Sign Regulations in Petaluma, CA (2026)
3 verified sign regulations for Petaluma, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Petaluma lets political and campaign signs go up no earlier than 90 days before an election and requires removal within 15 days after, with a 20-square-foot cap and 6-foot height limit in residential districts and a combined 50-square-foot cap in commercial, mixed-use, business park and industrial districts.
Petaluma Political Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 20.100
No political or campaign signs shall be permitted except in conformity with the following regulations: A. R (Residential District). In residential districts, there are permitted stationary, unlighted, temporary signs on behalf of candidates for public office or measures on an election ballot, provided that: 1. Any such sign shall be erected not earlier than ninety (90) days prior to the electio...
Window Signs
Petaluma exempts window signs from its sign permit requirement entirely, but only in Commercial, Mixed Use, Business Park and Industrial Districts; window signs still count toward the property's overall permitted sign area and must not create a traffic hazard or unsafe condition.
Petaluma Window Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance §§ 20.020(FF), 20.110(B)(9)
FF. Window sign. Any sign placed on, or inside an exterior window. This shall include but not be limited to: decals, stickers, readerboards, neon tubing signs, signs painted directly on the glass surface, and signs made of wood, plastic, metal, composite materials, paper, or cardboard. ... ... B. Exempted signs. ... The following signs do not require a sign permit: ... ... 9. Window signs in bu...
Freeway-Facing Signs
Petaluma requires the Zoning Administrator's advance determination before any sign designed to be viewed from Highway 101 can be permitted, and freestanding freeway oriented signs are prohibited outright; wall-mounted exceptions are limited to master sign programs for freeway-fronting shopping centers with strict letter-height and size caps.
Petaluma Freeway Oriented Sign Rules
Significant RestrictionsPetaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance § 20.140
A. Procedure for Permit to Erect Freeway Oriented Signs. A permit shall not be issued to erect, construct or relocate any sign, billboard or other advertising structure, regardless of location, unless the Zoning Administrator shall have first determined that such sign, billboard or other advertising structure is designed to have the advertising thereon maintained primarily to be viewed from the...
Looking for Sonoma County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Petaluma city rules.
Sign Regulations in Sonoma County →