The article contains an ethnographic description of the conditions for functioning of the regional sign language in the Krasnoyarsk Territory within the modern sociolinguistic context. The subject of discussion is the problem of linguistic design of sign languages in general, including some features of Russian Sign Language. The study provides a statistical information and legal norms for usage of this iconic communication system. A study of the current state of the Russian Sign Language functioning in the Krasnoyarsk Territory allows us to talk about a change in the status of a sign language, an increasing interest in issues related to its applied significance, and a need to develop new theoretical approaches to its institutionalization.