Sign Regulations in Los Angeles, CA (2026)
6 verified sign regulations for Los Angeles, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Los Angeles expressly protects political, ideological, and noncommercial messages on signs; temporary signs carrying such messages do not require a building permit, though they must be removed within 30 days of installation.
Signs: Political Signs
Few RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 14.4.4.A; § 14.4.16.A, C
A. Ideological and Political Signs. No provision of this article shall prohibit an ideological, political or other noncommercial message on a sign otherwise permitted by this article. (LAMC § 14.4.4.A) A. Permit Required. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, a building permit shall be required for a temporary sign, pennant, banner, ribbon, streamer or spinner, other than one th...
Garage Sale Signs
Los Angeles bans posting hand-bills or signs, including garage-sale signs, on sidewalks, curbs, street lamp posts, hydrants, trees and other public property under LAMC § 28.04. The property owner or lessee holding the sale is presumed responsible for any garage-sale sign found illegally posted, and the City can fine that person up to $500 per year before charging a misdemeanor.
LA Garage Sale Sign Posting Rules
Some RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code § 28.04(a), (c)
SEC. 28.04. HAND-BILLS, SIGNS – PUBLIC PLACES AND OBJECTS. (a) No person shall paint, mark or write on, or post or otherwise affix, any hand-bill or sign to or upon any sidewalk, crosswalk, curb, curbstone, street lamp post, hydrant, tree, shrub, tree stake or guard... or upon any lighting system, public bridge, drinking fountain, life buoy, life preserver, life boat, or other life saving equip...
Holiday Displays
Festive holiday lighting on a home doesn't need an electrical permit as long as it's temporary and stays up 90 days or less, per LAMC § 93.0202(a)(5). Leave a display wired in longer than that, and it stops counting as temporary decorative lighting: the city's general electrical permit rule then applies in full.
Los Angeles Holiday Lighting Permit Exemption
Few RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 93.0202(a)(5)
SEC. 93.0202. EXCEPTIONS, PERMITS NOT REQUIRED. (a) No permit shall be required in the following cases: ... 5. Festive temporary decorative lighting in dwelling occupancies only, for a period not to exceed 90 days. (Amended by Ord. No. 179,325, Eff. 12/10/07, Oper. 1/1/08.)
Digital Billboards
Off-site digital displays are prohibited citywide in Los Angeles; limited exceptions exist for signs specifically authorized by an adopted specific plan, supplemental use district, approved development agreement, or relocation agreement.
Signs: Digital Billboards
Significant RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 14.4.4.B.11; § 14.4.2 (Digital Display); § 14.4.18
Digital Display [LAMC § 14.4.2]. A sign face, building face, and/or any building or structural component that displays still images, scrolling images, moving images, or flashing images, including video and animation, through the use of grid lights, cathode ray projections, light emitting diode displays, plasma screens, liquid crystal displays, fiber optics, or other electronic media or technolo...
Window Signs
Window signs in Los Angeles may not cover more than 10% of any individual window's area, and all on-site signs combined are capped at four square feet per foot of street frontage.
Signs: Window Signs
Light RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 14.4.14.A–B; § 14.4.2 (Window Sign); § 14.4.16.B.2
SEC. 14.4.14. WINDOW SIGNS. A. Area. The total area of all window signs shall not exceed ten percent of the area of the window. B. Combined Area. The combined sign area of wall signs, projecting signs, monument signs, illuminated architectural canopy signs, pole signs, roof signs and window signs shall not exceed four square feet for each foot of street frontage. Window Sign [LAMC § 14.4.2]. A...
Freeway-Facing Signs
No sign may be erected within 2,000 feet of a Los Angeles freeway if it will be viewed primarily from the main traveled roadway or on-ramp/off-ramp; narrow exemptions exist for small identification signs and business-name wall signs.
Signs: Freeway Facing Signs
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 14.4.6
No person shall erect, construct, install, paint, maintain, and no building or electrical permit shall be issued for, any sign or sign support structure within 2,000 feet of a freeway unless the Department of Building and Safety has first determined that the sign will not be viewed primarily from a main traveled roadway of a freeway or an on-ramp/off-ramp. The phrase "viewed primarily from" sha...
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Los Angeles city rules.
Sign Regulations in Los Angeles County →