Palmdale, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)

Chapter 17.88's outdoor advertising structure standards at PMC § 17.88.150 treat a privately owned digital advertising display (DAD) as an upgrade available only through the billboard relocation program, not a use anyone can simply apply to build. Subsection (E) allows a DAD in conjunction with the relocation or upgrade of an existing outdoor advertising sign structure under an approved billboard relocation agreement and conditional use permit; it is not a standalone entitlement. The base sign-area standard from § 17.88.150(C)(1), a single face up to 300 square feet, does not apply to DADs: instead, a relocated DAD can reach 675 square feet on a single face or 1,350 square feet double-faced, and the Planning Commission can approve an even larger size if the applicant demonstrates the extra size is necessary to keep the display readable. Height follows the general 32-foot billboard cap, adjustable only for a DAD relocated next to State Route 14 where the Commission finds the standard height would block visibility.

Content is restricted to a series of still images, each displayed at least six seconds with transitions capped at one second; the code flatly prohibits any DAD from depicting or simulating motion or video, or using flashing, chasing, or twinkling lights. A required photometric sensor must automatically dim the display for nighttime viewing, holding brightness to no more than 150 nits from sunset to sunrise, and the City can order the intensity turned down further if it distracts drivers or affects nearby homes. Any DAD within 660 feet of a state highway must also satisfy the California Outdoor Advertising Act (Business and Professions Code § 5400 et seq.), which controls if the two standards conflict.