Clovis, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Clovis Municipal Code Section 9.34.130(A)(3)(l) governs freeway oriented signs as a special allowance layered on top of standard commercial sign rules under Section 9.34.130 (Nonresidential sign standards). The privilege is narrow: it applies only to sites of five acres or more located in the C-2 (Downtown Commercial adjacent zoning family) District, or to an accredited college or university use on a site of five acres or more in the R-T District, and only where the site sits directly adjacent to State Route 168. Qualifying sites get one on-site freeway freestanding identification sign plus one on-building freeway identification sign.

The freestanding sign's maximum height is 20 feet, measured from finish grade at the base of the sign to the top of the sign, with allowed sign area calculated under Table 3-30 (Special Uses). A property owner who wants to exceed 20 feet can apply for an administrative use permit under Development Code Chapter 62, which lets the Director grant up to 35 feet. Any request above 20 feet triggers a mandatory flag test performed by the applicant with a City staff member present to confirm visibility and impact before approval. On-building freeway identification signage is calculated by lease-space frontage: a major tenant (7,000 square feet or more) gets one square foot of sign area per lineal foot of freeway-facing lease frontage, capped at 200 square feet total, while minor tenants are calculated at a lower ratio with a much smaller cap under the same subsection. Colleges and universities in the R-T District also get a carve-out for video and changeable-copy LED displays for campus events and announcements, but that display requires an administrative use permit, must meet the code's light-intensity standards, and requires sign-off from Caltrans (State of California Department of Transportation) given the freeway proximity.