Temecula, CA Sign Regulations: Digital Billboards (2026)
Key Facts
- Animated signs
- Banned citywide (§17.28.040(C))
- Off-premises signs/billboards
- Banned (§17.28.040(F))
- Time/temp exception
- 16 sq ft max, no advertising
- Grandfathered sign
- One exists at 26631 Ynez Road
- Permit process
- No application accepted for prohibited signs
Summary
Temecula bans digital billboards outright. Animated or moving signs are prohibited citywide under Section 17.28.040(C), and off-premises commercial signs, the definition of a billboard, are separately banned under Section 17.28.040(F). The only animated display allowed is a small, non-advertising time-and-temperature sign capped at sixteen square feet.
§ 17.28.040. Prohibited signs. All signs not expressly permitted by this chapter are prohibited, including but not limited to the following. ... C. Animated or moving signs (except for time and temperature displays pursuant to Section 17.28.050(S)). F. Commercial off-premises signs (except as expressly permitted by this chapter). ... § 17.28.050(S). Time and Temperature Signs. 1. Maximum sign area for each sign shall be sixteen square feet. 2. Maximum sign structure height shall be six feet, if freestanding. 3. Maximum number of signs shall not exceed one per building or parcel. 4. No advertising shall be permitted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4862229; v11 updated 2026-04-14).
Full Breakdown
Temecula's sign code treats digital or animated billboards as doubly prohibited. 040(F) bans commercial off-premises signs outright except as expressly permitted by this chapter, and the code's definitions section defines a commercial off-premises sign as a sign advertising something not sold on the property where the sign sits, commonly known or referred to as billboards. 040(C) separately bans animated or moving signs, which covers the changing, scrolling, or video content that defines a digital billboard or electronic message board. 050(S) exempts time and temperature signs from the sign permit requirement, but caps them at sixteen square feet of area, six feet of structure height if freestanding, one per building or parcel, and flatly bars any advertising content on them.
A digital sign that scrolls prices, business names, or promotional messages does not qualify for this exemption regardless of size. 28 itself: the auto mall center identification sign definition references the existing freeway oriented auto mall center identification sign including the electronic message board, located on 26631 Ynez Road, preserving that specific, already-built sign rather than authorizing new digital billboards elsewhere in the city.
Violations & Fines
No application for a permit, development plan, or other approval for a prohibited sign will even be accepted under Section 17.28.040. An unpermitted digital or animated billboard is enforceable as a code violation under Temecula Municipal Code Section 1.20.030, chargeable as a misdemeanor, up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, or through an administrative citation under Chapter 1.21, and the city can require the illegal sign's removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a business put up a digital billboard in Temecula?
Is any electronic sign allowed in Temecula?
Is there already a digital billboard in Temecula?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Temecula
California rules heatmap·Compare Temecula to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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