Published
Four square feet without a permit, six during the build, and nothing on a tree: the county's sign rules for a cabin lot
Every sign needs a permit, except the ones a cabin owner actually puts up
Fremont County requires an administrative permit for the placement or installation of any sign, including replacing one that is already there. Read on its own, that sentence would send every owner to the Planning office over a name board. The next section is the one that matters: a short list of signs that need no permit at all, and it is a list of exactly the things that appear on a cabin lot.
“One real estate sign, of no more than four square feet, for each lot or building currently offered for sale, lease, or rent… One construction sign of no more than six square feet, provided that the sign is not placed until construction begins and that it is removed within 30 days after the end of construction.”
— Fremont County Development Code, 2011 Edition (Ordinance 2011-04), Appendix A section 1.03.030, as amended by Ordinance 2020-07. Consolidated through Ordinance 2026-03. Re-extracted from the county's live PDF 1 September 2026
Four square feet is a two-foot by two-foot board. Six is two by three. The exemption removes the permit; it does not remove the other rules, and the code says so in the same sentence.
The exempt list, in full
| Sign | Limit | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Residential nameplate | Four square feet, one per dwelling | The cabin's name board is this |
| Real estate sign | Four square feet, one per lot or building | Only while the lot or building is currently offered for sale, lease or rent |
| Construction sign | Six square feet, one | Not placed until construction begins; removed within 30 days after it ends |
| Garage or yard sale sign | Four square feet, one per dwelling | Up no more than two days before, down within one day after, sale no longer than three days |
| Political sign | No size stated in the exemption | Placed no more than 60 days before the election, removed within 10 days after |
| Window sign | No more than 20 percent of any window | Applies to any window |
The construction sign clause is the one a builder should know, because the 30-day removal runs from the end of construction, not from the certificate. A builder's board that stays up through the following summer is a sign without a permit.
Where no sign may go at all
Section 1.04 lists placements that are prohibited regardless of size or permit, and three of them describe common cabin-country habits:
- On any tree, cliff or other natural feature, or on a utility pole. The nailed-up board on a lodgepole at the turn is prohibited.
- On a vehicle or trailer parked in a visible location for the primary purpose of displaying the sign.
- In or over any public right-of-way, which includes the road shoulder where directional boards get planted.
- Anywhere it obscures a traffic control sign or obstructs vision at an intersection or driveway — the same wedge the road standards keep clear of anything over three feet.
The one ground sign every owner is allowed
Beyond the exemptions, section 1.06 permits each property owner one ground or pole sign per road frontage, sized by the road it faces. Fronting an arterial road the maximum is 150 square feet and 60 feet high; a collector, 100 square feet and 40 feet; any other road, 50 square feet and 25 feet. That last row is the one a subdivision's entrance monument or a lodge's road sign is built under, and it needs the administrative permit. Signs fronting a state highway may carry an additional state permit requirement, and the area limits cannot be increased by special use permit, though the height can.
Then the same section closes the door: the following signs shall be permitted, and all other signs are expressly prohibited. That is the same shape as the zoning code itself — what is not on the list is not allowed.
Lights, labels and the sign nobody took down
- A constantly illuminated sign is permitted for commercial uses and on arterial roads, but not where it faces a residence less than 1,000 feet away. In a cabin subdivision that clause disqualifies most lit signs before the design starts.
- Electronic and changing displays are not allowed within or in association with any dwelling or home occupation.
- Every sign must carry a weatherproof label with the owner's name, mailing address and telephone number, on the sign or its post.
- A sign is abandoned when the use it serves has ceased for more than a year, regardless of the owner's intent, and must then be removed within 60 days. A sign that is not structurally sound counts as abandoned too.
Two more things sit outside this appendix. A home occupation run from a cabin may display no signage of any kind, under the county's separate residential-business rules. And on platted ground the covenants usually have their own sign clause, often stricter than the county's, enforced by the association rather than the Planning office — which is the reason to read the plat before the code. In the Sawtelle subdivisions in particular, an architectural committee reviews what goes up, and a sign is something that goes up.
What this means during a build
- The builder's sign can go up the day construction begins, at six square feet, and comes down within 30 days of the end of the job. Put the date in the contract.
- A name board for the cabin is exempt at four square feet. Anything bigger, or anything lit, is a permit.
- Do not nail anything to a tree, and do not plant a board on the road shoulder. Both are prohibited placements whatever the size.
- Label the sign with your name, address and phone number, because the code requires it and because the plow driver will want to know whose it was.
- Check the covenants first. The county's site plan review does not enforce them, and the association will.
Common questions
Do I need a permit to put a sign on my cabin lot?
For most signs a cabin owner uses, no. A residential nameplate of up to four square feet, a real estate sign of four square feet while the property is offered, and a construction sign of six square feet during the build are all exempt from the county's administrative sign permit. Other signs need one.
How big can a name board on a cabin be without a permit?
Four square feet, one per dwelling. That is the residential nameplate exemption in Appendix A of the county Development Code.
How long can a builder's sign stay up?
It may not go up until construction begins and must come down within 30 days after the end of construction. It is limited to six square feet.
Can I put a for-sale sign on my lot?
Yes, one real estate sign of no more than four square feet for each lot or building currently offered for sale, lease or rent, without a permit.
Can I nail a sign to a tree at the turn to my cabin?
No. The code prohibits placing any sign on a tree, cliff or other natural feature, or on a utility pole, and prohibits any sign in a public right-of-way, including the road shoulder.
What is the biggest sign an owner can have on an ordinary road?
One ground or pole sign per road frontage of up to 50 square feet and 25 feet high on any road that is not an arterial or a collector, with an administrative permit. The area limit cannot be increased by special use permit; the height can.
Can a sign be lit?
Constant illumination is allowed for commercial uses and on arterial roads, but not where the sign faces a residence less than 1,000 feet away, and no electronic or changing display is allowed with a dwelling or home occupation.
Does a sign have to carry my name?
Yes. Every sign must bear a weatherproof label identifying its owner with name, mailing address and telephone number, attached to the sign or its supporting structure.
What counts as an abandoned sign?
A sign whose use has ceased operation for more than one year, regardless of the owner's intent, or a sign that is no longer structurally sound. It must be removed within 60 days of abandonment.
Can I put up a sign for a business run from my cabin?
Not for an exempt home occupation, which may display no signage of any kind under the county's residential-business rules. A permitted residential business has a small separate allowance under those rules.