Fresno, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- New billboards
- Prohibited citywide, FMC §15-2605(B)
- Replacement exception
- Only under Bus. & Prof. Code §5412
- Electronic copy authority
- City Manager's discretion for replacements
- Minimum display duration
- 8 seconds per image, §15-2614(A)
- Unlit interval
- At least 1 second between displays
- Brightness cap
- 100-500 foot-Lamberts by street lighting
Summary
Fresno bans new billboards outright, but a replacement billboard swapped in for an existing legal one under Business and Professions Code § 5412 may feature electronic copy at the City Manager's discretion. Any electronic-copy sign approved elsewhere in the city must hold each image for at least 8 seconds and cap brightness at 100-500 foot-Lamberts depending on ambient street lighting.
B.Outdoor Advertising Signs. Billboards and any other off-premises outdoor advertising signs which convey a commercial message as their primary purpose. This provision, however, does not prohibit agreements to relocate presently existing, legal billboards, pursuant to Business and Professions Code Section 5412. The new billboards which replace existing billboards may be located on City-owned property and may feature electronic copy, at the discretion of the City Manager. Replacement billboards shall comply with all applicable federal, State, and local regulations. This exception shall only apply to the City of Fresno. [Sec. 15-2614] A.Display Duration. Copy display is limited to a minimum duration of eight seconds and shall have an unlighted interval between copy displays of one second or more.B.Light Intensity. The intensity of the sign lighting shall not exceed 100 foot Lamberts (FT-L) when adjacent to streets which have an average light intensity of less than 2.0 horizontal footcandles and shall not exceed 500 FT-L when adjacent to streets which have an average light intensity of 2.0 horizontal footcandles or greater.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54).
Full Breakdown
FMC § 15-2605(B) prohibits billboards and other off-premises outdoor advertising signs citywide, but carves out one exception: agreements to relocate presently existing, legal billboards under California Business and Professions Code § 5412. A replacement billboard swapped in for an existing one may be sited on City-owned property and, at the discretion of the City Manager, may feature electronic copy, but the code stresses this exception applies only within the City of Fresno and the replacement must still comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
Separately, FMC § 15-2614 sets the citywide technical standard for any electronic-copy sign approved through a Master Sign Program: displayed copy must run for a minimum of 8 seconds and be followed by an unlighted interval of at least 1 second before the next image, preventing the flashing, rapidly-changing displays associated with digital billboards elsewhere. 0 horizontal footcandles, rising to 500 foot-Lamberts on brighter streets, and the sign cannot change its lighting intensity mid-display or between displays except to track a genuine change in ambient light.
A single electronic fuel-price sign on a site is exempted from needing its own Master Sign Program. (Added Ord. 2015-39, § 1, eff. 1-9-16; amended Ord. 2018-66, § 44, eff. )
Violations & Fines
Installing a new off-premises billboard, digital or static, without qualifying for the § 15-2605(B) relocation exception is a prohibited sign under the Development Code. An electronic-copy sign that changes images faster than the 8-second/1-second cycle in § 15-2614(A), or exceeds the 100/500 foot-Lambert brightness ceiling in § 15-2614(B), is out of compliance and subject to Development Code enforcement (Article 63) and Master Sign Program revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company build a new digital billboard in Fresno?
How fast can images change on an approved electronic sign?
Is there a brightness limit for electronic signs at night?
Do electronic fuel-price signs need special approval?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno
California rules heatmap·Compare Fresno to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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Digital Billboards in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fresno County handle digital billboards.