Huntington Park, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Huntington Park Municipal Code § 9-3.1211(6) prohibits billboards throughout the City. The one lighting standard written for them is in § 9-3.1219, which lets a legal billboard in the C-N, C-P, C-G or MPD zoning districts be replaced by a new sign structure on conditions. The area of the display faces and the number of faces cannot increase. Item 4 states that the total illumination of the new sign shall not exceed that on the old sign. The new sign cannot use moving images or the appearance of moving images, cannot be used for extensions or projections beyond the display face, and cannot emit sound, smoke or vapors of any kind. The replaced sign must be removed before the replacement is used.

General illumination rules apply on top of that. Section 9-3.1213 requires sign illumination to come from the interior of the sign, from behind individually cut letters, from neon tubing, from a screened indirect light source or from decorative exterior light fixtures. Illuminated signs must fully shield their light source from view and must be designed and placed so that no light is cast onto any property zoned or used for residential purposes. Section 9-3.1212 separately prohibits signs that obstruct traffic visibility or cause a hazardous distraction to motorists, as determined by the City Engineer.

Where neon is part of a sign, § 9-3.1214 requires UL listing with a maximum of 20 amps per circuit and a design that accommodates a dimmer, and neon adjacent to residential uses cannot exceed one half foot candle measured at the property line.

The permit application under § 9-3.1207 must state the type and method of illumination, interior or exterior, the intensity in lumens and watts, and the electrical installation and insulation devices. The Director of Community Development approves the permit, and appeals go to the Planning Commission and then the City Council within 15 calendar days of notice.