Understanding sign regulations in City of Santa Barbara, CA
Every outdoor sign in City of Santa Barbara is governed by the municipality’s sign ordinance, which sets how large a sign may be, how tall it may stand, how far it must sit from the property line, whether it may be illuminated, and which sign types are permitted in each zoning district. This page summarizes those requirements in plain language and links each value back to the section of the City of Santa Barbara code it came from.
Sign rules here are layered. The base zoning district — commercial, industrial, or residential — sets the default limits, and overlay districts such as historic or downtown districts can tighten them further. Because the most specific jurisdiction controls, a freestanding monument sign on a commercial parcel and a wall sign in a historic overlay can face very different limits even on the same street in City of Santa Barbara.
Use the figures below as a fast first check, then run a full address lookup to confirm the exact limits for a specific parcel in City of Santa Barbara, California. The full report also covers permit requirements, prohibited sign types, and illumination rules — each cited to the source ordinance so your permit application can reference it directly.
Before you order or install a sign in City of Santa Barbara, confirm three things: the maximum sign area and height allowed in the parcel’s zoning district, the minimum setback from the right-of-way, and whether the sign type you want — freestanding, monument, wall, projecting, or awning — is permitted there at all. Many permit denials come from missing a setback or an overlay-district restriction rather than from the size of the sign itself, so checking the governing section before applying saves a costly resubmittal.
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Max ground sign height
6 ft above public-right-of-way grade, or 6 ft above the base if the ROW grade is at least 3.5 ft lower.
Authority
Ordinance Title
Chapter 22.70 is the Sign Ordinance of the City of Santa Barbara.
Building Signs
Building Sign Formula
For commercial/office/industrial center dominant frontage, total business-sign area is limited to 1 sq ft per linear foot of frontage, capped at 65 sq ft, whichever is less.
Definitions
Ground Sign Definition
A ground sign is supported on the ground and its overall total height may not exceed six feet above the public-right-of-way grade or six feet above the base where the right-of-way grade is at least 3.5 feet lower.
Wall Sign Projection
A wall sign is affixed or painted on an exterior wall or solid fence, parallel to the wall/fence, and projects no more than 12 inches.
Digital displays on gasoline pumps are exempt only if each display is integrated into a pump face, not stand-alone, no more than one per face, not over 26 inches diagonal, and meets luminance/audio/residential-distance limits.
Directional Signs
Directional Max Size
2 sq ft
Enforcement
Abandoned Unsafe Illegal Removal
Abandoned, unsafe, or illegal signs are public nuisances subject to removal after 10 days written notice, while signs on public property without permission are illegal and subject to immediate removal.
Exceptions
Exception Findings
Exceptions require exceptional circumstances, no material detriment to public welfare or nearby properties, and conformance with Sign Ordinance purpose and intent.
Exemptions
Noncommercial On Site Exemption
Noncommercial on-site signs are exempt up to six square feet total per residential lot and 24 square feet total per nonresidential lot, with owner/tenant permission and legal-conforming requirements.
Temporary Construction Sign Exemption
One temporary construction sign is exempt if it does not exceed six square feet in specified residential zones or 24 square feet in all other zones, is displayed during construction only, and meets ground-sign height limits.
Ground signs exceeding six square feet may not be located within 75 feet of another ground sign.
Ground Sign Max Height
6 ft above public-right-of-way grade, or 6 ft above the base if the ROW grade is at least 3.5 ft lower.
Historic Overlay
Epv Letter Height
In El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District, letter height is generally limited to 10 inches; internally illuminated signs are prohibited except back-lit signs.
Letter Height
Default Letter Height
Except as otherwise stated, letter height is limited to 12 inches unless inconsistent with building size, architecture, and setback from the public right-of-way.
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Measurement
Double Faced Area
Only one face of a double-faced sign with parallel opposing faces and identical copy/language translation counts for sign-area computation.
Sign Size Calculation
For boxed signs, the box or outline counts in sign area; for individual letters, area is calculated by rectangles around each line of copy; for ground signs, base/support structure counts in height.
Menus
Menu Sign Limit
Certain menu/price signs are exempt if they do not exceed 24 inches by 18 inches, letters and numbers do not exceed 3/4 inch high, and the sign is on a wall or in a window.
Off Site
Temporary Off Site Right Of Way
Temporary off-site signs in the public right-of-way may be placed only in the parkway area and only on weekends during the 42-hour period from 6:00 a.m. Saturday to Sunday 11:59 p.m.
Temporary Off Site Size Height
Temporary off-site right-of-way signs may not obstruct pedestrian paths, may not exceed 42 inches above ground, may not exceed six square feet, must be freestanding, and are prohibited in El Pueblo Viejo.
Permits
Permit Required
A sign permit is required to erect, repair, alter, relocate, or maintain any sign unless the sign is specifically exempt; repainting, cleaning, and normal maintenance do not require a permit unless structure, design, color, or character changes.
Permit Application
Sign-permit applications are submitted to the Planning Division of the Community Development Department on City forms with required application materials.
Prohibited signs include signs resembling/conflicting with traffic controls, signs attached to utility poles/traffic devices, and signs causing traffic or pedestrian safety hazards.
It is unlawful to construct, maintain, display, or alter a sign in Santa Barbara except in conformance with Chapter 22.70 and applicable state outdoor advertising law.
Standards
Residential Project Identification
Apartment or condominium project identification signs are limited to one per complex, up to 10 square feet for fewer than 25 units and 25 square feet for more than 25 units, and may not be internally illuminated.
Office Sign Area
Office-use aggregate sign area identifying a building or complex may not exceed one-half square foot per linear foot of building frontage or 20 square feet, whichever is less.
Allowed only as specific exempt temporary sign types; non-exempt signs require a permit.
Temp Sign Rules
No single citywide temporary-sign cap is stated; the ordinance gives subtype rules: temporary window signs are up to 4 sq ft or 15% of the window area, whichever is greater, or 25% if the window is more than 25 ft from the ROW, and they may be displayed no more than 30 consecutive days and 60 days per calendar year; temporary real-estate signs are one per street frontage, up to 12 sq ft in nonresidential zones, while the property is actively offered; temporary off-site signs are up to 6 sq ft and 42 inches high, weekends only in the parkway. Non-exempt signs require a permit.
Wall Signs
Wall Sign Placement
Wall signs may be flat against or pinned away from the wall; signs between windows are limited to two-thirds of the relevant window height or inter-story space.
Window Signs
Temporary Window Sign Limits
Temporary window signs except banners are exempt up to four square feet or 15% of window area, whichever is greater; for windows more than 25 feet from the right-of-way, up to 25% of window area.
Temporary Window Duration
Temporary window signs may not be displayed more than 30 consecutive days or more than 60 total days per calendar year, and may not be illuminated.