Brentwood, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

640 treats billboards and digital signage as a settled, non-negotiable policy rather than a permit category. 003(H), the "Billboard Policy," states it is "a fundamental land use policy of the city to completely prohibit the construction, erection or use of any and all billboards," except billboards that legally existed or held a valid unexpired permit before the chapter's adoption. The city council went further and declared it "would have adopted this policy even if it were the only provision in this chapter," making the ban severable from the rest of the sign ordinance so a court striking down another provision cannot revive billboards.

The one carve-out is for relocating existing legal billboards under state law, including Business and Professions Code Section 5412. " "Electronic message sign" is separately defined as an animated sign using electronic or digital technology, including LED or plasma, capable of displaying changing or changeable images as still frames or full motion. 009, "Prohibited signs," then bans billboards (subsection P), animated signs (subsection Q), and changeable copy signs, streamers, propellers, discs and searchlights (subsection R) unless another provision of the chapter expressly allows them. Mobile billboards on city streets or rights-of-way are separately banned under subsection T.

The community development director administers the sign chapter and reviews any permit application against this framework; because digital signage falls squarely within the animated-sign ban, no administrative approval path exists for a new digital billboard or electronic message board in Brentwood.