Monterey County, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Flashing/digital ban
- Prohibited in all zoning districts (§20.60.100(B))
- Billboard zoning
- Off-site ads limited to industrial/commercial (§20.60.060(D)(3))
- Community sign cap
- 400 sq ft max, near freeways, permit required
- Permit for larger off-site signs
- Coastal Administrative or Development Permit
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Monterey County only
Summary
Monterey County Code § 20.60.100(B) prohibits any sign 'with flashing, moving, or animated illumination' in every unincorporated zoning district, which bars true digital or electronic message billboards outright. Off-site advertising signs generally, including any billboard-style structure, are separately confined to industrial or commercial zoning districts under § 20.60.060(D)(3).
The following signs are prohibited in all zoning districts: A.Moving or rotating signs, flags, pennants, banners;B.Signs with flashing, moving, or animated illumination;C.Advertising signs that include the words, "Stop, Look, Listen" or any other word, phrase, symbol, lights, motion, sound, fumes, mist, or other effluent that may interfere with, mislead, or confuse the driving public;D.Portable signs, except for temporary off-site real estate signs as provided in Section 20.60.060;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
60, Regulations for Signs, applies countywide in the unincorporated area of Monterey County. 100 lists signs 'prohibited in all zoning districts,' and subsection B bars 'signs with flashing, moving, or animated illumination,' language that covers changeable-message and digital billboard displays regardless of zoning district; subsection C separately prohibits any sign using lights, motion, sound, fumes, mist, or other effluent that may interfere with, mislead, or confuse the driving public, reinforcing the ban for roadway-facing digital displays. 70 and are capped at 400 square feet and may not identify a specific business, person, or organization other than a nonprofit.
080 and may not be supplied with electrical power for lighting or movement without a building permit from the Director of Planning and Building Inspection. 100(B) draws no exception for off-site or on-site placement, an off-site advertising structure that also incorporates flashing, moving, or animated illumination, the defining feature of a digital billboard, fails the prohibited-signs section even if it would otherwise qualify for placement in an industrial or commercial district.
Violations & Fines
A sign erected or operated with flashing, moving, or animated illumination violates § 20.60.100(B) in every unincorporated zoning district, including industrial and commercial districts where static off-site advertising signs are otherwise allowed; the Director of Planning and Building Inspection can require removal or correction as a zoning violation. Off-site advertising signs placed outside an industrial or commercial district, or without the Coastal Administrative or Coastal Development Permit required for larger community and directional signs, are likewise a violation of § 20.60.060.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a digital billboard in unincorporated Monterey County?
Are static billboards allowed anywhere in the county?
Does this rule apply inside Salinas or Monterey city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Monterey County
California rules heatmap·Compare Monterey County to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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