Folsom, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval required
- Caltrans + planning commission CUP
- Wall sign cap
- 1.5 sq ft/lineal ft, max 150 sq ft
- Freestanding sign cap
- 300 sq ft, 18 ft tall, up to 6 panels
- Letter height (under 100 ft)
- Max 18 inches
- Violation level
- Level B, $100-$2,500
Summary
A nonresidential building along Highway 50 in Folsom needs both Caltrans approval and a conditional use permit from the planning commission before it can add a freeway-facing sign. A wall sign is capped at one and a half square feet per lineal foot of freeway frontage, up to one hundred fifty square feet, and an integrated development gets one freestanding freeway sign up to three hundred square feet and eighteen feet tall.
E. Freeway Signs. In addition to signage permitted in subsection A of this section, the following section applies to signs for nonresidential uses located directly adjacent to and intended to be viewed from Highway 50. Freeway signs are subject to Caltrans approval as well as approval of a conditional use permit by the planning commission. 1. Building Signs. One additional wall sign is permitted on the building frontage facing the freeway as follows: a. Maximum Sign Area. The maximum sign area is one and one-half square feet of signage for every one lineal foot of building frontage facing the freeway, not to exceed a maximum one hundred fifty square feet. ... 2. Freestanding Signs. Each integrated development located adjacent to the freeway is permitted one freestanding sign facing the freeway... a. Maximum Sign Area. The maximum sign area is three hundred square feet with no more than six panels for on-site tenant identification. b. Maximum Height. The maximum height of the sign shall be eighteen feet, measured from the crown of the adjacent highway.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
040(E) treats freeway signage as an add-on to the standard signage a nonresidential use already qualifies for elsewhere in the chapter, available only to property directly adjacent to and meant to be seen from Highway 50. The wall sign allowance lets a building add one more sign on the freeway-facing frontage, sized to the building's frontage length but never exceeding one hundred fifty square feet, and it can't project more than eighteen inches off the wall or run past seventy-five percent of the frontage. Letter height for that wall sign is tiered by distance from the nearest freeway lane, from eighteen inches within one hundred feet up to sixty inches beyond five hundred feet, so a sign closer to the road has to use smaller lettering.
A freestanding freeway sign is limited to one per integrated development, up to six tenant panels, and must sit outside any required clear-vision triangle. Because both Caltrans sign-off and a discretionary CUP are required before any of these signs go up, the standard functions as a real gate on Highway 50 visibility, not a by-right allowance.
Violations & Fines
A freeway sign erected without the required conditional use permit or Caltrans approval, or built beyond these size and height limits, is an administrative violation under FMC 17.59.070, classified Level B, exposing the property owner to a monetary sanction of one hundred to twenty-five hundred dollars under FMC 1.09.012(A)(2), on top of any CUP revocation and removal costs the city can recover under FMC 17.59.060(D).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need special approval for a Highway 50-facing sign in Folsom?
How big can a freeway-facing sign be in Folsom?
Why do letter sizes change on Folsom freeway signs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Folsom
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How other cities in Sacramento County handle freeway-facing signs.