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Sign Permit in Unincorporated San Juan County, Utah

Required for constructing a sign in unincorporated San Juan County, reviewed by the Planning & Building Department. County Ordinance 2024-04 (the consolidated fee schedule) lists two separate sign fees in Section 8: a $75.00 Sign Permit under Planning Fees, and a $150.00 Business Sign Permit under Building Permit Fees. Sign categories and dimensional standards are set out in the County Zoning Ordinance § 12-5 (Signs), which distinguishes a “Business sign” — requiring approval of a Request for Business Sign Permit, governed by federal and state highway rules — from non-business signs.

Verified 2026-08-15 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Business (commercial) signs require approval of a 'Request for Business Sign Permit' and are governed by federal and state highway rules where applicable; the Planning Commission may cap sign area at 1 sq. ft. per linear foot of street frontage abutting the development, with any one sign for a business capped at 100 sq. ft. and no more than 3 signs per business (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(1))
  • Non-business signs are limited to no more than 2 signs per use or occupancy, with maximum total square footage by category: Development 40 sq ft, Civic 14 sq ft, Real Estate 32 sq ft, Residential 2 sq ft (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(2))
  • All signs must be flat wall or free-standing — no revolving or moving parts, and no flashing or intermittent lighting (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(3))
  • The Sign Permit Application requires: applicant name/address/phone, physical address and legal description of the sign location, sign type (Development, Civic, Real Estate, Residential, Commercial, or Other), construction type (flat wall or free-standing), business name if different from applicant, property ownership confirmation (or property owner's name/address if applicant is not the owner), and sign size
  • Landowner signature is required in addition to the applicant's signature if the applicant does not own the property
  • Applications are reviewed for zoning conformance and require sign-off before Planning Commission approval, per the form's own 'For County Use Only' section (zoning check, ownership verification, staff recommendation, then Planning Commission approval)

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Sign Permit (Planning Fees)
San Juan County Ordinance #2024-04 (Consolidated Fee Schedule, adopted pursuant to Utah Code §17-53-211), Section 8.A 'Planning Fees' table. Show full citationSan Juan County Ordinance #2024-04 (Consolidated Fee Schedule, adopted pursuant to Utah Code §17-53-211), Section 8.A 'Planning Fees' table. This is a scanned document with no text layer, so read the table from the page as published. The row reads: 'Sign Permit | $75'. San Juan County's Planning and Zoning page (sanjuancountyut.gov/389/Planning-and-Zoning) lists the identical figure: 'Sign Permit: $75'. This is a distinct fee line from the Business Sign Permit fee below, which sits in a different table within the same ordinance section.
$75.00
Business Sign Permit (Building Permit Fees)
San Juan County Ordinance #2024-04 (Consolidated Fee Schedule), Section 8.A 'Building Permits Fees' table (same Section 8, 'Fees of the Planning & Zoning Department,' as the Planning Fees table above… Show full citationSan Juan County Ordinance #2024-04 (Consolidated Fee Schedule), Section 8.A 'Building Permits Fees' table (same Section 8, 'Fees of the Planning & Zoning Department,' as the Planning Fees table above -- one department administers both fee tables), read directly off a 200-DPI page render of the same scanned ordinance page: the row reads 'Business Sign Permit | $150.00'. Confirmed live and current on San Juan County's official Building Permits and Business Licenses page (sanjuancountyut.gov/293/Building-Permits-and-Business-Licenses), which lists the identical figure verbatim: 'Business Sign Permit: $150'. County Zoning Ordinance §12-5(1) separately defines 'Business signs' (commercial signage requiring approval of a 'Request for Business Sign Permit,' governed by Federal/State highway rules) as distinct from 'Non-business signs' under §12-5(2) -- consistent with this being the fee track specific to business/commercial signage, as opposed to the general Sign Permit fee above. Neither the ordinance nor either webpage states in words whether this $150 fee is charged instead of, or in addition to, the $75 Sign Permit fee for a business sign; both are recorded here as distinct, separately-sourced line items rather than assumed additive or alternative -- see confidenceNote.
$150.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Sign Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated San Juan County?

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Inspection process

    See the full Unincorporated San Juan County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • San Juan County's Sign Permit Application is a short, standalone one-page form distinct from its building permit paperwork — check the sign type box (Development, Civic, Real Estate, Residential, Commercial, or Other) and construction type (flat wall vs. free-standing) directly on the form.
    • The two sign fees appear in separate tables of Ordinance 2024-04 with no cross-reference between them, and neither the ordinance nor the county's Planning and Zoning or Building Permits pages states whether a business sign owner pays $75, $150, or both. Confirm the applicable total with the Planning & Building Department (435-587-3829) before budgeting.
    • Non-business sign size caps are modest and category-specific: Real Estate signs can be up to 32 sq ft, but Residential signs are capped at just 2 sq ft, and no more than 2 signs are allowed per use/occupancy for any non-business category.
    • Business signs get a larger allowance (up to 100 sq ft per sign, up to 3 signs) but that allowance is tied to the property's linear street frontage at a 1 sq ft per linear foot ratio, so a narrow-frontage lot may not reach the 100 sq ft cap in practice.
    • This zoning ordinance dates to 2011 (still the version linked as 'CURRENT' from the county's own Planning page as of 2026-07-20) — confirm no more recent sign-specific amendment with the Planning & Building Department before relying on the exact square-footage figures for a significant project.

    Frequently asked questions

    Unincorporated San Juan County requires a sign permit for: Business (commercial) signs require approval of a 'Request for Business Sign Permit' and are governed by federal and state highway rules where applicable; the Planning Commission may cap sign area at 1 sq. ft. per linear foot of street frontage abutting the development, with any one sign for a business capped at 100 sq. ft. and no more than 3 signs per business (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(1)); Non-business signs are limited to no more than 2 signs per use or occupancy, with maximum total square footage by category: Development 40 sq ft, Civic 14 sq ft, Real Estate 32 sq ft, Residential 2 sq ft (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(2)); All signs must be flat wall or free-standing — no revolving or moving parts, and no flashing or intermittent lighting (Zoning Ordinance § 12-5(3)); The Sign Permit Application requires: applicant name/address/phone, physical address and legal description of the sign location, sign type (Development, Civic, Real Estate, Residential, Commercial, or Other), construction type (flat wall or free-standing), business name if different from applicant, property ownership confirmation (or property owner's name/address if applicant is not the owner), and sign size; Landowner signature is required in addition to the applicant's signature if the applicant does not own the property; Applications are reviewed for zoning conformance and require sign-off before Planning Commission approval, per the form's own 'For County Use Only' section (zoning check, ownership verification, staff recommendation, then Planning Commission approval). If your project isn't listed, confirm with San Juan County Planning & Building Department at (435) 587-3829 before starting work.

    Ordinance 2024-04 lists a $75.00 Sign Permit under Planning Fees and a $150.00 Business Sign Permit under Building Permit Fees. Both figures are independently confirmed on the county's own Planning and Zoning and Building Permits and Business Licenses pages. Because the two are listed in separate fee tables with no cross-reference, whether a business sign requires one, the other, or both is not published — confirm with the Planning & Building Department (435-587-3829).

    Unincorporated San Juan County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact San Juan County Planning & Building Department at (435) 587-3829 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: San Juan County Sign Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through San Juan County Planning & Building Department at 117 South Main Street, P.O. Box 9, Monticello, UT 84535. Phone: (435) 587-3829, email: permits@sanjuancountyut.gov. Office hours: Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (San Juan County Administration Building, 117 South Main Street, Monticello — per San Juan County's official Contact Us / Administrative Office pages; the Building Department's own page does not separately publish office hours). Official information: https://sanjuancountyut.gov/293/Building-Permits-and-Business-Licenses.

    Unincorporated San Juan County, Utah has adopted: State of Utah construction codes adopted by reference — San Juan County's official Building Code Information page states verbatim: 'San Juan County has adopted the State of Utah codes as established in Title 15A, Chapters 1-5 of the Utah Code Annotated, as amended.' The county page does not enumerate individual code editions (IBC/IRC/IPC/IMC/IFGC/NEC/IECC) by year, so the current statutory statewide editions are cited directly below.; 2024 International Building Code (IBC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026 (edition unchanged from prior cycle); 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2024 International Mechanical Code (IMC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2024 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2024 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103, effective 07/01/2026; Residential provisions of the 2024 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code — statewide per Utah Code § 15A-2-103(1)(n), effective 07/01/2026. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated San Juan County overview page for the full list.

    It depends on the category. Business/commercial signs can be up to 100 sq ft each (up to 3 signs), based on 1 sq ft per linear foot of street frontage. Non-business signs are capped by category: Development 40 sq ft, Civic 14 sq ft, Real Estate 32 sq ft, and Residential just 2 sq ft, with no more than 2 signs per use, per County Zoning Ordinance Section 12-5.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-15.

    Fee schedules

    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 Unincorporated San Juan County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

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