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

190 governs any sign 'within 660 feet of a freeway right-of-way, and oriented toward the freeway or otherwise designed to be viewed from the freeway,' requiring either a freeway-oriented sign permit issued by the director of community development or, in some cases, a minor conditional use permit from the planning commission. A handful of signs are exempt: non-freeway-oriented signs that otherwise conform to the chapter, city-erected traffic and business-area directional signs, legally required notices, and freeway-oriented city identification signs authorized by the city council. Where a permit is approved, height and size scale with the size of the underlying commercial development: a freestanding pole sign is capped at 52 feet for developments under two acres and 65 feet for developments of two acres or more, and in either case the sign area is limited to two square feet of sign face for each lineal foot of street and/or freeway frontage.

A development of two acres or larger seeking a pole sign taller than 65 feet must obtain a minor conditional use permit from the planning commission, showing the extra height is necessary for adequate identification by comparing the site's elevation with the adjacent freeway's. Building face or wall signs oriented toward the freeway are separately capped at two square feet of sign area per lineal foot of the building face directed toward the freeway. No property may have more freestanding signs, pole or monument, freeway-oriented or not, than it has street and freeway frontages combined. 070.