Sign Permit in Cortez, Colorado

When you need this permit

• Permit required to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, paint, repaint, or change the use of any sign, per Land Use Code Sec. 5.06(f) and Sec. 6.21(a); repainting a sign exactly as it was originally permitted, for maintenance purposes, does NOT require a new permit
• Exempt sign types (Sec. 5.06(f)(1), referencing Sec. 2.02 Definitions): public, directional, occupant, memorial, bulletin, signs in display windows, professional, real estate, signs within buildings, political, and garage sale signs, plus wall signs with less than three (3) square feet of display area
• Permanent sign area: one (1) square foot of sign area per linear foot of street frontage of the lot (single sign capped at 200 sq ft; total sign area per use-by-right capped at 600 sq ft), per Sec. 5.06(c)(1)(d)
• Maximum height above grade: wall signs may not exceed the height of the building; ground and roof signs may not exceed 25 feet above grade, per Sec. 5.06(c)(1)(e)
• Illumination is capped at 25 watts per bulb (incandescent) or 118 watts per bulb (fluorescent), per Sec. 5.06(c)(1)(g); all permitted signs must comply with the National Electric Safety Code
• Ground signs are allowed only in the C (commercial) and CBD (central business) districts, per Sec. 5.06(c)(1)(h)
• Temporary signs (announcing a property sale/lease, public event, builder/tenant of a proposed building, or election campaign): max 32 sq ft, max 12 ft height, one per street frontage, no illumination/animation, and a hard 6-month time limit with up to four successive 6-month renewals at the same location — once the sign's stated purpose is fulfilled, the permit is void, per Sec. 5.06(c)(2)
• Billboards: max 128 sq ft display area, max 12 ft height x 16 ft width, base no more than 1 ft above adjoining street/highway grade, and must identify local goods/services/commodities available in the city; owners must apply annually before March 31 for a current-year permit, per Sec. 5.06(c)(3)
• Historic Sign designation: the City Council may designate up to nine (9) total signs within the CBD and C districts as exempt from nonconformance provisions, via an application supported by letters from at least 3 other business/property owners in the district and review by the Planning and Zoning Commission (or a council-appointed body) within 45 days, per Sec. 5.06(c)(4)
• One-time sign permit fee is calculated per the currently-adopted city construction codes Building Permit Fee schedule (the same valuation-based table used for building permits generally), per Sec. 6.21(a)(1); the Sign Permit Application itself asks the applicant to state 'the value of the proposed signing'
• FEE DISCREPANCY: Land Use Code Sec. 6.21(a)(2) itself states a $10.00 annual billboard permit fee, but the currently-published 2026 Fee Schedule lists $27.50 for a new billboard sign and $50.00 per billboard per year for annual renewal — the more recent, currently-adopted Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026) governs; the $10.00 figure in the codified Land Use Code text appears stale
• Application must include a scale drawing of the proposed sign (height, overall dimensions, colors, materials, proposed copy, illumination specifications, mounting method) and a scale site plan/building-facade outline showing the location, height, and dimensions of all existing and proposed signs on the site, per Sec. 6.21(b)
• Reviewed by the City's Zoning/Building Inspector, per the Sign Permit Application form; processed under the requirements of the City of Cortez Land Use Code