Pismo Beach, CA Sign Regulations: Freeway-Facing Signs (2026)

Chapter 12.08 of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code, Advertising Displays Adjacent to Freeways, sits in Title 12 (Streets and Public Places). It is separate from the zoning sign chapters in Title 17, which this page does not address. Section 12.08.010 adopts by reference the definitions of "advertising structure," "signs," "advertising display" and "freeway" from Division 3, Chapter 2, Article 1 of the state Business and Professions Code. The prohibition in § 12.08.020 turns on two facts: the freeway section next to the property has been or later is landscaped, and the display is designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling on that landscaped section.

The wording depends on who the display is designed for, not on proximity alone. Section 12.08.030 sets the removal clock: an advertising structure or sign in violation must be removed within one year from the effective date of the ordinance codified in the chapter, or within one year from the date the landscaping project for the particular freeway section is completed or accepted and the section changes from a freeway to a landscaped freeway, whichever is later. Section 12.08.040 lists three exceptions, and each applies only when the structure or sign is used exclusively for that purpose: advertising the sale or lease of the property it stands on, designating the name of the owner or occupant or identifying the premises, or advertising goods manufactured, produced or services rendered on that property.

The chapter does not name which freeway segments count as landscaped and does not name a department to enforce it, so the misdemeanor penalty in § 12.08.050 is the enforcement tool the chapter prints. The history notes trace each section to prior code §§ 12.12.010 through 12.12.050.