Gardena, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Section 18.58.050(A) prohibits billboards generally within the city, but expressly states that prohibition 'does not apply to digital billboards,' carving digital displays out for separate treatment. Section 18.58.055 then governs that carve-out: no digital billboard may be permitted and no development agreement for one may be entered into without an aesthetic analysis that includes a photo simulation of the proposed billboard, a photometric study, and a shade-and-shadow study where applicable, giving the City a documented look at how the display will read and how it will throw light and shadow before approval.

Rather than the standard sign permit process in § 18.58.070, digital billboards are approved through a development agreement with the City Council; once the Council approves that agreement, no separate sign permit is required. The digital billboard must still comply with the standards set for the applicable zone, tying its approval to the underlying zoning district rather than a citywide numeric limit. Because approval runs through a discretionary development agreement rather than an administrative permit, a digital billboard proposal is reviewed and can be conditioned or rejected by the Council itself, giving Gardena more control over placement and design than the ordinary sign permit track allows.