Sign Regulations in Davis, CA (2026)
5 verified sign regulations for Davis, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Davis protects noncommercial signs expressing the owner's or occupant's ideas, beliefs, or views on sociological, religious or economic subjects under Section 40.26.020(a)(1), and Section 40.26.020(a)(2) bars any landlord from stopping a tenant in lawful possession from posting them.
Davis Noncommercial and Political Sign Rights
Light RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.26.020(a)(1)-(2)
(1) Noncommercial advertising signs of the ideas or beliefs of the owner or occupant of the property upon which such advertising display is placed, sociological, religious or economic subjects of public interest or general concern are permitted. All signs hereby permitted shall otherwise meet the requirements for signs of the district in which they are located. (2) Notwithstanding any lease to ...
Garage Sale Signs
Davis lets residents post garage-sale signs in the public right-of-way for one day only. Signs must be 9 square feet or smaller and come down within twenty-four hours of the event, or the city treats them as an unlawful nuisance subject to removal and a fine.
Davis Garage Sale Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 3.01.050(c)
Temporary signs posted for twenty-four hours or less. Temporary signs not exceeding nine square feet in total area relating to one day events or occurrences such as open houses and garage sales may be posted in the public right-of-way on the day of the event or occurrence provided that such temporary signs shall be removed no later than twenty-four hours after the event.
Holiday Displays
Davis's Outdoor Lighting Control ordinance exempts temporary holiday decoration lights from its fully-shielded fixture and light-trespass standards entirely, but the exemption sets no separate calendar window for how long a holiday display may stay lit each year.
Davis Holiday Lighting Exemption
Few RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 8.17.040(c)
(c) Temporary lights used for holiday decorations are exempt from the requirements of this article.
Window Signs
In Davis's downtown zones, a window sign can cover no more than 25 percent of a shopfront window, must sit at least 5 feet above the ground, and is capped at one sign per business under the city's downtown sign standards.
Davis Downtown Window Sign Size Limits
Some RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 40.14.110.F
40.14.110.F: Window Sign 1. Description. A sign consisting of individual letters and designs applied directly on the inside of a window. 2. Sign Size. Signable Area per Shopfront Window 25% max. Ⓐ Width 75% max. of width, Ⓦ Ⓑ Height 24" max. Ⓒ Max one sign allowed per business. 3. Location. Height Above Ground 5' min. Ⓓ Window signs shall be applied directly to the inside of the glass. 4. Misce...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Davis bans advertising displays within 600 feet of a freeway boundary if the display is designed to be seen mainly by freeway travelers. A use permit under the zoning code can allow limited exceptions, such as on-site business identification, but not off-site billboards.
Davis Signs Near Freeway Boundaries
Significant RestrictionsDavis Municipal Code § 3.02.020
Except as provided in Section 3.01.040, no advertising display shall be placed or maintained on any property within the city within six hundred feet of the exterior boundary of a freeway, if the advertising display is designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling on such freeway.
Looking for Yolo County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Davis city rules.
Sign Regulations in Yolo County →