Compton, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Freeway distance limit
- Within 660 ft of freeway right-of-way
- Spacing between billboards
- 600 ft minimum, same side
- Acacia-Wilmington segment cap
- 5 north side / 4 south side
- Wilmington-Central segment cap
- 4 per side
- Height limit
- 60 ft from grade
- Facing size limit
- 672 sq ft, plus small extensions
Summary
Compton limits freeway-facing billboards to sites within 660 feet of the freeway right-of-way inside the Billboard Overlay Zone, spaces them 600 feet apart, and caps how many can stand along each stretch of the corridor.
The advertising display shall be placed within the specified B-O Zone and within 660 feet from the edge of the right of way of a freeway. No advertising display shall be placed within 600 feet from another advertising display on the same side of any portion of a freeway. In addition to the spacing requirement, no more than five billboards shall be placed between Acacia Avenue and S. Wilmington Avenue on the north side of the freeway and no more than four billboards shall be placed on the south side of this freeway section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4952997; v15 updated 2026-07-14; through 07-14-2026).
Full Breakdown
9(a)(2) requires that any off-site advertising display be placed within the specified B-O Zone and within 660 feet from the edge of the freeway right-of-way. Paragraph (a)(3) then layers on spacing: no display may sit within 600 feet of another display on the same side of any portion of the freeway, and the code sets hard numeric ceilings by segment. Between Acacia Avenue and S. Wilmington Avenue, no more than five billboards may stand on the north side and no more than four on the south side.
Between S. Wilmington Avenue and Central Avenue, the cap drops to four billboards on each side. Structure height is capped at 60 feet under (a)(4), measured from whichever is higher, the finished grade under the sign or the freeway grade. 5 feet on the top. , under (a)(8).
Violations & Fines
A freeway-facing billboard placed outside the 660-foot band, closer than 600 feet to another display, or in excess of a segment's numeric cap is an illegal sign under § 30-22.8, deemed a public nuisance subject to abatement. The City posts and mails a notice giving the owner 30 days to remove or correct it, with an appeal available in writing to the Planning Director before that period runs. Signs the City itself removes are held 30 days for owner recovery on payment of removal and storage costs, and unrecovered signs and their supports vest to the City; unpaid removal costs become a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close to the freeway can a billboard be built in Compton?
Is there a limit on how many freeway billboards can be built along one stretch?
How tall can a freeway-facing billboard be in Compton?
Do normal zoning setbacks apply to freeway billboards?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Compton
California rules heatmap·Compare Compton to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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Freeway-Facing Signs in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle freeway-facing signs.