Sign Regulations in Sunnyvale, CA (2026)
5 verified sign regulations for Sunnyvale, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Political Signs
Sunnyvale residents may display temporary political signs on private property under First Amendment protections, with reasonable limits on size and placement.
Political Sign Rules in Sunnyvale
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Civil Code § 4710
The governing documents may not prohibit posting or displaying of noncommercial signs, posters, flags, or banners on or in a member's separate interest, except as required for the protection of public health or safety or if the posting or display would violate a local, state, or federal law. (b) For purposes of this section, a noncommercial sign, poster, flag, or banner may be made of paper, ca...
Garage Sale Signs
Garage sale signs in Sunnyvale fall under the residential temporary-sign rule, § 19.44.190: no permit is needed, but total signage on the property cannot exceed sixteen square feet, temporary ground and portable signs cannot exceed three and a half feet in height, and signs cannot be placed on trees, driveways, walkways, or in the public right-of-way without separate authorization.
Sunnyvale Garage Sale Sign Rules
Light RestrictionsSunnyvale, CA Municipal Code § 19.44.190 (Temporary signs - Residential zoning districts), Chapter 19.44 Sign Code
The following requirements apply to temporary signs in residential zoning districts, except as qualified by Section 19.44.150(b). No permit is required for temporary signs that meet all of the following standards: ... (b) Sign Area. The total of all temporary signs on a single premises shall not exceed sixteen square feet in total sign area, except that during the pre-election period (ninety da...
Digital Billboards
Sunnyvale confines digital billboards, called electronic message centers, to the city's regional retail zoning areas and, per § 19.44.160(c)(1), bans them everywhere else. Where allowed, an EMC wall sign tops out at one hundred square feet, a ground sign at fifty square feet per side and ten feet tall, and every EMC must sit at least one hundred fifty feet from residential zoning.
Sunnyvale Electronic Message Center Sign Rules
Significant RestrictionsSunnyvale, CA Municipal Code § 19.44.200 (Electronic message center (EMC) restrictions), Chapter 19.44 Sign Code
Where allowed, EMC sign elements shall be designed as a part of and fully integrated with the architectural design of any other sign permitted on the same parcel of land. EMC signs shall conform to the following: (a) Permitted Zoning District. EMC signs are permitted only in the regional retail areas. ... (d) Sign Area. An EMC wall sign shall not exceed one hundred square feet sign area, and an...
Window Signs
Sunnyvale caps window signs at twenty-five percent of the total window area per building façade, per tenant space, under Municipal Code § 19.44.050(d). Because window signs fall on the list of signs exempt from a sign permit, a business can post static window graphics up to that 25 percent threshold without filing an application, but crossing it triggers permitting.
Sunnyvale Window Sign Coverage Limit
Light RestrictionsSunnyvale, CA Municipal Code § 19.44.050(d) (Window Signs), Chapter 19.44 Sign Code
The following signs are allowed without a sign permit and do not count toward the otherwise applicable limit on sign display area or size, so long as they meet the stated requirements: ... (d) Window Signs. Window signs limited to twenty-five percent of the total window area per façade, per tenant space.
Freeway-Facing Signs
Sunnyvale gives food, lodging, and fuel businesses next to U.S. 101 or State Routes 85 and 237 bigger freeway-facing signage than the standard commercial allowance. Municipal Code § 19.44.160(c)(2) permits ground signs up to thirty feet tall and one hundred square feet per face, plus an extra one hundred fifty square feet of wall sign area on the tenant frontage parallel to the freeway.
Sunnyvale Freeway-Adjacent Business Sign Rules
Some RestrictionsSunnyvale, CA Municipal Code § 19.44.160(c)(2) (Freeway Adjacent Establishments), Chapter 19.44 Sign Code
Freeway Adjacent Establishments. Establishments that provide food, lodging and/or fuel to freeway users are permitted to display signage subject to the rules in this subsection. The establishment must be located adjacent to qualifying freeway, freeway frontage road or freeway overpass. Qualifying roads are U.S. Highway 101 and State Highways 85 and 237 only. The following requirements apply to ...
Looking for Santa Clara County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sunnyvale city rules.
Sign Regulations in Santa Clara County →