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

090, Electronic Billboard Freeway Signs, is the only provision in Westminster's Zoning Ordinance dedicated to freeway-oriented signage, and it treats billboards as a distinct, tightly controlled category separate from ordinary commercial signs. 1 allows electronic billboards only in commercial and industrial zones, and only as a conditional use, notwithstanding any other sign provision in the Title. Subsection E lists prohibited locations: a billboard cannot go on a classified landscaped freeway segment absent Caltrans authorization, cannot be sited on a property that is not adjacent to Interstate 405 or State Route 22, cannot go on a roof or be attached to or suspended from a building, and cannot sit within 200 feet of a residential use as measured from the sign face to the nearest habitable structure's exterior wall, a buffer that can be reduced only if an independent lighting-engineering study shows no glare impact.

Billboards must also be spaced at least 1,000 feet apart on the same side of the right-of-way, matching Caltrans' own separation standard, and no more than one electronic billboard is allowed per property. A conditional use permit, a City operating or development agreement, and a sign permit with a Council-set filing fee are all required before construction, and the City reserves display time on every approved sign for community messages, Amber Alerts, and emergency communications.