Riverside, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

020 prohibits construction, erection, or use of any billboard except one that legally existed or held a valid, unexpired permit when the policy took effect. 030 lets the Community & Economic Development Director administratively approve relocating a billboard that was legally permitted by Riverside County before its parcel was later annexed into the City, provided the relocated sign stays on the same parcel and does not exceed the original sign's size, area, height, or number of faces. 030 requires that all proposed lighting for the new or relocated billboard be the same or similar to the lighting of the original billboard, and it separately bars the relocated sign from using any display technology which creates a moving or changing image, or the illusion thereof -- ruling out digital or animated lighting even where the original billboard's static lighting is preserved.

Every other relocation condition must also be met: the relocation must be City-required, the new structure must be an aesthetic improvement over the original, and all relocation and installation costs are borne solely by the billboard owner, with any new structure required to meet Building Code and safety standards. 025, which are negotiated with the City Council rather than administratively approved.