff are available by phone only from 7-8 a.m.). Inspections may be scheduled 24 hours a day by calling 719.276.5292.. Official information: https://www.canoncity.org/176/Building-Department.

Cañon City, Colorado has adopted: 2018 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Cañon City Building Department page, confirmed still the currently adopted edition as of this review (effective date of the 2018 Code adoption: January 1, 2021, per the City's own '2018 International Codes' page; adopted December 2020); 2018 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2018 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — City's own '2018 Energy Code Requirements' handout describes IRC Chapter 11 (N1101-N1106) compliance paths (Prescriptive, Simulated Performance, Energy Rating Index) for Climate Zone 5, effective January 1, 2021; 2018 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2018 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2018 International Residential Code (IRC); 2018 International Swimming Pool & Spa Code (ISPSC); 2018 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC); Climatic & Geographic Design Criteria for Cañon City, CO under the 2018 IRC and 2018 IBC (PDF, revised June 22, 2026): Ground Snow Load 30 psf; Wind Speed 100 mph (Risk Category II per the Residential Design Criteria table; the Commercial Design Criteria section of the same document separately states basic design wind speeds of VULT=115 mph/VASD=90 mph for Risk Category I, VULT=126 mph/VASD=100 mph for Risk Category II, and VULT=139 mph/VASD=110 mph for Risk Category III or IV — both the Residential and Commercial tables appear on the same official document without an explicit reconciliation note, so both are reported here as published); Seismic Design Category B; Frost line depth 27 inches; Weathering: Severe; Termite: Slight to Moderate; Ice Barrier Underlayment: Not Required; Flood Hazards per FEMA Flood Maps / Cañon City Municipal Code (CCMC) Title 21; Commercial ground snow load 30 psf (ASCE 7-16, increased by importance factor 1.10 for Risk Category III / 1.20 for Risk Category IV); Flood hazard areas established per 'The Flood Insurance Study for Fremont County, Colorado and incorporated areas,' dated July 3, 2012, as amended, with the accompanying FIRM and FBFM maps, adopted by reference (IBC Section 1612.3, per the Climatic & Geographic Design Criteria document). Local amendments apply — see the Cañon City overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-13.

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 Cañon City building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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