Napa County, CA Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Under NCC 18.116.020(A), 'One sign, not exceeding one square foot in sign area, attached to and parallel to the front wall of a building and containing the name, address and occupation of the occupant' is allowed on any lot in any zone without a permit. Anything larger - including illuminated signs, freestanding signs, or signs over 1 square foot - falls outside this exemption and would require an administrative sign permit issued by the director under NCC 18.116.030 (administrative permit category), and must still be reconciled with the home-occupation rule in NCC 18.104.090(C) that prohibits any 'visible evidence' of the home occupation. The Sign Permit Application Packet (PBES, Updated 10/23/2013) specifies the items required for any non-exempt sign: a completed signed application; a location map/site plan showing sign location and setbacks relative to property lines and rights-of-way; a sign elevation showing height, length, materials, color, lettering, and content; a State or County encroachment permit if the sign is in a public right-of-way; and the application fee. Directional signs under NCC 18.116.055 may not exceed a copyboard height of one foot or a length of three feet, must be single-faced, and may not exceed a total height of six feet above the centerline of any adjacent right-of-way - with the lettering and copy in white reflective characters on a solid blue background.