# Sign Regulations in Del Rey Oaks, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Del Rey Oaks, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/del-rey-oaks
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-07
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/CA/Del_Rey_Oaks/codes/Municipal_Code?nodeId=TIT17ZO_CH17.59SI)

## At a glance

Del Rey Oaks, California regulates 31 sign types across 3 zoning districts. Portable Signs in the Commercial and Industrial Districts (C-1, C-2, P-C, L-M, M) zoning district are capped at 4 ft tall, 3 ft x 4 ft (12 sq ft), and 3 ft wide, with a At least 4 ft from vehicle entrances/exits setback (Sec. 17.59.120.J). Most commercial signs in Del Rey Oaks require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (3 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial and Industrial Districts (C-1, C-2, P-C, L-M, M) | 10 | 25 ft at shopping centers; 10 ft at industrial parks | 100 sq ft per business (primary frontage), 25 sq ft for each secondary business frontage (0.5 sq ft per linear ft) | — |
| Residential Districts (R-1, R-2) | 3 | — | 30 sq ft per sign | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 18 | Letter height max: 18 inches | Cannot cover more than 50% of window area | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements

### Commercial and Industrial Districts (C-1, C-2, P-C, L-M, M)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | — | 100 sq ft per business (primary frontage), 25 sq ft for each secondary business frontage (0.5 sq ft per linear ft) | — | — | Maximum 2 per business (not counting under canopy signs) | Against exterior wall, not more than 1 foot beyond wall | — | 17.59.120.H; 17.59.130.A-B |
| Freestanding Sign | 25 ft at shopping centers; 10 ft at industrial parks | 100 sq ft for shopping center; 200 sq ft for industrial park entrance | — | — | See additional requirements | Adjacent to principal street frontage (shopping centers); at or adjacent to principal entrances (industrial parks) | — | 17.59.120.C; 17.59.130.C-D |
| Under Canopy Sign | — | 4 sq ft excluded from total sign area; over 4 sq ft included in allotment | — | — | — | Under a canopy | — | 17.59.120.G; 17.59.130.B |
| Awning/Marquee/Canopy Sign | — | — | — | — | — | Attached to face of awning, marquee, or canopy | — | 17.59.120.D |
| Permanent Window Sign | — | Up to 10% of window area | — | — | — | Inside window, within 18 inches of window surface | — | 17.59.120.I |
| Portable Sign | 4 ft | 3 ft x 4 ft (12 sq ft) | 3 ft | At least 4 ft from vehicle entrances/exits | 1 per business | On private property at ground level, not within public right-of-way, at least 4 ft from vehicle entrances/exits | — | 17.59.120.J |
| Barber Pole Sign | — | — | — | — | 1 per barbershop | — | — | 17.59.120.A |
| Directional and Public Service Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On premises | — | 17.59.120.B |

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

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nameplate (Single Family, Duplex, Triplex, Fourplex) | — | 3 sq ft per dwelling | — | — | 1 per dwelling | — | — | 17.59.150.A |
| Wall or Freestanding Sign (Multiple Family Dwellings) | — | 30 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 per multiple dwelling development | — | — | 17.59.150.B |
| Wall or Freestanding Sign (Public, Quasi-Public & Similar Uses) | — | 30 sq ft per sign | — | — | 2 per site | — | — | 17.59.150.C |

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Exempt Signs - Address Sign | Letter height max: 12 inches | 4 sq ft | — | — | — | Including mailboxes | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Building Identification | Letter height max: 18 inches | 5 sq ft | — | — | — | — | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Construction Site | — | 20 sq ft per street frontage | — | — | — | On construction site | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Government Signs | — | Transit signs max 3 sq ft | — | — | — | Various, as required | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Temporary Private Party During Construction in Right-of-Way | 5 ft | 20 sq ft | — | — | 1 per business per street front | Adjacent to right-of-way construction zone | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Private Party (on private property) | — | 16 sq ft per sign, max 80 sq ft cumulative per property | — | — | — | Private property, not visible from public right-of-way or another lot | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - No Trespassing/No Parking | — | 3 sq ft | — | — | 1 per 3 parking spaces | — | — | 17.59.050 |
| Exempt Signs - Personally Attended Temporary Signs (Public Forum Areas) | 10 ft | 32 sq ft per sign | — | — | 1 per street frontage | Traditional public forum areas | — | 17.59.050 |

## Prohibited signs in Del Rey Oaks

- No sign shall be placed, displayed, painted, posted, tacked, fastened, erected, relocated, or constructed except as provided in this chapter.
- Any sign that exceeds 32 square feet of sign area.
- Attention-getting signs and devices that involve animation, rotation, flashing, projections, scintillation, or any type of movement, except barber poles and signs that describe the current time, date, or temperature.
- Backlit translucent awning signs.
- Electronic message signs, except traffic control signs.
- No private party sign may be placed on City property or in the public right-of-way unless approved by the City by encroachment permit. Any sign placed less than five feet from the edge of the asphalt of a street is presumed to be located in the City right-of-way.
- Highly reflective and fluorescent (day-glow) signs.
- Off-site advertising signs designed to direct attention to a business, commodity, service, or entertainment sold or offered elsewhere than on the premises or property on which the sign is located, except for temporary signs.
- Signs attached to, supported by, mounted on, or projecting above a roof or other roof-like architectural feature (roof signs).
- Signs that project more than three feet outward from the location where they are mounted, or signs that project any distance into the public right-of-way.
- Signs posted on trees, utility poles, traffic signposts, light posts, traffic signals, or any other official traffic control device.
- Signs which simulate or imitate in size, color, lettering or design any traffic sign or signal, or which make use of words, symbols or characters in such a manner as to interfere with, mislead, or confuse pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
- Signs otherwise prohibited in a specific plan, master plan, area plan, or other document addressing land use adopted by the City Council.
- Any other sign which the City staff reasonably determines creates a public health or safety hazard.
- No sign shall be erected, relocated, altered or maintained in a way that prevents or hinders ingress to or egress from any door, window or fire escape.
- No sign shall be attached to a standpipe, gutter, drain or fire escape, except signs referring specifically to the standpipe, gutter, drain or fire escape to which it is attached.
- No sign shall be erected in a way that obstructs or confuses the view of any authorized traffic sign, signal, or device from the public right-of-way.
- Nails, tacks and wires shall not protrude from any sign. All structural trim maintained in conjunction with, attached to, or superimposed on any sign shall be safely and securely built or attached to the sign structure.
- Signs shall not be placed in the runway protection zone of the Monterey Regional Airport in a way that interferes with the purposes of that zone.
- A property owner shall remove all signs left or abandoned by a previous tenant or property owner within 30 days of taking possession of the premises.
- Illuminated signs shall not use high intensity, unshielded or undiffused lights.
- Lights or illumination shall be shielded, oriented or diffused so as to eliminate undue glare onto adjacent properties or the public right-of-way.
- Lights shall be shielded or diffused so as to eliminate the possibility of conflict with safe traffic movement.

## Signs exempt from permit in Del Rey Oaks

- Accessory signs of a secondary nature, e.g., credit card signs, not exceeding one square foot.
- Address signs (including mailboxes) with maximum letter height of 12 inches and maximum area of four square feet.
- Building identification signs (names and dates) with maximum letter height of 18 inches and maximum area of five square feet.
- Ancillary information signs with maximum aggregate area of three square feet.
- Construction site signs with maximum aggregate area of 20 square feet per street frontage.
- Flags of any government or non-government entity.
- Government signs including: traffic control signs, transit signs not exceeding three square feet, street identification signs, utility signs, and signs on City property for City civic events, services, and direction.
- Temporary private party signs during construction projects placed in the adjacent right-of-way (subject to specific temporary limitations and conditions).
- Private party signs on private property: maximum aggregate area of 16 square feet per individual sign and 80 square feet cumulative on private property.
- Any sign not visible from another lot of record or from a public right-of-way.
- Signs displaying a noncommercial (e.g., ideological, religious, political) message.
- Interior signs posted in compliance with Federal, State and local laws.
- No trespassing/no parking signs (maximum area three square feet per sign, maximum one sign per three parking spaces).
- Parking lot signs with temporally limited display as specified.
- Personally attended temporary signs in traditional public forum areas (subject to size, height, location, and clearance restrictions).
- Real estate signs (maximum area 12 square feet).
- Signs required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California Coastal Act, etc.
- Signs required by Federal or State law.
- Handheld signs in traditional public forum areas (size and placement restrictions).
- Window displays: temporary window signs may cover no more than 50% of the window area, may not be displayed more than 45 days, and are not included in the maximum total sign area allotment.
- Nonconforming signs lawfully existing before adoption of the ordinance are legal nonconforming signs and are exempt from permit requirements until significantly altered.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- A sign permit approved by the Planning Commission shall be required of all signs unless otherwise specified in this chapter.
- Any person seeking a sign permit shall submit a sign permit application including accurate plans, scale drawings, color boards, examples of materials, and other information specified by the City Manager.
- A permit for construction and placement of a sign is required where the footprint of the structure is being changed or in accordance with Section 17.59.170.
- Where a permit for any sign is required the Planning Commission shall first consider the application before a permit is issued.
- Any commercial, office, or industrial development designed to contain more than four occupancies, businesses, or buildings shall obtain approval of a master signing program (Master Sign Plan).
- A master signing program plan must be approved by the Planning Commission before issuance of any occupancy permit for the development.
- Applicants for master sign plan approval must provide required information for each sign requested for the site.
- Signs not otherwise regulated by this chapter may be allowed upon approval of a sign permit by the Planning Commission if specific findings are met.
- A sign variance application may be submitted to the Planning Commission when strict application of the sign regulations would result in hardship, with a public meeting and findings required.

## Full detail

Complete sign requirements for Del Rey Oaks, including every field PermitPal tracks for each sign type, are available with a free PermitPal account: https://app.permitpal.io/?address=Del+Rey+Oaks+CA&override=true&utm_source=landing&utm_medium=city-page&utm_campaign=city-del-rey-oaks

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