Bernalillo County, NM Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger distance
- 300 feet of freeway on/off-ramp
- Bonus sign
- One freestanding name/emblem sign allowed
- Height limit
- 26 feet, or above freeway grade
- Area limit
- 480 square feet maximum
- Applies in
- C-2 Community Commercial zone only
Summary
In unincorporated Bernalillo County's C-2 commercial zone, businesses near a freeway on/off-ramp get one extra freestanding sign, and freeway-oriented signs face a 26-foot height cap and 480-square-foot area limit under the county's 1973 zoning ordinance.
Businesses oriented toward freeway traffic and which are located within 300 feet of the termination of a freeway access control line at any on-ramp or off-ramp of a freeway shall be permitted one freestanding on-premises sign consisting of one name and/or emblem which shall not be included in the computation of total allowable sign area specified in Subsection (10)(c) supra, but shall be included as one of the maximum number of signs allowed per business provided.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
Bernalillo County Code, App. A, Sec. 15 (C-2 Community Commercial Zone) lets a business within 300 feet of a freeway on- or off-ramp put up one extra freestanding on-premises sign, name and/or emblem only, that doesn't count toward the zone's normal sign-area cap. That freeway-oriented sign is capped at 480 square feet and 26 feet in height (or 26 feet above the freeway's elevation at its closest point, whichever is higher). Separately, off-premises billboards oriented to freeway traffic within 200 feet of the right-of-way get the same 26-foot elevation-based height ceiling. These rules apply only on unincorporated county land, Albuquerque runs freeway signage under its own Integrated Development Ordinance.
Violations & Fines
Noncomplying freeway signs fall under the ordinance's Nonconforming Uses amortization rule, and the county Zoning Administrator can require oversized, over-height, or improperly illuminated signs be brought into compliance or removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply inside Albuquerque?
Can a freeway business put up a bigger sign than normally allowed?
Are off-premises billboards near freeways regulated differently?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
Compare Bernalillo County to another location·View the New Mexico sign regulations overview
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