Redlands, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- City Code ch. 15.36 (Sign Regulations)
- Billboard status
- Prohibited sign type citywide
- Exception
- Signs inside a 'unified center'
- Neon sign cap
- 30 milliamps
- Incandescent bulb cap
- 15 watts
- Shadow-lighted sign cap
- 10 candlepower per sq ft at 10 ft
- Misdemeanor penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
Redlands bans billboards outright rather than regulating how they may be lit. City Code section 15.36.140 lists billboard signs among prohibited sign types citywide, so no off-premise billboard structure, lit or unlit, may be erected outside a unified center under the sign code.
BILLBOARD: ... A sign which, except for signs located in unified centers, advertises a business, commodity, industry or other activity which is sold, offered or conducted elsewhere than on the premises upon which such sign is located. ... 15.36.140: ... PROHIBITED SIGNS: The following sign types are not permitted: ... C. ... The following types of signs are prohibited: ... 6. ... Billboard signs, reader boards, bench signs, or wind signs or devices.
Full Breakdown
' Because a billboard by definition advertises an off-site business, and off-site advertising signs are a listed prohibited sign type, no lawful billboard exists in Redlands to carry an illumination standard, except for a sign inside a unified center that falls outside the BILLBOARD definition altogether. General sign-lighting standards still apply to any illuminated sign the city does permit. ' These general caps would govern any illuminated sign in a unified center that escapes the BILLBOARD definition, but Redlands has written no billboard-specific lighting rule because it has written billboards out of its sign code instead.
Violations & Fines
Erecting a prohibited billboard sign, or operating illuminated signage that exceeds the brightness caps or creates glare under sections 15.36.110, 15.36.130 or 15.36.140, is a code violation. Under City Code section 1.20.010, any act prohibited by the code is punishable as a misdemeanor unless a different penalty is set, and section 1.20.020 sets misdemeanors at up to six months in jail or a $1,000.00 fine, or both, or as an infraction at up to $100.00 for a first offense, $200.00 for a second, and $500.00 for each further violation within a year. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company put up a lighted billboard in Redlands?
Does Redlands have a specific candlepower limit for billboard lighting?
What lighting rules apply to signs Redlands does allow?
What happens if someone puts up an illegal billboard in Redlands?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
California rules heatmap·Compare Redlands to another location·View the California outdoor lighting overview
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Bernardino County handle billboard lighting.