Denver
Do You Need a Permit for a Banner on a Commercial Building in Denver?
5 min read · Updated 2026-08-26
Short answer
Usually yes, you need some kind of approval. The City and County of Denver says that most signs on private property need a zoning permit, and signs that stick out into the public sidewalk or street also need a right-of-way permit. What applies to your banner depends on the zone, sign type, size, placement, and how long it stays up, so check with Denver before you put anything up.
What Denver says
Denver's Community Planning and Development office handles zoning permits for signs. Its sign page says most signs on private property need a zoning permit. Signs that stick out over a sidewalk, street, or alley also need a right-of-way permit from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. Electrical work needs its own electrical permit.
We link to the city's own page below. Do not trust a short summary from any ad company, including us, as your final answer.
Why we will not list a size or day limit here
Sign rules in Denver depend on the zone and sign type, and the code changes over time. Giving you an exact square footage or number of days here could easily be wrong for your address. The right move is to check the current code for your property with the city.
What Denver will want to know about your project
- The property address and its zone
- The sign type, and whether it is temporary or permanent
- The size and total area of the sign
- Where on the building it goes, and whether it sticks out into the right-of-way
- Whether it lights up
How BTS Media handles it
For every Denver location in our network, we check the zone, the sign type and size, and the city's current rules before a campaign is scheduled. If a location cannot be done the right way, we do not run it.
Check before you print
Banner artwork is expensive to redo. Confirm the rules first, then print.
Where This Info Comes From
- City and County of Denver — Sign zoning permits — Denver's page on zoning permits for signs on private property.
- Denver Community Planning and Development — Denver's planning, zoning and permitting department.
Rules change and every property is different. What is allowed depends on the property, zoning district, sign type, size, placement, lighting, duration and the city's current requirements. Always confirm with the city before a campaign goes up. BTS Media reviews these requirements as part of the process and does not claim any location is permit-free.