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Gila Bend council reviews proposed sign‑code rewrite focusing on safety and speech protections
Summary
At a Feb. 24 work session, Town Community Planner Sanda Hoffman presented proposed revisions to Article VIII (Signs) of Gila Bend’s zoning code to clarify construction safety, visibility rules and compliance with state election‑sign timing (ARS 16‑1019); council discussed commercial sign types, billboard limits and whether taller signs allowed in B2 should be extended to industrial zones.
Feb. 24, 2026 — Gila Bend — The Town of Gila Bend council discussed proposed revisions to the town zoning code that would rewrite Article VIII (Signs), Community Planner Sanda Hoffman said during a work session at the Gila Bend Unified School District Media Center.
Hoffman said the "intent behind the changes was to provide clear, comprehensive, enforceable sign regulations," including a three‑part purpose added to the ordinance to address construction safety, the town's character and protection of constitutionally guaranteed free speech while aligning the code with applicable federal and state rules.
The draft clarifies general applicability and explicitly references political signage timing to align with Arizona Revised Statute 16‑1019, Hoffman said. Vice‑Mayor Chris Riggs asked about time limits on removing political signs; Hoffman pointed the council to ARS 16‑1019 for those timelines.
Council members reviewed multiple technical changes: a provision (letter Q) to keep signs from blocking visibility triangles at driveways and intersections; new enumerated commercial sign types for B1 zoning (canopy, awning, projecting and window signs) that were previously omitted; a treatment for taller signs in B2 zoning (currently requiring a variance) and discussion about allowing similar heights in industrial zones L1–L3; and specific restrictions for billboards (listed as item E), including prohibitions on using billboards to advertise on‑site content in some circumstances. The draft also addresses digital signage and temporary signs such as grand‑opening banners.
The council's discussion remained at the work‑session stage. No formal motion or vote was taken during the meeting, and no permit or numeric thresholds (for example, specific maximum heights proposed for each zone, or explicit timelines beyond the reference to ARS 16‑1019) were adopted or finalized in the session.
Next steps were not specified in the minutes. The zoning update was discussed as a work session item only, where councilmembers may give direction to staff but cannot take formal action.
