Lodi, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

070, distinct from both the programmable electronic signs regulated in subsection (F) and the city-owned electronic message signs regulated in subsection (H). The billboard category exists because a sign meant to be read by drivers on the freeway functions differently than a typical business sign, and the code responds by capping the total number allowed in the entire city at two, rather than regulating them use-by-use or district-by-district. A qualifying billboard must sit on private property, and unlike most commercial signage in Lodi, it is expressly exempted from the citywide prohibition on off-site advertising, so it may display messages for businesses or events that are not located on the same parcel as the sign, functioning as a true billboard rather than an on-site identification sign.

Every design element, including the sign's dimensions, materials, colors, and architecture, must be spelled out in a development agreement between the operator and the city, and that agreement requires city council approval rather than administrative sign-off. The specific design is also routed through the site plan and architectural review committee, giving the city two layers of discretionary review, council approval of the agreement and design review of the structure, before a billboard can go up. Because the count is capped at two, later applicants effectively compete for the remaining slot once the first two agreements are in place.