Santa Barbara County, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

040(C) prohibits any sign carried or conveyed by a vehicle for the primary purpose of general advertising for hire, explaining that the County adopted the ban to reduce traffic congestion, promote safe vehicle movement, cut air pollution, and improve the County's aesthetic appearance. The prohibition exempts displays that are part of the vehicle itself and advertise the goods or services the vehicle's owner or operator actually provides, and it exempts transit and public-carrier graphics on licensed buses, taxicabs, and similar for-hire vehicles passing through the County.

040(A) separately bans any sign with visibly moving or rotating elements or visible mechanical movement of any kind, except when the movement is built into a gas pump. 060(E)(2), governing Electronic Message Center (EMC) signs and automatic changeable copy. a limits EMC signs and automatic changeable copy to two use categories only, institutional signs and fuel-price signs at service stations, meaning ordinary commercial businesses cannot install a digital reader-board. c bans any appearance of movement, flashing, scintillation, or varying light intensity within the display itself.

3 foot-candles above ambient lighting, measured at a distance equal to the square root of 100 times the sign's area in square feet, and requires an automatic light sensor that dims the display, or lets it be manually adjusted, to stay within that ceiling. e backs that up by requiring every EMC sign to carry automatic brightness controls tied to ambient light.