Understanding sign regulations in City of Santa Clara, CA
Every outdoor sign in City of Santa Clara 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 Clara 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 Clara.
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 Clara, 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 Clara, 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
Freestanding signs: 20 ft; Monument signs: 12 ft.
Ground sign setback
Freestanding signs: 4 ft behind the parcel line for signs not exceeding 6 ft high and 30 sq ft; Monument signs: 4 ft behind the parcel line for signs not exceeding 4 ft high and 30 sq ft.
Administration
Minor Modification
The Director may grant a Minor Modification for up to 25% of Chapter 18.42 requirements.
Revocation
Sign permit revocation is governed by Article 7, Chapter 18.150 on permit modifications and revocations.
Authority
Chapter Scope
Santa Clara Zoning Code Chapter 18.42 establishes sign standards for signs in the City.
Applicability
It is unlawful to post, erect, re-erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, equip, or paint a sign contrary to Chapter 18.42.
Awning signs may occupy up to 25% of the shed/valance portion; for barrel-shaped awnings, signs may not occupy more than 60% of the bottom 12 inches.
Awning Permanent Only
Only permanent integral awning signs are allowed; temporary signs may not be placed on awnings/canopies; awning signs are limited to first and second story commercial and mixed-use occupancies and need eight feet clearance.
Only permanent integral awning signs are allowed; temporary signs are prohibited on awnings/canopies; minimum 8 ft of clearance is required. Projection distance is not specified in the cited facts.
Awning Sign Sf Calc
Copy/graphics area only: up to 25% of the shed/valance portion; barrel-shaped awnings are limited to 60% of the bottom 12 inches.
Building Signs
Building Sign Illumination
Permitted subject to the general illumination rule and building permit approval; lights must concentrate illumination on the sign and minimize glare. The facts specifically mention hooded floodlight illumination for painted signs.
Building Sign Max Number
1 wall sign per primary frontage; 1 additional wall sign on a secondary frontage for sites over 150 linear ft of structure frontage; 1 accessory wall sign per establishment is allowed for structures over 10,000 sq ft of gross leasable area.
Sign area is measured by up to eight connected straight lines enclosing words, letters, figures, symbols, designs, pictures, framing, background, colored/illuminated areas, and attention-attracting devices forming an individual message.
Sign Height
Sign height is measured by the vertical distance from the top of the nearest street curb.
Directional
Directional Sign Limits
Directional signs are not counted against allowed sign area unless they include business logo/name/advertising; they may not exceed six square feet, and if in driveway/intersection visibility clearance they may not exceed three feet high.
Directional Signs
Directional Max Height
3 ft in driveway/intersection visibility clearance areas; general maximum height is not specified in the cited facts.
Directional Max Size
6 sq ft.
Directory
Directory Sign Limits
Directory signs may not exceed 16 square feet or six feet high; if located in a driveway/intersection visibility clearance area, they may not exceed three feet high, and require two square feet of landscaping for each square foot of sign area.
District Specific
Retail Signage Area
Retail uses may have up to two square feet of sign area per foot of linear frontage, with sign width limited to 75% of business frontage width and 50% of structure wall/fascia heights.
Residential Zone Signs
Only signs meeting Section 18.42.150 standards and other applicable provisions are permitted in residential zones; signs must be on the premises occupied by the person or ancillary business identified or advertised.
Unlawful, unsafe, and unauthorized signs may be removed under Section 18.42.190; dangerous or defective signs may not be maintained on business or residential property.
Exemptions
Exempt Signs Not Counted
Exempt signs are allowed without a sign permit in any zone and are not included in determining allowed type, number, or area on a parcel.
Real Estate Sign Limits
Real estate signs may not exceed six square feet for single-family residential and 32 square feet for multifamily or nonresidential for each side of a double-sided sign; illuminated real estate signs are prohibited.
For sites up to or over 150 lineal feet of structure frontage, freestanding signs are allowed at one per primary structure frontage, one square foot per linear foot of primary structure frontage, with a 12-foot height limit.
Commercial Secondary Freestanding
For sites with over 150 lineal feet of structure frontage, one secondary frontage freestanding sign may be allowed with a maximum of 50% of the primary sign area.
All signs must be constructed in a workmanship manner using durable materials intended for long life, ease of maintenance, high-quality appearance, and legible information.
Sign Area Frontage Calculation
Allowable sign square footage is generally measured based on every linear foot of structure frontage unless Section 18.42.120 states otherwise.
Freestanding signs: 4 ft behind the parcel line for signs not exceeding 6 ft high and 30 sq ft; Monument signs: 4 ft behind the parcel line for signs not exceeding 4 ft high and 30 sq ft.
Iconic signs may be allowed nonconforming signs if legally established and meeting criteria including historical materials/technology, structural safety, cultural/economic/historic heritage, uniqueness, majority retained character-defining features, and at least 50 years old.
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Illumination
Sign Illumination General
Sign lighting must concentrate illumination on the sign and minimize glare on public streets and abutting property; illuminated signs require building permit approval.
Luminous Tube Signs
Luminous tubing may not exceed one-half inch diameter; adjacent to residential uses it may not exceed one-half foot-candle at the property line; red/green luminous signs are prohibited within 150 feet of signalized intersections.
Menu boards, excluding freestanding drive-thru menu boards, do not count against maximum sign area, may not exceed 30 square feet, must be at the front entrance and mounted flat against the wall, and may be internally or externally illuminated.
Drive Thru Menu Board
Drive-thru menu boards do not count against maximum sign area; each may not exceed 12 square feet, no more than two are allowed per establishment, they must be at least eight feet from the drive-through lane entrance, and external illumination is prohibited.
Nonconforming
Residential Amortization
Legal nonconforming on-site signs in residential zones must be removed or altered to conform within 10 years from the date the sign became nonconforming.
Commercial Nonconforming
Legal nonconforming commercial, mixed-use, office, and industrial signs and billboards existing when the Zoning Code became effective may continue subject to maintenance and limitation rules.
Santa Clara prohibits new billboards except for the specific CityPlace exception and existing/approved billboards; as of December 19, 2023, the total starting point and ceiling is 17 billboards.
Billboard Attrition
Existing billboards may not be relocated, reconstructed, or expanded, and if destroyed, removed, dismantled, abandoned, or discontinued, the citywide billboard cap is permanently reduced.
Permit
Sign Permit Required
A sign permit is required for all signs except those specifically exempted in Section 18.42.070.
Comprehensive Sign Program Required
A Comprehensive Sign Program is required for all new commercial, mixed-use, office, and industrial developments with five or more signs and optional for those developments with fewer tenants/signs.
No signs may be placed in a street intersection or sight-distance triangle, and signs may not interfere with, obstruct the view of, or be confused with traffic signs.
Prohibited
Right Of Way Signs
Signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited throughout the city except government signs.
Prohibited Sign Categories
Prohibited signs include signs in the right-of-way, nonconforming structures reconstructed beyond Section 18.42.200 limits, and billboards except as allowed by Section 18.42.090.
Projecting
Primary Projecting
One projecting sign per establishment is allowed on primary frontage, up to eight square feet.
Secondary Projecting
One projecting sign per establishment is allowed on secondary frontage, up to four square feet.
Single-family residential uses may have one wall nameplate sign up to four square feet located below the eave or parapet.
Multifamily Identification
Multifamily uses may have one wall or freestanding identification sign up to 24 square feet; freestanding signs are limited to six feet, and cabinet/internally illuminated signs are prohibited.
Gas price signs may not exceed 25 square feet per side, may not be in visibility clearance areas, are limited to two per service station with two sides each, prohibit external illumination, and may use static LED price figures.
Subdivision
Subdivision Entry Signs
Subdivision entry signs may not exceed 75 square feet total sign area or six feet high; monument style is required, at least 50% must be subdivision identification, and up to 30% may be logos.
Temporary
Temporary Commercial Permit
A sign permit is required for all temporary commercial signs and may be issued for signs complying with Section 18.42.100.
Temporary Area Not Counted
Temporary sign areas are not counted under the maximum allowed sign area.
Nonresidential/mixed-use temporary noncommercial signs: up to 32 sq ft each, must be removed or replaced within 60 days, and up to 4 signs if the property is not subject to a Comprehensive Sign Program; temporary commercial signs require a sign permit. Height is not specified in the cited facts.
Temp Signs Allowed
Yes. Temporary commercial signs are allowed, and a sign permit is required.
Wall
Primary Wall Signs
Primary frontage painted or wall signs are allowed at one wall sign per primary frontage, 32 square feet or one square foot per lineal foot of structure frontage, whichever is greater, up to 150 square feet; total primary/accessory wall sign area may not exceed 150 square feet.
Accessory Wall Signs
One accessory wall sign per establishment is allowed for structures with over 10,000 square feet of gross leasable area, and accessory wall sign area may not exceed the area of the primary wall sign.
Window signs are allowed only on ground-floor and second-story windows, do not count toward maximum sign area, must leave the bottom 24 inches of each ground-floor window clear, may not cover more than 25% of each window, prohibit window chalk/markers, and may not be illuminated.
Window Signs
Window Sign Allowable Area
Up to 25% of each individual window.
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