# Sign Regulations in Rocklin, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Rocklin, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/rocklin
- **Data last verified:** 2025-03-26
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/CA/Rocklin/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=TIT17ZO_CH17.75SIPRPR)

## At a glance

Rocklin, California regulates 6 sign types across 8 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the General Regulations For All Zones zoning district are capped at 15' tall and 100 SF, with a Minimum of three feet from a public right-of-way. setback (Sec. 17.75.040.B, 17.75.060.C, 17.75.050). Most commercial signs in Rocklin require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (8 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 5 | 15' | 100 SF | — |
| Dev Single Fam. and R2 residence | 2 | 6' | 16 SF | — |
| Developed lots in R3 | 2 | 6' | 32 SF | — |
| Institutional in Residential | 2 | 6' | 32 SF | — |
| Dev. Comm, BP, Industrial | 6 | 30' | 200 SF | — |
| Planned Development | 2 | 15' | 100 SF | — |
| Mixed Use | 2 | 15' | 100 SF | — |
| Nonresidential zoning district | 2 | 15' | 100 SF | — |

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

### General Regulations For All Zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 15' | 100 SF | — | Minimum of three feet from a public right-of-way. | 1 per 200 LF of street frontage | On or within 500 feet of the property on which the business is located. | — | 17.75.040.B, 17.75.060.C, 17.75.050 |
| Building Sign | — | 100 SF | — | — | No limit on number, limit on sign area | Attached to the building. | — | 17.75.050 |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | At least one foot below the top of parapet, the sill of a second floor window, and/or the lowest point of any cornice or roof overhang. | — | 17.75.060.A |
| Projecting Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | At least one foot below the top of parapet, the sill of a second floor window, and/or the lowest point of any cornice or roof overhang. | — | 17.75.060.F |
| Suspended Sign | — | 4 SF | — | — | — | Below eave or canopy at least 8' above walking surface. | — | 17.75.060.F |

### Dev. Comm, BP, Industrial

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 15' | 100 SF | — | — | 1 per 200 LF of street frontage | 1 per 200 LF of street frontage. | — | 17.75.050 |
| Freestanding Freeway Oriented Sign | 30' | 200 SF | — | — | 1 per sign per parcel or project | Property must be within 100' of an interchange or I-80 freeway frontage, excluding Stanford Ranch/Hwy 65 interchange. | — | 17.75.050 |
| Building Sign | — | 100 SF | — | — | No limit on number, limit on sign area | Attached to the building. | — | 17.75.050 |
| Awning Sign | — | — | — | — | — | At least one foot below the top of parapet, the sill of a second floor window, and/or the lowest point of any cornice or roof overhang. | — | 17.75.060.A |
| Projecting Wall Sign | — | — | — | — | — | At least one foot below the top of parapet, the sill of a second floor window, and/or the lowest point of any cornice or roof overhang. | — | 17.75.060.F |
| Suspended Sign | — | 4 SF | — | — | — | Below eave or canopy at least 8' above walking surface. | — | 17.75.060.F |

### Planned Development

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Freestanding Sign | 15' | 100 SF | — | Minimum of three feet from a public right-of-way. | 1 per 200 LF of street frontage | On or within 500 feet of the property on which the business is located. | — | 17.75.050 |
| Building Sign | — | 100 SF | — | — | No limit on number, limit on sign area | Attached to the building. | — | 17.75.050 |

## Prohibited signs in Rocklin

- Advertising statuary.
- Moving image signs designed to blink, flash, shimmer, glitter, rotate, oscillate or move.
- Animated signs.
- Backlit translucent awning signs.
- Electronic message signs (excludes traffic control signs).
- Ground-mounted signs installed or placed in the public right-of-way (excludes government and community signs and commercial directory programs).
- Highly reflective and fluorescent (day-glow) signs.
- Off-site signs (except for signs placed in compliance with Section 17.75.040.B, or other programs specifically identified in this chapter and Chapter 17.80).
- Signs posted on trees, utility poles, traffic sign posts, light posts, traffic signals or any other official traffic-control device.
- Signs placed or maintained so as to interfere with free ingress to or egress from any door, window or fire escape, or parking lot.
- 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.
- Vehicles used only for general signage or parked in a place or manner where the primary purpose is not the use of the vehicle but the primary placement is to display a commercial message.

## Signs exempt from permit in Rocklin

- Address signs with maximum letter height of 12 inches and maximum area of 4 square feet.
- Ancillary information signs with maximum aggregate area of 3 square feet.
- Construction site signs with maximum area of 3 square feet.
- Electronic open signs with maximum of one sign per street frontage.
- Traffic control signs.
- Government and community signs authorized on city property.
- Transit signs not exceeding 3 square feet.
- Street identification signs.
- Utility signs.
- Decorations and displays on property used for residential purposes.
- Typical holiday decorations on nonresidential properties.
- Holiday decorations subject to regulations for special advertising devices or require a special event permit.
- Home occupation signs at the residence of currently permitted and licensed home occupation businesses with maximum sign size of 2 inches × 10 inches.
- Interior signs not visible from another lot of record or from a public right-of-way.
- Menu/order board signs for each drive-through business not exceeding a maximum 40 square foot sign area and an 8-foot height limit.
- No trespassing/no parking signs posted in compliance with federal, state and local laws.
- Parking lot signs with maximum area of 3 square feet per sign.
- Real estate signs as authorized by Civil Code Section 713 et seq.
- Signs required by federal or state law.
- Signs required for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), California Coastal Act, etc.
- Temporary noncommercial signs in any residential zoning district.
- Temporary community activity signs limited to designated banner sign locations throughout the city or as approved by the planning director, for a period not exceeding 30 days in duration.
- Umbrellas with incidental signage not intended to be primary commercial signage for a business.
- Vehicle signs on licensed commercial vehicles, provided such vehicles are not used or intended for use as portable signs or for general advertising for hire.
- Window signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Sign programs for specific developments, as well as special sign districts or special sign overlay zones, when approved by the approving authority, may modify the rules stated herein as to sign size, height, illumination, spacing, orientation or other noncommunicative aspects of signs.
- Use permit approval is required for a freeway-oriented sign.
- Sign permit approval is required for on-site subdivision identification signs.
- Off-site signs providing directions to a new subdivision may be allowed with sign permit approval.
- Construction identification signs may be allowed without a permit in all zoning districts.
- Special advertising permits required for publicizing special events, either commercial or noncommercial.
- An application for a sign permit shall be made on a form prescribed by the director and accompanied by a fee in an amount established by city council resolution.

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

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