Santee, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Message change interval
- No more than once per 8 seconds
- Nighttime brightness cap
- 0.3 foot-candles above ambient
- Allowed zones
- Commercial/industrial, except RB Overlay
- Frontage required
- Prime/major arterial, parkway or TWLTL collector
- Airport review
- FAA/ALUC review in Gillespie Field AIA 1
- Dimming
- Automatic ambient-light sensor required
Summary
In the City of Santee, Municipal Code Section 13.32.050(C)(4) permits electronic message center, or EMC, signs, the code's term for digital or electronic billboards, in commercial and industrial districts except the RB Overlay District. Copy can change no more than once every eight seconds with an instantaneous transition, and between dusk and dawn an EMC's luminance cannot exceed 0.3 foot-candles above ambient light.
4. Electronic Message Center. ... Electronic message center (EMC) signs may be permitted in the commercial and industrial districts (except within the RB Overlay District) subject to compliance with the following requirements: ... ... c. The copy of electronically displayed messages may change no more frequently than once every eight seconds. The transition from one message to another should be instantaneously as perceived by the human eye; ... ... g. EMC Illumination Requirements. Between dusk and dawn the illumination of an EMC shall conform to the following requirements: i. The luminance of an EMC shall not exceed 0.3 foot-candles more than ambient lighting conditions when measured at the recommended distance as listed below: ... iv. ... All electronic message center signs must be equipped with a sensor or other device that automatically determines ambient illumination and is programmed to automatically dim according to ambient light conditions or can be adjusted to comply with the illumination requirements of this section.
Full Breakdown
An EMC sign must sit on a parcel fronting a prime arterial, major arterial, parkway or collector road with a two-way left turn lane as defined in the Mobility Element of the General Plan, and its permitted sign area still comes from the same Table 13.32.050A maximums that apply to any other sign on that parcel. Subsection (C)(4)(e) requires static messages only, with no movement, scintillation or appearance of movement in any part of the sign, and subsection (f) subjects EMCs within Airport Influence Area 1 of Gillespie Field to Federal Aviation Administration and Airport Land Use Commission review.
The dusk-to-dawn brightness cap is measured against a distance table keyed to the sign's square footage, from 32 feet for a 10-square-foot sign up to 92 feet for an 85-square-foot sign, using a luminance meter accurate to two decimal places, both with the EMC off and displaying a full white or solid-color image. The sign company or developer must submit a luminance report from a lighting or electrical engineer before final permit inspection, and every EMC must carry a sensor or other device that automatically senses ambient light and dims the display to stay within the illumination limit.
New billboard signs, defined in the code as permanent off-site advertising structures, remain banned under Section 13.32.045(M), so EMCs are regulated as on-site signage, not as billboards.
Violations & Fines
An EMC that changes copy faster than every eight seconds, shows scrolling or animated movement, exceeds the 0.3 foot-candle brightness cap between dusk and dawn, or lacks an automatic dimming sensor is out of compliance with Section 13.32.050(C)(4) and is subject to enforcement by the Director under Section 13.32.030(B), including required repair or removal, plus the general penalty and administrative citation provisions of Title 1 of the Santee Municipal Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are digital billboards allowed in Santee?
How often can an EMC's message change in Santee?
How bright can an EMC be at night in Santee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santee
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