# Sign Regulations in Burlingame, California

Sign permit rules, size and height limits, setbacks, and ordinance citations for Burlingame, California, compiled by PermitPal from the jurisdiction's published municipal code.

- **Jurisdiction:** Burlingame, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/burlingame
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-10
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://ecode360.com/44515140#44515140)

## At a glance

Burlingame, California regulates 6 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Residential District (R-1, R-2) zoning district are capped at 7 ft tall and 15 sf per frontage (less than 10,000 sf) (Sec. Table 25.42-1).

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential District (R-1, R-2) | 2 | 7 ft | 50 sf per frontage (10,000 sf and over) | — |
| Residential District (R-3, R-4) | 2 | 12 ft | 15 sf (less than 10,000 sf) | — |
| Commercial District (C-1, BAC, BMU, CAC, CR, DAC, HMU, MMU, BRMU, CMU, NBMU) | 3 | 6 ft | 50 sf per side | — |
| Downtown California Drive Auto Row (CAR) | 2 | 12 ft on California Drive, 6 ft on all other streets | 150 sf (50 ft or less frontage) | — |
| Bayfront Commercial (BFC) | 2 | 8 ft | 100 sf (50 feet or less frontage) | — |
| Innovative Industrial (I-I) | 2 | 8 ft | 150 sf (50 ft or less frontage) | — |
| North Rollins Mixed-Use (RRMU) | 2 | 8 ft | 150 sf (50 ft or less frontage) | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 2 | — | 8 square feet individually, totaling not more than 60 square feet | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 8 zones)

### Residential District (R-1, R-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 15 sf per frontage (less than 10,000 sf) | — | — | 1 per frontage (less than 10,000 sf) | Parcel frontage | — | Table 25.42-1 |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 50 sf per frontage (10,000 sf and over) | — | — | 2 per frontage (10,000 sf and over) | Parcel frontage | — | Table 25.42-1 |

### Residential District (R-3, R-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | 12 ft | 15 sf (less than 10,000 sf) | — | — | No more than 3 signs for each frontage | Building frontage | — | Table 25.42-2 |
| Freestanding Sign | 7 ft | 0.5 sf per lineal foot of parcel frontage per side (25 sf maximum) | — | — | No more than 3 signs for each frontage | Parcel frontage | — | Table 25.42-2 |

### Commercial District (C-1, BAC, BMU, CAC, CR, DAC, HMU, MMU, BRMU, CMU, NBMU)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Awning Sign | Cannot extend above the roof line | 1.5 sf per 1 lineal foot of tenant frontage (Primary Frontage) | — | — | 2 per tenant frontage | Tenant frontage | — | Table 25.42-3 |
| Wall Sign | Cannot extend above the roof line | 1.5 sf per 1 lineal foot of tenant frontage (Primary Frontage) | — | — | 2 per tenant frontage | Tenant frontage | — | Table 25.42-3 |
| Monument Sign | 6 ft | 50 sf per side | — | — | 1 (100-299 ft frontage) | Parcel frontage | — | Table 25.42-3 |

## Prohibited signs in Burlingame

- No person shall erect, reconstruct, alter, relocate, or place any sign within the City except such signs as are permitted by this chapter.
- It is unlawful for any person to place, attach, or maintain any sign, banner, card, sticker, handbill, or other advertising device upon or within any property, whether public or private, without securing the written consent of the owner or the owner's authorized agent.
- No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any street, within a triangular area formed by the curb lines and their projection, and a line connecting them at points 35 feet from the intersection of the projected curb lines unless the sign has a clearance of at least 10 feet above curb grade.
- All signs or other advertising structures which are erected at any point where pedestrians might be endangered by the presence of the sign shall have a smooth surface, and no nails, tacks, or wires shall be permitted to protrude from the sign.
- No person shall paint, mark, or write on, or post or otherwise affix, any handbill or sign to or upon any sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, curbstone, street planter, parking meter or post, street lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard, railroad trestle, electric light or power or telephone or telegraph pole, or wire appurtenance thereof or upon any fixture of the fire alarm or other emergency alert device or upon any lighting system, public bridge, drinking fountain, street sign, or traffic sign.
- No sign shall be erected, located or maintained in any manner that prevents free ingress to or egress from any door, window, or fire escape.
- Digital and changeable copy signs are prohibited, except for fuel price signs and marquee signs on theaters and similar entertainment venues.
- Signs which by color, location, or design resemble or conflict with traffic control signs or signals are prohibited.
- Off-premises advertising signs are prohibited.
- Pole signs are prohibited.
- Portable signs on public properties, such as A-board signs, are prohibited, unless specifically otherwise authorized within a Downtown zoning district or the Broadway Mixed-Use zoning district.
- Roof signs, above-roof signs, and sky signs are prohibited.
- Signs on vehicles with the dominant purpose or use of the vehicle to be a sign are prohibited on public property.
- Moving signs are prohibited.
- Signs with flashing lights are prohibited.

## Signs exempt from permit in Burlingame

- Signs required by law, including traffic, fire and police signs, signals, devices and markings of the State, the City, and any other component government authorities; signs of public utility or service companies, including signs showing the placement or location of public utility facilities; and trespass and warning signs are exempt.
- Any sign integrated into or on a coin-operated machine, vending machine, gasoline pump, permitted sidewalk vendor receptacle or telephone booth is exempt.
- Any sign that cannot be viewed from a public right-of-way is exempt.
- Any sign carried by a person is exempt, so long as it does not obstruct the use of any public right-of-way.
- Signs pertaining to the sale, exchange, lease, or rental of the real property on which the sign is located shall be exempt.
- Signs erected on a construction site used to identify businesses involved in the construction activity are exempt.
- Window signs not to exceed 25 percent of the window area of the façade of the building are exempt.
- A premises may display one directional sign at each entrance or exit not more than four square feet in size.
- Menu board signs at drive-through establishments are exempt.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- The approval of a master sign program shall be required for new developments with four or more separate tenant spaces on the same parcel or on multiple parcels that are part of a unified shopping center or similar business center.
- A master sign program is required when deviations from sign regulations are proposed, including use of iconic signs.
- A master sign program is required for proposed use of signs above the first building story where not otherwise authorized by this chapter.
- A master sign program may be required whenever the Director determines that a master sign program is needed because of special project characteristics.

## Full detail

This page publishes an overview of every zoning district plus a sample of 3 districts in full. Complete zone-by-zone requirements for all 8 zoning districts in Burlingame — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Burlingame+CA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-burlingame

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