REGULATING WINDOW SIGNS IN SAINT PAUL
BACKGROUND
Signs can be informative, attractive, innovative and integral to finding your way to businesses, parks and public places. They can also be sloppy, tasteless, distracting to passing motorists and detract from the very businesses they are trying to promote because of their sheer numbers. Excessive window signs can create a safety hazard as people can see neither in nor out.
Because signs play such an important role in promoting businesses and the community, most cities have adopted comprehensive sign codes that regulate the number and size of signs. Some regulate the brightness and movement of lighted signs. New 
technology makes dynamic lighted signs affordable and easy to install. Brightly lighted dynamic signs which flash and scroll can create a nuisance for nearby residents and a traffic hazard for motorists. Some cities are working towards changing their sign codes to regulate this new technology.
A group of community members are working to amend Saint Paul’s sign code to improve the quality of signs, reduce the negative impacts of excessive numbers of signs and regulate the movement and brightness of window signs. This coalition is not working to regulate the content of the signs, that is, what the sign says.
WHY LIMIT SIGNS?
Excessive window signage is a problem. Large numbers of window signs:- Make it difficult to see both in and out of stores, which is a safety issue; and
- Clutter and pollute neighborhoods, with low-income areas most adversely affected; and
- Cause driver distraction.
DO ANY OTHER CITIES LIMIT WINDOW SIGNS?
Many surrounding communities regulate the amount of window coverage. For example, Little Canada allows no more than 20% of the glass area of a store to be covered with signs, Maplewood and Mounds View allow no more than 25% of the glass area to be signed. Roseville does not allow signs that block the view into the building from a public street in the cashier’s work area.