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Council introduces zoning text amendment to ban foam and 3D-printed signage, sets window-transparency standard
Summary
Council introduced, for first reading, amendments to the Westminster Municipal Code to prohibit foam/3D-printed/cut acrylic signage, clarify wall-sign area limits (1.5 sq ft/linear foot), and set window transparency at 50%; the ordinance passed first reading on a 5-0 roll call.
The Westminster City Council on Feb. 11 introduced for first reading a zoning text amendment (case 2025-0237) that would prohibit foam, 3D-printed, and cut acrylic signage in many contexts, set a maximum wall sign allowance of 1.5 square feet per linear foot of tenant frontage, and add a definition of transparency so window tint can be measured at 50% light transmittal.
Ken, senior planner, told the council the changes respond to enforcement and interpretation gaps in Chapter 17.33 of the Westminster Municipal Code. Staff said lightweight foam or cut acrylic letters often attach with simple adhesive and require no building permit, leading to deterioration, fading and missing characters; metal letters that require building permits would remain allowed. Planner Ken said the 50% transparency figure is easily testable with an $80 light-transmittance meter and leaves storefronts visible while permitting modest tint.
Council members confirmed the amendment is not a substitute for a full sign-code update — a broader overhaul remains in progress — but staff said this targeted amendment fixes immediate enforcement problems. Staff said legally nonconforming signs installed before the amendment would not be required to be removed, but replacements would need to comply with the new rules. The planner said interior blinds and coverings would be addressed in a later phase of the sign-code update.
Council voted 5-0 to introduce the ordinance on first reading and waived further reading; staff recommended a second-phase sign-code update later to address remaining issues (including possibly extending rules to address address-number materials).
