San Jose Municipal Code Title 23 (Sign Code) prohibits new off-site outdoor advertising displays citywide and limits electronic message signs in most zones. The California Outdoor Advertising Act and Caltrans permits separately govern any billboard visible from state highways and freeways.
San Jose has banned new off-site billboards on private property since the 1980s under what is now consolidated in SJMC Title 23 (Sign Code) and zoning ordinance Title 20. Existing legal nonconforming billboards may remain but cannot be converted to digital LED faces without a specific City Council-approved program; San Jose has authorized only limited downtown digital signage exchanges that retire multiple static billboards per new digital face. Electronic message centers on on-site business signs face strict standards on dwell time, brightness, and zoning. Any sign visible from a state highway or freeway also requires a Caltrans Outdoor Advertising permit under Business and Professions Code §5200 (California Outdoor Advertising Act).
Erecting an unpermitted digital billboard or converting a static billboard to LED without city and Caltrans approval is a misdemeanor under SJMC Title 23 with daily fines, removal orders at the owner's expense, and Caltrans civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
San Jose, CA
San Jose Municipal Code Title 7 (Animal Care and Control) requires dogs in public places, city parks, and trails to be on a leash no longer than six feet, re...
San Jose, CA
San Jose imposes no general restriction on year-round lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays on private residential property. The sign code (SJMC Ch...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no city ordinance specifically regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Size, height, and motor noise are not restricted by the munic...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no ordinance limiting the duration, brightness, or hours of residential holiday lighting. The general nuisance provisions in SJMC Title 6 and th...
San Jose, CA
A built-in outdoor kitchen in San Jose typically requires multiple permits: a building permit for any structural roof or counter exceeding the patio cover ex...
San Jose, CA
San Jose does not have a dedicated ordinance for backyard smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired ovens. Use is governed by the multifamily balcony restriction...
See how San Jose's digital billboards rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.