# Sign Regulations in Union City, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** Union City, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/union-city
- **Data last verified:** 2025-04-10
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://ecode360.com/43312991#43312991)

## At a glance

Union City, California regulates 6 sign types across 4 zoning districts. Freestanding Signs in the Commercial District (CSMU, CPA, CN, CC, CVR, CUL, CMU, MMU, SEMU-R, VMU, SEE) zoning district are capped at 6 ft tall and 64 sq ft (Sec. §18.30.080.A.2.b, §18.30.080.A.3.b). Most commercial signs in Union City require a permit.

## Sign rules by zoning district (4 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Commercial District (CSMU, CPA, CN, CC, CVR, CUL, CMU, MMU, SEMU-R, VMU, SEE) | 3 | 6 ft | 64 sq ft | — |
| Industrial District (MS, ML, MG) | 3 | 6 ft | 200 sq ft (ML, MG) | — |
| Residential District (R, RS, RM, 511) | 2 | 6 ft | 30 sq ft per street frontage | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | — | Varies by type | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 4 zones)

### Commercial District (CSMU, CPA, CN, CC, CVR, CUL, CMU, MMU, SEMU-R, VMU, SEE)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Sign | — | — | — | — | One per street frontage per tenant | On building or tenant frontage | — | §18.30.080.A.2.a, §18.30.080.A.3.a |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage per parcel | Per street frontage per parcel | — | §18.30.080.A.2.b, §18.30.080.A.3.b |
| Accessory Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building or tenant frontage | — | §18.30.080.A.4 |

### Industrial District (MS, ML, MG)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Building Sign | — | 200 sq ft (ML, MG) | — | — | One per street frontage per tenant | On building or tenant frontage | — | §18.30.080.B.2.a, §18.30.080.B.3.a |
| Freestanding Sign | 6 ft | 64 sq ft | — | — | One per street frontage per parcel | Per street frontage per parcel | — | §18.30.080.B.2.b, §18.30.080.B.3.b |
| Accessory Sign | — | — | — | — | — | On building or tenant frontage | — | §18.30.080.B.4 |

### Residential District (R, RS, RM, 511)

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Residential Project Identification Sign | 6 ft | 30 sq ft per street frontage | — | — | One per street frontage | Wall-mounted or freestanding | — | §18.30.080.C.2.a |
| Home Occupation Sign | — | 1.5 sq ft | — | — | One per dwelling | Flat against the wall or window of the dwelling | — | §18.30.080.C.2.c |

## Prohibited signs in Union City

- Moving signs, animated signs, flashing signs, changeable copy signs, or any other signs with flashing light, changes in color or intensity, or moving parts, but not including flags, movie marquee signs, time/temperature signs, or gasoline price signs
- Strings of lights not permanently mounted to a rigid background, except those exempt under the previous section
- Pennants and any other wind sign, but not including flags or banners
- Roof signs as defined in Section 18.30.030
- Any portable sign, including sandwich board, 'A' frame, balloon/inflatable signs, and corrugated plastic or cardboard ground-mounted signs with metal or wood frames, etc., except those signs allowed pursuant to Section 18.30.040(B), (E) or (F) or Section 18.30.060(A)
- Signs hazardous to traffic, which are any signs with lighting or illumination of such intensity, color or contrasting brilliance as to cause confusion or glare to impair the vision of any person traveling on a public or private way, or which otherwise interfere with any person's operation of a vehicle
- Signs on public property, which include signs placed on, affixed to, or erected on or over public property, rights-of-way, or waterways, except signs which are exempt pursuant to Section 18.30.040 and awning signs affixed to buildings located on private property but that extend over the public right-of-way
- Billboards and off-premises signs, except signs specifically allowed pursuant to Section 18.30.040 or 18.30.060, or freestanding signs which identify a use or occupant of a parcel within the City without street frontage
- Any sign constructed, erected or placed within the City limits that does not conform to the regulation of this chapter
- Multi-tenant freestanding signs providing more than two tenant names, unless additional tenant names are approved by the granting of a use permit per Section 18.30.100(E)
- Window signs that exceed 25% of the surface area of the window
- Abandoned signs

## Signs exempt from permit in Union City

- Official Notices. Any public notice or warning required by a valid and applicable federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance; and, notices posted by public officers in performance of their duties
- Regulatory, Directional and Warning Signs. Governmental signs, which contain no commercial message of any sort, to provide directions or control of traffic or other regulatory purposes, including street-name signs, danger signs and traffic-control signs, such as stop, yield, and similar signs, the face of which must meet Department of Transportation standards; signs of public utility or service companies indicating danger or aid to service or safety, including signs showing the placement or location of underground public utilities or to protect property rights
- Any sign inside a building, or within an enclosed mall or multi-building project that is not visible from public right-of-way
- Holiday lights and decorations with no commercial message
- Real estate signs used to advertise the sale, rent, or lease of a single residential parcel, provided that said signs shall be naturally illuminated, shall be mounted on a post or 'A' frame, and shall not exceed seven square feet in area
- Garage/yard sale signs used to advertise such a sale on residential property, provided that such signs shall be naturally illuminated, and shall not exceed four square feet in area
- Street and house numbers are exempt
- Window signs are subject to the following restrictions: The sign area allowed for window signs shall not exceed 25% of the surface area of the window; Such signs shall not exhibit flashing or intermittent illumination
- Home occupation signs advertising an approved home occupation conducted on the premises, provided that such sign shall be naturally illuminated, shall not exceed one and one-half (1-1/2) square feet in area, and shall be located flat against the wall or window of the dwelling
- Building marker signs provided that the sign only includes the building name, date of construction, or historical data on a historic site. The sign must be cut or etched into masonry, bronze or similar material. Such signs shall not exceed two square feet in area and shall be naturally illuminated
- Flags of the United States, the State of California, the City of Union City, foreign nations, and any other flag adopted or sanctioned by an elected legislative body of competent jurisdiction
- Political Signs. Temporary political signs provided that such signs comply with the following conditions: Such signs shall not be allowed on sidewalks, street medians, public rights-of-way, public parks or other property, or where they may interfere with vehicular or pedestrian sight distance, nor shall they be affixed to utility poles, street signs or any public utility company or railroad property without the specific permission of the utility, railroad, or public agency; Such signs shall be naturally illuminated; Such signs shall be removed within 14 calendar days following the election
- Government-Owned Signs. Governmental signs, which are owned by the City
- Signage indicating the presence of bicycle parking facilities
- No smoking signs that inform the public of the provisions listed in Chapter 7.13 of the Municipal Code

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Unless the proposed sign is exempt pursuant to Section 18.30.040, the owner of a lot or business establishment shall secure sign plan approval prior to the construction, placement, erection, or modification of any sign
- A sign plan or planned sign program, consistent with Section 18.30.100, shall be required for any development
- A conditional use permit for a planned sign program for a multi-tenant commercial or industrial site or project such as a community shopping center or any other site containing at least two acres in land area may be approved by the Planning Commission

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

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