# Sign Regulations in Daly City, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Daly City, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/daly-city
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/CA/Daly_City/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT10VETR_CH10.28SPSTYISI)

## At a glance

Daly City, California regulates 33 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Ground Sign (Pole-Mounted)s in the All Other Commercial, Industrial or Other Zoned Districts zoning district are capped at 22 ft tall and 75 sq ft (Sec. 17.32.200.F.4). Most commercial signs in Daly City require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (9 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 24 | No higher than permitted ground sign in the district; May not extend above the roof peak. | 300 sq ft (per sign, up to 2 faces) | — |
| C-O Office Commercial District | 3 | 6 ft | 75% of building frontage length per entity; max total area 75 sq ft | — |
| All Other Commercial, Industrial or Other Zoned Districts | 4 | 22 ft | 75% of building frontage length; max 125 sq ft per business entity | — |
| Shopping Centers | 1 | — | — | — |
| Commercially or Industrially Zoned Areas (exclusive of office-commercial zoned districts) | 1 | — | 680 sq ft per face (digital); 1 sign face or structure per 300 linear ft of block per street frontage | — |
| Areas Affected by a Redevelopment Project Area | 1 | — | — | — |
| Areas Included in a Specific Plan | 1 | — | — | — |
| R-1 | 1 | — | 16 sq ft | — |
| R-2 | 1 | — | 16 sq ft | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 9 zones)

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Window Sign | — | 25% of the window area | — | — | — | Inside window or painted on window | — | 17.32.160.D |
| Roof Sign | No higher than permitted ground sign in the district; May not extend above the roof peak. | — | — | — | — | Only permitted when integral with building architecture (e.g. mansard roof or building fascia) | — | 17.32.160.G |
| Projecting Sign | Shall not exceed the maximum height of the zoned district. | — | — | — | — | Allowed only for commercial activities with 20 ft or more of building frontage; must not extend above sill of lowest residential window, nor over the public right-of-way, nor to less than 3 feet from face of curb; clearance from wall to sign not greater than 1 foot. | — | 17.32.160.H |
| Real Estate Sign - Residential | — | 4 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On the premises; may also use A-frame signs for directional purposes if removed by sundown. | — | 17.32.170.A.1 |
| Real Estate Sign - Non-Residential | — | 12 sq ft | — | — | 1 | On the premises; may also use A-frame signs for directional purposes if removed by sundown. | — | 17.32.170.A.1 |
| Name and Address Sign | — | 1 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises | — | 17.32.170.A.2 |
| Contractor/Architect/Engineer Sign - R-1 and R-2 | — | 16 sq ft | — | — | — | On premises where construction/repair/renovation is in progress | — | 17.32.170.A.3 |
| Subdivision Real Estate Directional Sign - Advertising at Model Homes | — | 150 sq ft (per sign, up to 2 signs) | — | — | 2 | On-site model home area | — | 17.32.170.B.1.c |

### C-O Office Commercial District

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 75% of building frontage length per entity; max total area 75 sq ft | — | — | — | Building wall | — | 17.32.200.E.1 |
| Directional Sign (Parking/Loading) | — | 4 sq ft per sign | — | — | — | For off-street parking/loading facilities | — | 17.32.200.E.2 |
| Ground Sign | 6 ft | — | — | — | 1 | Landscaped area | — | 17.32.200.E.3 |

### All Other Commercial, Industrial or Other Zoned Districts

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 75% of building frontage length; max 125 sq ft per business entity | — | — | — | Building wall | — | 17.32.200.F.1 and F.5 |
| Pedestrian-Oriented Sign (Suspended) | — | 10 sq ft | — | — | 1 | Suspended from architectural feature, above sidewalk | — | 17.32.200.F.2 |
| Ground Sign (Low-Mounted) | 6 ft | — | — | — | — | Landscaped area, potentially in setback/yard | — | 17.32.200.F.3 |
| Ground Sign (Pole-Mounted) | 22 ft | 75 sq ft | — | — | — | On pole within property with at least 50 ft of primary lot frontage | — | 17.32.200.F.4 |

## Prohibited signs in Daly City

- Illuminated signs or lighting devices must employ only lights emitting a light of constant intensity; no sign shall be illuminated by or contain flashing, intermittent, rotating or moving light or lights. Illuminated or lighting devices cannot cause glare or reflection that constitutes a traffic hazard or nuisance.
- No signs may have mechanical or moving parts; rotating signs are prohibited except public-service signs.
- Signs or parts of signs cannot consist of banners, posters, pennants, ribbons, streamers, spinners, or other similar moving, fluttering, or revolving devices. Such devices and strings of lights cannot be used for advertising or attracting attention when not part of a sign.
- No sign, A-board, advertising structure or merchandise display may be placed upon or attached to the ground on any portion of a public street, sidewalk, or right-of-way except as permitted by this chapter.
- No sign in a window, visible from any public or private street or highway, shall occupy more than 25% of the window area. Window signs must be located on the inside or painted on the windows.
- No portable or temporary sign shall be placed on the front or face of a building or on any premises, except as provided in this section.
- No outdoor advertising structure, sign or other advertising structure shall be erected, constructed, relocated or maintained for the primary purpose of being viewed from a main traveled roadway of a landscaped freeway or scenic highway or its ramps, except as specified by relocation agreements with city council approval and within certain exceptions.
- No roof signs are permitted except when integral with the architecture of the building (mansard roof or building fascia), and only if not higher than the permitted ground sign and not extending above the roof peak.
- Projecting signs are only permitted for commercial activities with a building frontage of 20 feet or more and are restricted in placement, height, clearance, and cannot coexist with ground signs on the same parcel or extend over public right-of-way or closer than 3 feet to curb.
- No person except duly authorized public officials or employees shall post, mount, affix or fasten any sign, card, banner, handbill, poster, advertisement, or notice of any kind on any publicly-owned curb, sidewalk, streetlight, pole, bench, fence, hydrant, bridge, wall, tree, sidewalk, traffic control device, parking meter, street, alley, place or property, except as specifically permitted.

## Signs exempt from permit in Daly City

- Advertising media located entirely within a completely enclosed building and not intended to be viewed primarily from the building's exterior.
- Traffic highway markers and railroad crossing or danger signals.
- Any sign posted pursuant to a governmental function by public officials, including traffic and street name signs as well as notices, emblems, other forms of identification, and signs required by law.
- Signs used by public utilities for the safety, welfare, or convenience of the public.
- Flags of any nation or political subdivision, or of any fraternal, religious, or other civic organization.
- Holiday greetings, decorations, and displays, excluding advertising signs disguised as seasonal decorations.
- Temporary display posters in connection with civic, political, noncommercial, health, welfare, and safety programs, posted in or on private residences or within commercial display windows.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit is generally required for most permanent and temporary signs unless specifically exempted.
- For shopping centers, an owner or owners may file for a use permit under the procedures stipulated in the zoning ordinance to establish specific requirements for ground signs and exterior signs on individual businesses. In lieu of a 'master' use permit, all exterior signs of a shopping center must conform to the stated requirements.
- Off-premises signs (such as billboards) require a use permit.
- Variances from the requirements of this chapter may be granted by the planning commission through established procedures if strict application deprives a property of privileges enjoyed by others due to special circumstances.
- Temporary signs may be permitted only upon application for and issuance of a sign permit (except for bona fide religious, charitable, educational, or eleemosynary organizations, unless verification of status is not provided upon demand).
- Subdivision real estate directional signs and signs for apartment complexes in any district require a sign permit.

## 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 9 zoning districts in Daly City — every sign type, every field — are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Daly+City+CA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-daly-city

---

PermitPal — AI sign code research. Full HTML page: https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/daly-city