A steel container is a blank sign that pays for itself twice. You rent it or buy it to store things. The 170 to 500 square feet of flat steel on the side comes free.
Businesses across Northern Colorado wrap containers and semi trailers with their logo. The unit does real work as storage. It also works as signage. One rental, two jobs.
This page covers how container advertising works, which sizes give you the most surface, and what the sign rules allow in Fort Collins and Larimer County. We rent and sell the units from our 12-acre lot on US Highway 287.
What Is Shipping Container Advertising?
Container advertising means putting your message on the side of a steel storage unit. People also call it a container billboard, a branded storage unit, or a container wrap.
The idea is simple. A 40ft storage container rental sits on your yard or job site. Instead of plain corrugated steel, it carries your logo, phone number, and web address. Everyone who drives past reads it.
There are three common ways to do it:
- Vinyl wrap. Printed film covers the container side. Full color, and you can peel it off later.
- Painted graphics. Direct paint or a painted logo. Cheap, tough, and it lasts.
- Mounted sign panel. A rigid board bolts to the side rails. Easy to swap out.
Corrugated steel has ridges. A good installer plans for them. Bold, simple artwork reads far better than a detailed photo.
Container Billboard vs Mobile Billboard Truck
A mobile billboard truck drives a route. It moves through traffic, parks for short stretches, and you rent it by the day.
A branded container stays put. It sits on private property and works day and night. You lease or own the unit, so the cost spreads across months or years instead of days.
These are two different products. The rules that cover them are different too. More on that below.
Why Northern Colorado Businesses Use Branded Containers for Local Advertising
The sign face is big. A 20ft container side gives you roughly 170 square feet. A 40ft container gives about 340. A 53ft semi trailer gives close to 500. For comparison, a standard highway bulletin measures 14 by 48 feet, or 672 square feet, per the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.
You needed the storage anyway. Contractors, landscapers, growers, and shops rent containers to hold tools and stock. Adding graphics turns a line item into a marketing asset.
Exposure runs long. A billboard lease ends. A container you bought keeps selling for you as long as you own it.
People read it at slow speed. Containers sit at ground level on lots and job sites. Drivers and walkers see them up close, so your copy can say more than six words.
Neighbors learn who you are. A branded container on a job site tells the whole street who is working there. That matters for roofers, remodelers, fence crews, and landscapers.
The cost is predictable. You pay a flat monthly rent, or you buy once. There is no impression-based pricing to track.
Container Advertising Rules in Fort Collins, Larimer County, and Along Colorado Highways
Read this before you order artwork. Most container advertising plans fail here.
Short version: you can brand a container that does real storage work on the property it serves. You cannot park a wrapped, empty unit beside the road as a billboard.
Inside Fort Collins city limits
The city bans billboards. It also bans permanent off-premises signs. Both prohibitions sit in Land Use Code Section 5.16.1(G)(2).
The code names containers directly. Under Section 5.16.1(G)(3)(d), a semi trailer, shipping container, or portable storage unit cannot be used as a sign element unless every one of these is true:
- The unit is structurally sound and can still be moved.
- The unit is used for its primary purpose, such as storage, pickup, or delivery.
- The unit carries current registration and tags, if registration applies.
- The signage stays incidental to that primary purpose.
- The unit sits in a designated loading area, or on a construction site in an area shown on an approved staging plan.
So a wrapped container holding your crew’s tools on your own site is fine. A wrapped container dropped on a vacant lot to sell ad space is not.
Unincorporated Larimer County
County rules changed on December 9, 2024. Article 8 of the Larimer County Land Use Code now governs signs.
The county bans billboards, but it defines them narrowly. A billboard is a freestanding sign over 70 square feet, mounted on poles, with the bottom of the face 10 feet or more above grade. A container sitting on the ground does not meet that definition.
Vehicle signs get an exemption under Section 8.2.3.B.6. The sign has to be painted on or permanently fixed to the unit. The vehicle has to serve a real transport function. It has to be operable and registered in Colorado.
There is also a seven-day rule. If the vehicle sits idle longer than seven days, you must park it so the sign is not displayed to the public. Three exemptions matter here:
- Vehicles and equipment on active construction projects.
- Storage of equipment.
- Vehicles offered to the public for rent or lease.
Take a trailer off its running gear and the picture changes. Signs on equipment separated from a cab fall under the county’s temporary sign standards. Those cap you at 30 cumulative days per year and 48 square feet in rural and non-residential districts.
Along Colorado state highways
Colorado’s Outdoor Advertising Act closes the obvious loophole. State law treats a paid display visible from a state highway as an advertising device. Signs on vehicles using the highway are exempt. But the statute adds that a “vehicle using the highway” does not include a vehicle parked near the highway for advertising purposes. That wording sits in C.R.S. 43-1-403.
CDOT controls signs within 660 feet of state highway right of way where they can be seen from the road. Outside urban areas that reach extends farther. Off-premise advertising inside that zone needs a CDOT permit.
US-287, I-25, and CO-1 all cross our service area. If your site fronts one of them, call CDOT before you spend money on a wrap.
What this means in practice
Brand a container that does a job. Keep it on the property it serves. Advertise your own business on it, not a third party’s. That path stays clean in nearly every case.
Want to sell ad space on a unit to other advertisers? You need properly zoned land and permits first. We can supply the container. Permitting stays with you or your sign company.
Rules shift and every parcel is different. Confirm your plan with Fort Collins Zoning at zo****@***ov.com or the Larimer County on-call planner at 970-498-7679 before you order artwork.
Container and Trailer Sizes That Work Best as Ad Space
Sign area is the number that matters. Longer units give you more of it. Here is roughly what each unit offers per side.
| Unit | Approximate side area | Best fit |
| 10ft shipping container | 85 sq ft | Tight lots, small yards, single-crew sites |
| 20ft storage container rental | 170 sq ft | Most job sites and retail lots |
| 40ft shipping container | 340 sq ft | Long road frontage, high traffic counts |
| 48ft storage trailer rental | 450 sq ft | Warehouse yards and dock-height sites |
| 53ft storage trailer rental | 500 sq ft | Largest surface we carry |
Figures are approximate and vary by unit height and door style. We confirm exact dimensions before delivery.
Two more notes on sizing:
Door ends work too. The end of a 20ft or 40ft container gives you around 68 more square feet. That face is useful when your unit sits perpendicular to the road.
Side-open units change the layout. A 20ft side open storage rental has doors along the long wall. Those doors interrupt a wrap. Pick a standard container if the long side is your main sign face.
Trailers sit higher. A semi trailer rides on its running gear, so the sign face starts several feet off the ground. That helps when parked cars or a fence would block a ground-level container.
Rent or Buy a Container for Advertising Use?
Both work. The right call depends on how long you need the message up.
Rent when the campaign is short. Seasonal promotions, a single build, an event, or a grand opening all fit a rental term. Our storage container rentals and semi trailer rentals run short term or long term. You return the unit when you are done.
Buy when the message stays up. A permanent yard sign on your own property is a purchase, not a rental. Our shipping containers for sale come in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft. Once you buy a storage container, the branding costs you nothing more each month.
A quick rule of thumb. If you plan to keep the unit past about two years, buying usually wins on total cost. Ask us to run the numbers for your term.
One more option: a 20ft mobile office rental gives you branded exterior space plus a workspace inside. Sales offices and site trailers often need both.
Where Branded Containers Work Across Our Service Area
We deliver across Colorado, and we ship containers into Wyoming and Nebraska.
Strong placements include:
- Active job sites. Roofing, framing, fencing, and remodel crews with street-facing work.
- Commercial yards. Equipment dealers, nurseries, and supply houses with road frontage.
- Farms and ranches. Agritourism, u-pick operations, and roadside stands on your own land.
- Event grounds. Rodeos, festivals, and markets on private property.
- Retail overflow. Garden centers and seasonal lots that need stock storage and signage at once.
Check our coverage for containers and mobile offices across Colorado, plus Wyoming and Nebraska. Sign rules differ in every town, so verify locally before you place a unit.
Not ready to keep a unit on your property? You can store it at our secure storage facility between seasons.
How to Brand a Container Without Wrecking the Steel
A few practical points from 40 years of moving these units.
- Clean and prep first. Wraps need a clean, dry, rust-free surface. Budget for prep on a used container.
- Avoid the corner castings. Leave the corner blocks and door hardware clear so we can still lift and move the unit.
- Plan for wind. Rigid panels need solid mounts. Loose edges peel fast on the Front Range.
- Skip the roof. Roof graphics collect snow, dirt, and hail damage. Nobody at street level sees them.
- Ask about paint condition. A one-trip container gives you a smoother, cleaner base than a used unit.
For other ways to modify a unit, see our guide to shipping container modification ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I park a wrapped container by the road as a billboard?
Not inside Fort Collins city limits. The city bans billboards and off-premises signs. Its code also limits container signage to units doing real storage work in a loading or construction staging area. Rules differ elsewhere, so check with the local planning office.
Can I advertise my own business on a container on my own property?
Usually yes. On-premise signage for the business at that location is the cleanest path. Sign area, height, and permit rules still apply, so confirm with your city or county.
Do you wrap or paint containers for customers?
We supply the containers and trailers. Wrap and sign work goes through a local sign shop. Tell us your plan and we will pick a unit with the right surface.
How large is a container sign compared to a real billboard?
A 40ft container side runs about 340 square feet. A standard highway bulletin is 672 square feet. Two 40ft containers placed end to end come close to one full bulletin.
Can I rent a trailer for a weekend event?
Yes. We offer short-term rentals on containers and semi trailers. Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability and delivery.
Do you deliver outside Fort Collins?
Yes. We deliver throughout Colorado and Wyoming, and we sell containers into Nebraska. Delivery cost depends on distance and site access.
Get a Quote on a Container or Trailer for Advertising
Tell us what you want the unit to do. We will match you to the right size. We will also tell you whether your placement plan passes local sign rules.
Fort Collins Mobile Storage has been family owned for over 40 years. We stock over 80 containers plus 48ft and 53ft semi trailers at our lot on US Highway 287.
Request a quote and we will get back to you with sizes, terms, and delivery timing.