SIGN AREA
Tucson Unified Development Code § 7A.6.1
in effect7A.6.1. SIGN AREA
The area of a sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
shall be determined as follows (see Figure 1: Area of a Sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
):
[image omitted; see the official code]
A. Single Face Sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
1. The entire area within a single continuous perimeter composed of squares or rectangles that enclose the extreme limits of the advertising message, announcement, declaration, demonstration, display, illustration, insignia, surface, or space of a similar nature, together with any frame or other material, color, or condition that forms an integral part of the display and is used to differentiate such sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
from the wall
Wall (7A)
An exterior building surface 30 degrees or less from vertical including, signs affixed to the interior and the exterior of window and door surfaces.
against which it is placed, excluding the necessary supports or uprights on which such sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
is placed. In cases where non-useable space is within the measurement rectangle and the non-useable space is greater than fifty-percent of the area of the useable sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
area, the measurement rectangles may enclose the useable sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
area only.
2. Individual Letters
Where a sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
consists only of individual letters, numerals, symbols or other similar components and is painted on or attached flat against the wall
Wall (7A)
An exterior building surface 30 degrees or less from vertical including, signs affixed to the interior and the exterior of window and door surfaces.
of a building
Building
A structure having a roof supported by columns, posts, or walls and intended for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of any person, entity, animal, process, equipment, goods, or materials of any kind or nature.
, and where such individual components are without integrated background definition and are not within a circumscribed frame area, the total area of the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
shall be the area of the square or rectangle that circumscribes the entire message.
B. Two or More Faced Sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
Where a sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
has two or more faces, the area of all faces shall be included in determining the area of the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
, except that only one face of a double-faced sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
shall be considered in determining the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
area when both faces are parallel and the farthest distance between faces does not exceed five feet, or when the interior angle of the sign
Sign (7A)
Every advertising message, announcement, declaration, display, illustration, insignia, surface or space erected or maintained in a location outside any building and visible to the public for identification, advertising or promotion of the interest of any person, entity, product or service.
faces does not exceed 45° if the boards are in a "V" configuration.
Source: City of Tucson, Tucson Code (Charter and General Ordinances) and Unified Development Code (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tucson/latest/tucson_az_udc/0-0-0-26118Fetched: 10/28/2026