Hanford, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Where allowed
- Commercial/mixed-use zones only, freestanding signs
- Permit required
- Conditional use permit, Chapter 17.80
- Brightness cap
- 30 lumens at 10 feet from face
- Image change rate
- No more than once every 6 seconds
- Operating hours
- Business hours only
- Governing section
- Hanford Municipal Code § 17.56.180(A)-(B)
Summary
Electronic changeable-copy signs are allowed on freestanding signs in Hanford's commercial and mixed-use zones only with a conditional use permit, and Municipal Code § 17.56.180(B) caps their brightness at 30 lumens measured 10 feet from the face and bars any image change more often than once every six seconds.
A. Electronic copy is allowed as a display medium on freestanding signs in the commercial or mixed use zone districts upon issuance of a conditional use permit, issued pursuant to Chapter 17.80. B. Signs with electronic changeable copy shall meet the following standards: 1. The electronic sign face shall be directed in a manner that is not visible from the front or side of residential properties located in a residential zone district. 3. Electronic copy shall be limited to no more than 30 lumens output, measured at 10 feet from the sign face. 4. No portion of the electronic sign face shall change more frequently than once every six seconds. 5. The electronic sign shall not emit any audible sound, buzz, or noise. 6. The electronic sign shall be operative only during the hours of operation of the associated business establishment.
Full Breakdown
" Subsection (B) then layers on nine operating standards. The screen must be aimed so it "is not visible from the front or side of residential properties located in a residential zone district," and it has to be built into the rest of the sign rather than added as a separate panel. Brightness is capped at 30 lumens measured 10 feet from the sign face, and no part of the display can change more than once every six seconds, ruling out video or fast-scrolling content.
The sign can't emit sound, buzz, or noise, and it can only operate during the associated business's hours, so a digital sign has to go dark when the business closes rather than running unattended overnight. 030, and no display can shift its lighting intensity except to respond to ambient light changes. The Planning Commission also has authority, when it grants the conditional use permit, to limit how many images a display can cycle through over a given period if it finds the sign creates a traffic-safety distraction.
Violations & Fines
An electronic sign installed or operated without the required conditional use permit, or one that exceeds the 30-lumen cap, changes images faster than every six seconds, or runs after the business closes, is an unlawful sign under § 17.56.300, treated as a public nuisance subject to Chapter 17.94's abatement and enforcement procedures, which the code describes as "cumulative and nonexclusive."
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business in Hanford install a digital billboard?
How bright can an electronic sign be in Hanford?
How fast can an electronic sign's message change?
Can a digital sign run all night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hanford
California rules heatmap·Compare Hanford to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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