How Modesto Handles Sign Regulations: A Practical Guide

Modesto maintains 139 local ordinances across all categories, and 5 of those deal specifically with sign regulations. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Modesto falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Garage Sale Signs

Modesto lets a household hold a garage sale with no sign permit, but caps the signage under section 10-6.107(a): only two unlighted signs, three square feet each and five feet tall, displayed only while the sale is actually happening. Signs must sit on private property with the owner's consent and can never be attached to a street tree, utility pole, or placed in the public right-of-way.

Key details: Signs allowed per sale: 2 maximum. Size limit: 3 square feet each. Height limit: 5 feet each. Permit/fee: Exempt under §10-6.105(a)(1)(iv). Display window: Only while sale is occurring.

Because garage sale signs are exempt only from the permit fee and not from the article's other rules, exceeding the two-sign or three-square-foot limit, leaving a sign up outside the sale hours, or placing one in the right-of-way or on a utility pole makes the sign a violation of section 10-6.103, enforced by the Chief Building Official and Director; section 10-6.110 makes placing a nonconforming sign unlawful and punishable as an infraction.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Modesto gives residents more flexibility on garage sale signs.

Freeway-Facing Signs

Modesto caps digital freeway billboards along Highway 99 at seven citywide, and each one needs a conditional use permit approved by the City Council on the Planning Commission's recommendation. Section 10-6.108(f)(2) fixes where a digital billboard can sit: within 660 feet of the freeway, at least 300 feet from any residential parcel, at most 60 feet tall, capped at 700 square feet per face, and 2,500 feet from the next digital freeway billboard.

Key details: Citywide cap: 7 digital freeway billboards. Siting: Within 660 ft of Hwy 99, 300 ft from homes. Height: 60 ft max for new billboards. Face area: 700 sq ft max per digital display. Separation: 2,500 ft from any other digital billboard.

Building or converting a digital freeway billboard without the required conditional use permit, or operating one outside the 660-foot/300-foot siting window, the 60-foot height cap, the 700-square-foot face limit, the seven-sign citywide cap, or the 2,500-foot separation rule, is a sign-code violation enforceable by the Chief Building Official and Director under section 10-6.104, and any sign installed in violation of the article is unlawful under section 10-6.103; a denied or revoked CUP can be appealed to the City Council through the same process used to approve it.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Modesto actively enforces its freeway-facing signs requirements.

Window Signs

Modesto limits temporary window signage to half the glass: under the commercial and industrial sign table in section 10-6.107(b), a window sign can cover no more than 50 percent of the window it is displayed in, with no limit on the number of signs and no maximum height beyond the window itself. The residential table separately caps window signs on nonconforming uses at the same 50 percent and requires them to face a public street.

Key details: Coverage cap: 50% of window area. Number of signs (commercial): Unlimited. Height: No limit beyond window size. Nonconforming-use signs: Must face a public street. Permit: Generally required, not exempt.

A window sign that covers more than half the glass, or that is installed without first obtaining a sign permit under section 10-6.105, violates the general prohibition in section 10-6.103 against installing or maintaining any sign in the City in violation of the article's requirements, enforced by the Chief Building Official and the Director; a permit denial or violation finding can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Adjustments under Title 10, Chapter 9, Article 3.

Political Signs

Modesto exempts political signs from the sign permit and fee requirement, but the zone tables in section 10-6.107 still cap them: on a residential parcel with a home, unlimited unlighted signs up to 16 square feet each and 60 square feet combined at 6 feet tall; on a residential parcel with no home, up to 32 square feet each and 100 square feet combined at 10 feet. Every political sign must go up no more than 120 days before the election and come down within 10 days after.

Key details: Residential parcel with dwelling: 16 sf/sign, 60 sf combined, 6 ft. Residential parcel, no dwelling: 32 sf/sign, 100 sf combined, 10 ft. Commercial/industrial zones: 32 sf/sign, 150 sf combined, 10 ft. Install window: No more than 120 days before election. Removal deadline: Within 10 days after election.

A political sign that exceeds the square footage or height cap, is installed more than 120 days before the election, or is not removed within 10 days afterward, violates the general prohibition in section 10-6.103 against installing or maintaining any sign in the City in violation of the article's requirements. The Chief Building Official and the Director enforce the sign chapter under section 10-6.104, and a sign that is not brought into compliance can be ordered removed, with the owner or sign owner billed for the City's removal cost.

Digital Billboards

Digital freeway billboards in Modesto are allowed only as relocations or conversions of existing billboards along State Highway 99, per Section 10-6.108(f)(3) of the Municipal Code. The City Council must approve a conditional use permit for each one, and citywide, no more than seven digital freeway billboards may operate at once, spaced at least 2,500 feet apart.

Key details: Citywide cap: Seven digital freeway billboards maximum. Sign spacing: 2,500 feet minimum between digital billboards. Max height: 60 feet for new digital billboards. Max face area: 700 square feet per display face. Removal ratio: 4 existing billboards removed per new digital sign.

Erecting or converting a digital freeway billboard without a City Council-approved conditional use permit, exceeding the 60-foot height or 700-square-foot face limits, operating more than seven digital freeway billboards citywide, or placing one within 2,500 feet of another violates Section 10-6.108(f)(3). The Community and Economic Development Department can deny or revoke the conditional use permit, and noncompliant billboards are subject to code enforcement removal action.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Modesto actively enforces its digital billboards requirements.

The Bottom Line

Modesto is tougher than many cities when it comes to sign regulations. Out of the 5 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Modesto, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

Keep in mind that Modesto can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.