Bothell City Council was scheduled to consider a sign code update ordinance on May 6

What the records say

The May 6, 2025 City Council agenda packet included an ordinance item, AB # 25-086, titled 'Updates to Chapters 12.22 and 12.64 BMC – Sign Code,' under the 'Ordinances & Resolutions' heading at pages 282–303, with a recommended action to approve the ordinance amending Bothell Municipal Code Chapters 12.22 and 12.64 ¹. The agenda bill explains the update is a 'Phase 1' legal-compliance fix: it removes content-based distinctions from sign regulations to align with the 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert ruling, eliminating the differentiation between commercial and noncommercial signs and between on-premises and off-premises signs ¹. The sign code had not been updated since Ordinance 1805 in May 2000 ¹. A broader 'Phase 2' modernization of the entire sign code is planned for later in 2025 ¹. The packet does not record the meeting's outcome, so whether the ordinance was approved is not established by the supplied records ¹.

• The item was AB # 25-086, with an attached ordinance, listed under 'Ordinances & Resolutions' at pages 282–303 of the May 6, 2025 City Council agenda packet, with a recommended action to approve the ordinance amending BMC Chapters 12.22 and 12.64 ¹.
• The stated purpose is legal compliance with the 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert decision: removing content-based distinctions and the split between on-premises and off-premises signs, so sign rules turn on location, size, and display duration rather than message ¹.
• The sign code had not been updated since Ordinance 1805 was adopted in May 2000; this is Phase 1 of a two-phase effort, with Phase 2 comprehensive modernization planned for Q3/Q4 2025 ¹.
• After an April 15, 2025 public hearing at which a speaker questioned the two-square-foot limit for on-premises real estate signs in residential zones, the final draft increased that limit to five square feet ¹.
• The Planning Commission approved the draft amendments and a Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendation in March 2025, and City Council discussed the updates on April 1, 2025 before the April 15 public hearing ¹.

Why it matters

Sign rules apply citywide, so this update would change what signs Bothell residents, businesses, and property owners may display and how large they can be ¹. One concrete change in the final draft: after a public-hearing comment noted the draft limited on-premises real estate signs in residential zones to two square feet — smaller than the five-square-foot industry standard — the amendments before Council increased that on-premises temporary sign area from two to five square feet ¹. The update also consolidates sign categories around neutral criteria like location, size, and display duration instead of a sign's message ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The packet proposed an ordinance amending BMC Chapters 12.22 and 12.64 to make sign regulations content-neutral, remove on-/off-premises differentiation, and raise the on-premises temporary sign area in residential zones from two to five square feet; the recommended action was approval ¹.
• The supplied records do not establish whether the Council approved the ordinance on May 6, 2025 ¹.
• Phase 2 of the sign code update, planned for Q3/Q4 2025, is expected to address right-of-way sign standards, flags and animated signage, sidewalk clutter and accessibility, and barriers to sign erection ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.