Santa Ana Signage Rules Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Santa Ana's home occupation standards within the zoning code require that residential properties operating home-based businesses maintain a purely residential appearance from the exterior. The signage prohibition is comprehensive and absolute: no form of business identification, advertising, or commercial display may be visible from the street, sidewalk, or neighboring properties. This includes permanent signs mounted on the building or in the yard, temporary signs placed on lawns or fences, window signs or displays visible from outside, banners or flags with business logos, and business cards or flyers placed in outdoor receptacles.

The restriction also addresses the use of commercial vehicles as indirect signage. Vehicles that display prominent business names, logos, phone numbers, or advertising graphics may not be routinely parked in the driveway or on the street in front of a home occupation in a manner that effectively advertises the business to passersby. While Santa Ana does not prohibit residents from owning commercial vehicles, using them as stationary advertisements in residential areas is treated as a sign code violation when the vehicle is associated with a home occupation. Delivery vehicles and work trucks making brief stops are generally not cited, but vehicles that remain parked for extended periods serve as de facto commercial signage and are subject to enforcement.

Santa Ana's sign regulations, which complement the home occupation standards, establish comprehensive rules governing all signage within the city. Residential zones are restricted to non-commercial signage such as address numbers, real estate signs within size limits, and political signs during election periods as protected by California law. Any business sign placed in a residential zone — whether for a home occupation or otherwise — violates both the sign regulations and the home occupation standards simultaneously, and may be cited under either or both provisions.

Given Santa Ana's high population density and the close proximity of homes in many neighborhoods, the signage prohibition serves an important function in maintaining the residential character that home occupation standards are designed to protect. Home business operators must rely on digital marketing methods such as websites, social media platforms, online business directories, and email marketing, as well as traditional off-site methods such as print advertising in publications and word-of-mouth referrals. Business cards and printed materials distributed off-site are not restricted by the signage ordinance.

Contact the Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency at (714) 647-5804 with questions about sign regulations for home-based businesses.