Palmdale, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- PMC Chapter 12.16, adopted Ordinance 97 (1966)
- Trigger
- Landscaped freeway section, viewed primarily by travelers
- On-site exception
- Sale, occupant ID, or on-site business signs
- Removal deadline
- 3 years from landscaping or ordinance date
- Default penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
Summary
Palmdale bans advertising displays on property next to a landscaped freeway section if they are designed to be seen primarily by freeway travelers, under Municipal Code Chapter 12.16. Narrow exceptions cover on-site signs advertising the property's own sale, occupant name or business; noncomplying displays must come down within three years.
No advertising displays shall be placed or maintained on property adjacent to a section of freeway which has been, or hereafter may be, landscaped as defined in PMC § 12.16.010, if the advertising display is designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling on the landscaped section of a freeway. ... Any advertising structure or sign which is now, or hereafter may be, in violation of the provisions of PMC § 12.16.020 shall be removed within three years from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter or within three years from the date when the project for the landscaping of a section or sections of a freeway have been completed or accepted, and the character of the section or sections have been changed from a freeway to a landscaped freeway, whichever is later.
Full Breakdown
010 defines 'advertising display' broadly to include both advertising structures, meaning any structure erected for outdoor advertising including statuary, and signs of any material placed for outdoor advertising on the ground or on a tree, wall, fence, building or similar object. A 'landscaped freeway' is any freeway section improved with lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or other ornamental vegetation requiring reasonable maintenance on at least one side of the right-of-way; planting solely for erosion control, traffic safety or noise abatement does not count. The ban does not reach official court or public body notices, legally required posted notices, or directional, warning or informational signs required by law.
030 exempts displays used exclusively to advertise the sale or lease of the property on which they sit, to identify the property's owner or occupant, or to advertise the business, goods or services conducted on that property. 040 within three years of the ordinance's effective date, or within three years of the date the adjacent freeway section is landscaped and reclassified as a 'landscaped freeway,' whichever comes later. The ordinance, first adopted in 1966 as Ordinance 97, has since had only procedural updates.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 12.16 does not set its own fine schedule, so a maintained display that violates Section 12.16.020 and is not removed within the three-year window falls under the Municipal Code's general penalty provisions: a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and six months in County Jail on first conviction under PMC Section 1.12.020, with each day the display remains treated as a separate offense under PMC Section 1.12.030.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put up a billboard facing a Palmdale freeway?
Are on-site business signs exempt from Palmdale's freeway sign ban?
How long do I have to remove a noncompliant freeway sign?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palmdale
California rules heatmap·Compare Palmdale to another location·View the California sign regulations overview
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