# Sign Regulations in Tulare, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Tulare, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/tulare
- **Data last verified:** 2025-10-27
- **Source:** [amlegal municipal code](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/tulare/latest/tulare_ca/0-0-0-13476)

## At a glance

Tulare, California regulates 24 sign types across 9 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Public Lands District (PL) zoning district are capped at 20 feet tall and 200 square feet, with a Minimum 5 feet from property lines, driveways, alleys, points of ingress/egress setback (Sec. § 10.188.050(F)). Most commercial signs in Tulare 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 | 5 | 16 feet | 128 square feet (max); 24 square feet (min) | — |
| Agricultural District (A) | 5 | Not to exceed roofline or 30 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| Public Lands District (PL) | 13 | 100 feet max from crown of highway or ground level (established by Planning Commission) | 500 square feet (max established by Planning Commission) | — |
| Rural-Residential District (R-A) | 3 | 6 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| Single-Family Residential Districts (R, R-1-20, R-1-12.5, R-1-8, R-1-7, R-1-6, R-1-5, R-1-4) | 3 | 6 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| Multi-Family Residential Districts (R-M, R-M-1, R-M-2, R-M-3, R-M-4) | 3 | 6 feet | 300 square feet | — |
| Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4) | 15 | 100 feet max from crown of highway or ground level (established by Planning Commission) | 500 square feet (max established by Planning Commission) | — |
| Industrial Districts (M-1, M-2) | 14 | 100 feet max from crown of highway or ground level (established by Planning Commission) | 500 square feet (max established by Planning Commission) | — |
| Downtown Design Combining District (D) | 11 | 100 feet (tethered from ground to top) | 300 square feet | — |

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

### Public Lands District (PL)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Not to exceed pitch of roof | 300 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to building face or painted on wall, awning, or marquee | — | § 10.188.050(A) |
| Monument Sign | 8 feet (or on 4-foot or less landscaped mound) | 48 square feet | — | — | — | Flush with ground or on base, supported by solid base/uprights; not in traffic safety sight area | — | § 10.188.050(C) |
| Directional Sign | 4 feet | 8 square feet | — | — | — | On-site directing to parking, services, restrooms | — | § 10.188.050(D) |
| Temporary Sign | Not to exceed roofline or 30 feet | 300 square feet (1 sq ft per lineal ft frontage for individual business) | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 10.188.050(E) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 200 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from property lines, driveways, alleys, points of ingress/egress | — | Not attached to building; on ground by columns, poles; min 5 ft from property line, driveway, alley, ingress/egress | — | § 10.188.050(F) |
| Projecting Sign | Not to exceed roofline (bottom min 8 ft from ground) | 50 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to and projecting from building face, roof, canopy, marquee; may extend over public sidewalks up to 2/3 distance from building to curb | — | § 10.188.050(G) |
| Canopy Sign | Not to exceed underside of canopy (min 8 ft clearance from ground) | 50 square feet | — | — | — | Mounted or painted on canopy; under canopy over rights-of-way/sidewalks, not beyond canopy | — | § 10.188.050(H) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | — | — | On public sidewalk, min 4 ft passage area | — | § 10.188.050(I) |

### Commercial Districts (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Not to exceed pitch of roof | 300 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to building face or painted on wall, awning, or marquee | — | § 10.188.050(A) |
| Monument Sign | 8 feet (or on 4-foot or less landscaped mound) | 48 square feet | — | — | — | Flush with ground or on base, supported by solid base/uprights; not in traffic safety sight area | — | § 10.188.050(C) |
| Directional Sign | 4 feet | 8 square feet | — | — | — | On-site directing to parking, services, restrooms | — | § 10.188.050(D) |
| Temporary Sign | Not to exceed roofline or 30 feet | 300 square feet (1 sq ft per lineal ft frontage for individual business) | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 10.188.050(E) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 200 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from property lines, driveways, alleys, points of ingress/egress | — | Not attached to building; on ground by columns, poles; min 5 ft from property line, driveway, alley, ingress/egress | — | § 10.188.050(F) |
| Projecting Sign | Not to exceed roofline (bottom min 8 ft from ground) | 50 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to and projecting from building face, roof, canopy, marquee; may extend over public sidewalks up to 2/3 distance from building to curb | — | § 10.188.050(G) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | — | — | On public sidewalk, min 4 ft passage area | — | § 10.188.050(I) |
| Mobile Home Park Sign | 8 feet | 50 square feet (all readable surfaces) | — | — | 1 per entrance | At each park entrance | — | § 10.188.060(G) |

### Industrial Districts (M-1, M-2)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign | Not to exceed pitch of roof | 300 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to building face or painted on wall, awning, or marquee | — | § 10.188.050(A) |
| Monument Sign | 8 feet (or on 4-foot or less landscaped mound) | 48 square feet | — | — | — | Flush with ground or on base, supported by solid base/uprights; not in traffic safety sight area | — | § 10.188.050(C) |
| Directional Sign | 4 feet | 8 square feet | — | — | — | On-site directing to parking, services, restrooms | — | § 10.188.050(D) |
| Temporary Sign | Not to exceed roofline or 30 feet | 300 square feet (1 sq ft per lineal ft frontage for individual business) | — | — | — | On premises | — | § 10.188.050(E) |
| Freestanding Sign | 20 feet | 200 square feet | — | Minimum 5 feet from property lines, driveways, alleys, points of ingress/egress | — | Not attached to building; on ground by columns, poles; min 5 ft from property line, driveway, alley, ingress/egress | — | § 10.188.050(F) |
| Projecting Sign | Not to exceed roofline (bottom min 8 ft from ground) | 50 square feet | — | — | — | Attached to and projecting from building face, roof, canopy, marquee; may extend over public sidewalks up to 2/3 distance from building to curb | — | § 10.188.050(G) |
| Canopy Sign | Not to exceed underside of canopy (min 8 ft clearance from ground) | 50 square feet | — | — | — | Mounted or painted on canopy; under canopy over rights-of-way/sidewalks, not beyond canopy | — | § 10.188.050(H) |
| Sandwich Board Sign | 4 feet | 12 square feet | 3 feet | — | — | On public sidewalk, min 4 ft passage area | — | § 10.188.050(I) |

## Prohibited signs in Tulare

- Any sign designed for emitting sound
- Any sign mounted or attached to a vehicle parked for the purpose of calling attention to or advertising a special business establishment
- Any sign or sign structure which has become a public nuisance due to inadequate maintenance, dilapidation or abandonment
- Any sign which obstructs in any manner the ingress to, or egress from, a door, window, fire escape or other access way required by building codes
- Any sign unlawfully installed, erected, or maintained
- Any sign now or hereafter existing which no longer advertises a bona fide business conducted or a product sold as prescribed in this chapter
- Any sign which encroaches into any city right-of-way and/or easement, except an under canopy sign or projecting sign
- Any sign that flashes, blinks, moves, changes color, appears to change color, changes intensity or contains any part of attachment which does the same except that standard barber poles, time and temperature signs and approved bulletin board signs shall be permitted in commercial and industrial zones if otherwise in compliance with this chapter
- Any sign that is inconsistent with the traffic safety sight area, unless the sign is less than two feet in height or there is a clear area of eight feet from the bottom of the sign and the adjacent sidewalk grade
- Any sign not expressly permitted
- Any sign located so that it interferes with visibility at an intersection, public right-of-way, driveway or other ingress/egress
- Any sign located or displayed on or over public property except as expressly permitted in this chapter unless approved by the Council
- Any sign attached to a tree
- Any sign erected or maintained which has less horizontal or vertical clearance from communication lines and energized electrical power lines than that prescribed by the state, or rules and regulations duly promulgated by agencies thereof
- Any sign serving as a billboard
- Any sign which, in the opinion of the Director, is in conflict with the spirit or intent of this chapter
- Any sign adversely affecting traffic control or safety
- No portion of any sign nor its supports shall be placed in a manner that it will in any way obstruct any fire escape, stairway or stand pipe, nor shall any such sign or any of its supports be attached to or supported by any fire escape
- No portion of any sign or its supports shall be so placed that it will interfere with human exit through any window of any room located above the first floor of any building
- No portion of any sign or its supports shall be placed so that it will obstruct any exterior door or required exit of any building
- No sign shall be so placed that same will obstruct any legally required light and ventilation
- No sign or portion of a sign shall be placed on any public right-of-way in such a manner which obstructs the public right-of-way

## Signs exempt from permit in Tulare

- Signs placed by a governmental body or public utility, required to be maintained by law
- Memorial tablets or plaques placed by recognized historical agencies
- Flags of the National or State Government
- Nonelectric signs within recreational facilities, which are not visible from any public street
- Non-commercial signage allowed in any zoning district without review by the city, with restrictions on placement, area (not exceeding 32 square feet combined on any parcel), and no attachment to trees, fence posts, or utility poles except on private property with permission, and not in street right-of-way or on city-owned property

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Any project involving multiple tenants in one complex, such as a shopping center, shall to the extent feasible, submit a master plan illustrating sign type, area and location for all signs in the project as part of a site plan review or conditional use permit application
- Freestanding signs may only be permitted as part of an overall sign program or plan
- Off-premise subdivision signs require a site plan
- Freeway signs require a conditional use permit
- Off-premise signs require a conditional use permit
- Billboards require a conditional use permit and sign permit
- Administrative adjustments for major deviations (up to 25% of height or sign surface area) may be granted by the Planning and Building Director
- Minor deviations (up to 10% of height or sign surface area) may be granted by the Director in accordance with Chapter 10.132
- Appeals to this chapter shall be treated as a variance, consistent with Chapter 10.128

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

---

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