# Sign Regulations in West Covina, California

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

- **Jurisdiction:** West Covina, California (CA)
- **Canonical page:** https://permitpal.io/sign-regulations/california/west-covina
- **Data last verified:** 2025-05-09
- **Source:** [municode municipal code](https://library.municode.com/CA/West_Covina/codes/Code_of_Ordinances?nodeId=MUCO_CH26ZO_ARTVIISI)

## At a glance

West Covina, California regulates 42 sign types across 14 zoning districts. Rental, Promotional Banners in the Multiple-Family zoning district are capped at Below eaveline tall, 3 feet by 15 feet, and 15 feet wide (Sec. Sec. 26-383(e)).

## Sign rules by zoning district (14 zones)

| Zoning District | Sign Types Regulated | Max Height | Max Area | Permit Required |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Office buildings, including institutional uses | 5 | 6 feet | 40 sq. ft. per face (double-face permitted) | — |
| Commercial sites, Other non-office sites, Nonresidential zones | 9 | 8 feet vertical clearance from sidewalk level | 300 sq. ft. primary frontage, 150 sq. ft. secondary frontage, min 40 sq. ft. | — |
| Single-tenant buildings not part of a planned center | 3 | 35 feet | 200 sq. ft. | — |
| Multi-tenant buildings or buildings part of a planned center | 4 | 40 feet | 300 sq. ft. | — |
| Service stations | 2 | 8 feet | 100 s.f. single-face or 50 s.f. double-face for ID; max six s.f. per price type/grade, up to 48 s.f. cumulative for price signs | — |
| Auto dealers | 2 | 35 feet | 150 s.f. per face (double-face permitted), one half of sign area subtracted from front wall sign allowance | — |
| Drive-through restaurant uses | 1 | 8 feet | 40 s.f. (single-face only) | — |
| Theater and Auditoriums | 1 | Same as normally allowed | Up to 900 s.f. per face | — |
| Mobilehome parks | 4 | 6 feet | 40 s.f. (single-face only) | — |
| Residential zones, RA zone, R1 | 5 | 25 feet | 6 s.f. (single-face only) | — |
| Multiple-Family | 6 | 15 feet | 40 s.f. (single-face only), detached signs: 40 s.f. per face (double-face permitted) | — |
| Unimproved property | 1 | 6 feet | 15 sq. ft. per face (double-face permitted) | — |
| New projects with 5+ units | 1 | — | Double-face sign: 60 sq. ft. per face; Up to two single-face signs: 60 sq. ft. total. | — |
| General Regulations For All Zones | 1 | 8 feet | 8 feet in any dimension or 32 sq. ft. in area | — |

## Zone-by-zone sign requirements (sample of 3 of 14 zones)

### Office buildings, including institutional uses

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Building Identification - 1 to 3 stories) | Between top of roof line and floor level of the top floor, or as approved by planning director | 2% of building face | — | — | One (1) per wall facing a street or parking lot | Wall facing street or parking lot | — | Sec. 26-341(a) |
| Wall Sign (Building Identification - 4 or more stories) | Between top of roof line and floor level of the top floor, or as approved by planning director | 3 sq. ft. per lineal foot of building frontage, with 5% increase per story above fourth | — | — | One (1) per wall facing a street or parking lot | Wall facing street or parking lot | — | Sec. 26-341(b) |
| Wall Sign (Tenant Identification - ground floor with exterior entrances) | — | — | — | — | — | Ground floor tenants with exclusive exterior entrances | — | Sec. 26-341(c) |
| Wall Sign (Building Area Bonus - floor area ≥60,000 s.f.) | — | See formula | — | — | One bonus per building | — | — | Sec. 26-341(d) |
| Detached Sign (Monument sign only - Building and Tenant Identification Directory) | 6 feet | 40 sq. ft. per face (double-face permitted) | — | — | One per street frontage (max two per site) | Monument sign | — | Sec. 26-342(a) |

### Commercial sites, Other non-office sites, Nonresidential zones

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wall Sign (Ground Floor Primary Business Identification) | — | 300 sq. ft. primary frontage, 150 sq. ft. secondary frontage, min 40 sq. ft. | — | — | No maximum | Frontages facing street or public parking area with exclusive entrance to tenant space | — | Sec. 26-350(a) |
| Wall Sign (Ground Floor Accessory Business Identification) | — | No greater than primary business ID sign area (max 50% of front wall sign area), single-face only | — | — | No maximum | Primary frontage of primary business | — | Sec. 26-350(b) |
| Nameplate | — | 3 sq. ft. (single-face only) | — | — | One per enclosed tenant space | Near main entrance only | — | Sec. 26-350(c) |
| Wall Sign (Ground Floor Business Advertising) | — | No greater than primary business ID sign area (max 50% of front wall sign area), single-face only | — | — | No maximum | Primary frontage of primary business | — | Sec. 26-350(d) |
| Wall Sign (Second Story Primary Business Identification - two-story buildings only) | Below roofline, but above ceiling level of first floor | 60 sq. ft. | — | — | One per enclosed tenant space | Enclosed tenant space in buildings allowed exterior ground floor signs | — | Sec. 26-350(e) |
| Wall Sign (Building Area Bonus - tenant space ≥60,000 s.f.) | — | See formula | — | — | One bonus per tenant space | Wall sign only | — | Sec. 26-350(f) |
| Window Sign (Business Advertising; Informal) | — | 25% of total glass window area along frontage (max 100 sq. ft.) | — | — | No maximum | Inside glass panel | — | Sec. 26-351 |
| Hanging Sign (Nameplate) | 8 feet vertical clearance from sidewalk level | 5 sq. ft. per face (double-face permitted) | — | — | One per business | Perpendicular or near perpendicular to building fascia | — | Sec. 26-352(a) |

### Multiple-Family

| Sign Type | Max Height | Max Area | Max Width | Setback | Signs Allowed | Location | Permit Required | Ordinance Citation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identification Sign (Wall on main building) | Below eaveline | 5 s.f. per unit up to 40 s.f. (single-face only) | — | — | One per site | Main building | — | Sec. 26-381(c) |
| Identification Sign (Wall on fence / Detached) | (Wall) Below eaveline; (Detached) 6 feet | 40 s.f. (single-face only), detached signs: 40 s.f. per face (double-face permitted) | — | — | One per frontage | Fence or detached at major entrance | — | Sec. 26-381(c) |
| Sale/rental Sign (Attached) | — | 15 s.f. (single-face only) | — | — | One per site | Attached to main building | — | Sec. 26-383(c) |
| Sale/rental Sign (Detached) | 6 feet | 10 s.f. per face (double-face only); total 10 s.f. per face | — | — | No maximum for detached | — | — | Sec. 26-383(d) |
| Rental, Promotional Banner | Below eaveline | 3 feet by 15 feet | 15 feet | — | One per street frontage | Flat against building wall facing public street (not allowed on freestanding wall) | — | Sec. 26-383(e) |
| Rental, Promotional Flags/Pennants | 15 feet | 2 feet by 3.5 feet | 3.5 feet | — | Max one per 40 linear feet | Not attached to building, fence or structure | — | Sec. 26-383(f) |

## Prohibited signs in West Covina

- Moving signs, visible from a public parking area or street, except for electronic reader boards permitted by sign exception review, barber poles permitted by SER that rotate at a speed not to exceed eight (8) revolutions per minute, and tethered balloons permitted by temporary use permit.
- Painted signs, except as permitted on windows or on construction barricades.
- Vehicle signs, except as permitted or where the vehicle is used in conjunction with the business, the sign is permanently or magnetically attached, does not render vehicle or components unmovable or unusable, and is not unsafe or in danger of detaching.
- Off-site commercial signs.
- Signs located on public property or in the public right-of-way, except as allowed for city or public entity signs, encroachment permit, or as otherwise stated.
- No sign shall be affixed to private improvements in the public right-of-way, including utility poles, light standards, telephone poles, equipment boxes, cross-arms, traffic control devices, trees, fences, or poles supporting fences.
- No sign shall prevent or interfere with free ingress to or egress from any door, window or fire escape, or be located/maintained in a manner to constitute an immediate hazard to the safety or block the path of travel of pedestrians or vehicular traffic.

## Signs exempt from permit in West Covina

- Street number signs up to three (3) square feet in size.
- Interior signs located more than two and one-half (2.5) feet from the inside of a window of an enclosed building.
- City or other public entity signs located on its own property and/or the public right-of-way, including banners permitted by section 26-313(b).
- Service station copy applied to fuel pumps or dispensers such as fuel identification, station logo, and other signage required by state and federal law.
- Traffic control signs installed per the standards of the California Vehicle Code, or directional signs serving the same purpose provided installed or authorized by a governmental agency.
- Construction warning signs.

## Sign plan & submission notes

- Requests for approval of a sign permit clearance, sign administrative review, or sign exception review must be submitted to the planning division with a sign plan depicting structural details and sign details.
- Sign programs requiring the coordination of signs on the same site shall be required for sites with two (2) or more enclosed tenant spaces; developed sites must comply upon requests for new signs through sign administrative review or sign exception review or for building design remodel requests.
- Plans must be authorized by the property owner or manager if submitted by another party.
- Permanent signs require planning division clearance in the form of a sign permit clearance (SPC), sign administrative review (SAR), or sign exception review (SER) prior to construction, installation, placement, display, establishment, or modification.
- Deviations from sign design standards may be granted pursuant to review procedures and require appropriate plans.

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

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