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Sign Permit in Florence, Colorado

Required for most exterior signage in Florence, per Florence Municipal Code § 17.64.190 ("The Florence sign code"), specifically § 17.64.190.03 (Sign permits and administration). A sign permit is required prior to installation of any sign or group of signs whose total aggregate square footage exceeds nine (9) square feet per property; signage at or under that threshold is exempt. Administered by the City's Planning Department (Planning Director Ashley Fox) under Title 17 (Zoning), not the Building Department's Title 15 building-permit process, though sign work with structural or electrical scope may separately require a building/electrical permit on a case-by-case basis.

Verified 2026-08-13 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Sign permit required prior to installation of any sign or group of signs whose total aggregate square footage exceeds nine (9) square feet per property (FMC § 17.64.190.03.B)
  • Exempt: a sign or group of signs whose total square footage is nine (9) square feet or less per property (FMC § 17.64.190.03.D); temporary signs and window signs also do not require a permit and do not count toward the total allowed area (FMC § 17.64.190.05.D.3-4)
  • In multiple-tenant nonresidential buildings/developments, a separate permit is required for each business entity's sign; if the property has no approved Comprehensive Sign Plan, one must be created at the time of application (FMC § 17.64.190.03.B, referencing § 17.64.190.10)
  • Additional permits may be required for signs located along state highways (Florence sits on U.S. Highway 50) — the applicant is solely responsible for obtaining those and providing proof of approval to City staff (FMC § 17.64.190.03.C); the sign code itself does not name the reviewing agency, so confirm with the Planning Director whether separate state coordination is needed
  • Application must include: applicant's name, mailing address, phone number; property location; sign type; a dimensioned sketch (a structural engineer's certification may be required for a pole or projecting sign); a site plan showing the proposed sign location and all other existing signs on the building/parcel; a letter of consent from the property owner if the applicant is not the owner; any other information required by the Administrator; and a nonrefundable permit fee (FMC § 17.64.190.03.E)
  • The Administrator must determine whether the application is complete within three (3) business days of receipt; if incomplete, no further action is taken until deficiencies are remedied (FMC § 17.64.190.03.F)
  • If complete, the Administrator reviews the application against the chapter's standards and sends notice of issuance, conditional issuance, or denial within ten (10) business days from the date the application was deemed complete (FMC § 17.64.190.03.G.1-2)
  • Permit expires, with no further force or effect, if sign construction is not completed within one hundred eighty (180) days after approval (FMC § 17.64.190.03.H)
  • Allowed sign area/height/illumination varies by zone district under Table 1 and Table 2 of FMC § 17.64.190.05 — e.g., 9 sq ft per dwelling unit in residential zones (pole/ground signs capped at 5 ft height, no illumination except by special use permit); Commercial Historic Business (CHB) district capped at 1 sq ft per linear ft of building frontage up to 50 sq ft, with new pole/ground signs requiring a special use permit; other Commercial/Industrial zones allow up to 1.0 sq ft per linear ft of lot frontage (max 100 sq ft per frontage, 200 sq ft total per property), plus 0.5 sq ft per linear ft of building frontage for additional floors
  • Prohibited in all zone districts: off-premises signs (with a limited resale/lease exception up to 40 sq ft, or City Council approval by resolution), unapproved signs on public property/right-of-way, moving/flashing/animated signs, hazardous or dangerous signs, decrepit signs, roof signs, obsolete signs not removed within 90 days of the advertised business/product leaving the premises, and uncivil signs (FMC § 17.64.190.06)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Sign Permit FeeFMC § 17.94.010 (Fees designated, Title 17) delegates all Title 17 application fees to a City Council resolution amended from time to time — no numeric sign-permit fee table was found on the City's website, Building Department page, or Planning and Zoning page. Contact the Planning Director (719-784-4848, option 7) for a current fee quote.
Nonrefundable; specific dollar amount not published in the Florence Municipal Code

Review timeline

Plan reviewFlorence’s published plan-review target
0–13 business days

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

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

    All signs are subject to inspection to confirm installation and maintenance comply with the sign code (FMC § 17.64.190.03.G.3); construction must be completed within 180 days of approval or the permit expires

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

Tips

  • The 9-square-foot threshold is an AGGREGATE across all signs on the property, not per individual sign — a property already near the threshold should count all existing signage before assuming a new sign is permit-exempt.
  • Multi-tenant commercial buildings without an existing approved Comprehensive Sign Plan must create one at the time of their first sign permit application under this code — budget extra lead time if your building doesn't already have one on file.
  • The 180-day construction/inspection deadline runs from approval, not from application — don't let an issued sign permit sit unbuilt.
  • Temporary signs (max 16 sq ft, no more than 60 days per calendar year, one at a time) and window signs are exempt from the permit requirement entirely and don't count toward your property's allowed sign area, per FMC § 17.64.190.05.D.3-4.
  • No numeric sign-permit fee is published anywhere in the Florence Municipal Code or on the City's website — it is set by City Council resolution and not posted online; call ahead rather than budgeting from an assumed figure.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, if the total aggregate square footage of a sign or group of signs on your property exceeds 9 square feet. Signage at or under 9 square feet, plus qualifying temporary signs and window signs, is exempt from the permit requirement, per Florence Municipal Code § 17.64.190.03.

In Florence, the published Sign Permit Fee is: Nonrefundable; specific dollar amount not published in the Florence Municipal Code. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

The City must determine whether your application is complete within 3 business days of submittal, then must complete its review and notify you of the decision within 10 business days of the application being deemed complete — a combined maximum of 13 business days, per FMC § 17.64.190.03.F-G.

You'll need: Sign Permit Application; Dimensioned Sign Sketch; Site Plan. Depending on your project, Florence may also ask for: Comprehensive Sign Plan. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Florence requires 1 inspection(s) for a sign permit, in order: Sign Installation Inspection. Schedule each through City of Florence Building Department ((719) 784-4848).

Apply through City of Florence Building Department at Florence Municipal Center, 600 West 3rd Street, Florence, CO 81226. Phone: (719) 784-4848, email: building@florencecolorado.org. Office hours: Main City Hall line (719) 784-4848 (option 6 reaches the Building Inspector directly); Fax (719) 784-0228. Building Inspector: David Wales, David.Wales@florencecolorado.org. Permit applications and supporting documents may also be submitted to john.vernetti@florencecolorado.org per the Building Permits page.. Official information: https://www.cityofflorenceco.gov/building-department.

Florence, Colorado has adopted: 2006 International Building Code (IBC) — City of Florence Building Department page states plainly: 'The City of Florence follows the 2006 International Building Code'; 2006 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — per the Building Permit Application Submittal Checklist (PDF): 'Energy Code – City of Florence adopts the 2006 Edition of the International Energy Conservation Code'; Florence Municipal Code Title 15 (Buildings and Construction), Section 15.04.040: 'The requirement for obtaining building permits relative to the construction, alteration, moving, demolition, repair, maintenance, and use of any building or structure within the City of Florence shall be governed by the most recent adopted edition of the appropriate adopted codes and building standards, including amendments thereto.' Per Municode search indexing of Title 15, Chapter 15.08 (amendments) is where local amendments to the 2006 IBC are set forth (Section 15.08.010).; Electrical: 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — administered by the State of Colorado, NOT the City (see localAmendments). Source: City of Florence Building Department page, linking to the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (DORA) Electrical Board page, which states the current adopted edition as the 2023 NEC.; Plumbing: 2021 (Colorado) Plumbing Code — administered by the State of Colorado, NOT the City. Source: City of Florence Building Department page, linking to the DORA Plumbing Board page, which lists the 2021 edition.; No separate local IRC, IMC, IFGC, or IFC edition is published by the City on its Building Department or Building Permits pages, or in the Building Permit Application Submittal Checklist — only the 2006 IBC (general building code) and 2006 IECC (energy code) are explicitly named by the City itself. The zero-tolerance policy governing this corpus prohibits inferring an IRC/IMC/IFGC/IFC edition the City has not itself published; note this as a gap rather than assuming a matching 2006 cycle for the unlisted codes.; HB22-1362 (Colorado statewide energy code floor, effective for jurisdictions adopting/updating codes on specified triggers starting July 2023 for larger jurisdictions and July 2026 for smaller ones) does not appear reflected on the City's Building Department page or Submittal Checklist, both of which still affirmatively state the 2006 IECC as current and were the live, actively-maintained pages as of this review (2026-07-06) — checked directly, no updated energy code notice found. Flagged honestly rather than assumed; Florence's population (under the HB22-1362 tiered compliance triggers) and its home-rule status both bear on whether/when the floor applies, but the City has not published any code update reflecting it as of this review.. Local amendments apply — see the Florence 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 Florence building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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