Chino Hills, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Eligibility
- Properties adjacent to SR-71
- Max height
- 100 feet
- Max sign area
- 400 sq ft per face, 2 faces
- Sign count
- 1 per ≤10 acres, 2 if larger
- Approval
- Planning Commission required
- Animation/rotation
- Prohibited
Summary
Commercial properties near SR-71 in Chino Hills can install freeway-oriented signs up to 100 feet tall and 400 square feet per face under CHMC 16.38.035, capped at one sign for developments up to 10 acres and two signs for larger sites. Rotating or animated freeway signs are banned, and the Planning Commission reviews every design.
Commercial uses on properties immediately adjacent to the Chino Valley Freeway (SR-71) may install signs that meet the following criteria: A. Maximum height of freeway-oriented signs shall be 100 feet. B. Maximum sign area for each sign face shall be four hundred (400) square feet. Each sign shall have a maximum of two faces. C. Developments of up to ten (10) acres may erect no more than one freeway-oriented sign. Developments of more than ten (10) acres may erect a maximum of two signs. D. Freeway-oriented signs shall not rotate or be animated in any way. E. Freeway-oriented signs consistent with this section may be placed on properties not immediately adjacent to the freeway. F. The design and location of all freeway-oriented signs shall be subject to the review and approval of the Planning Commission.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 61).
Full Breakdown
Chino Hills carves out a distinct, larger sign type for properties along the Chino Valley Freeway. CHMC § 16.38.035 opens by limiting eligibility to commercial uses on properties immediately adjacent to the Chino Valley Freeway (SR-71), though subsection E extends that further: freeway-oriented signs consistent with the section can be placed on properties that are not immediately adjacent to the freeway. The height allowance is far beyond what other commercial signage in the city gets: a maximum of one hundred feet, illustrated in the code's Figure 70-1. Sign area is capped at four hundred square feet per face, with a maximum of two faces per sign.
The number of signs is tied to lot size. A development of up to ten acres can erect no more than one freeway-oriented sign; a development larger than ten acres can erect up to two. Subsection D flatly bans rotation or animation of any kind on these signs, so even at freeway scale the city does not allow the moving-billboard effect. Every freeway-oriented sign also requires discretionary review: § 16.38.035(F) puts design and location approval in the hands of the Planning Commission rather than allowing it over the counter, and the application follows the processing requirements of Chapter 16.78.
Violations & Fines
Installing a freeway-oriented sign without Planning Commission approval, or exceeding the 100-foot height or 400-square-foot face limits, is enforceable as a public nuisance under § 16.38.080, letting the city remove the sign and bill the cost to the owner. General code penalties under § 1.36.020 also apply, up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail for a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a freeway-facing sign be in Chino Hills?
Can a freeway sign in Chino Hills rotate or have moving graphics?
Who approves a freeway-oriented sign in Chino Hills?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chino Hills
California rules heatmap·Compare Chino Hills to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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