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

Woodland Municipal Code § 17.72.050.D.5 sets standards for freeway-oriented signs through Table 17.72.050.D-3. Sign area is capped at a maximum of 200 square feet, and sign height is capped at 60 feet, though decorative elements may extend up to 20% of the allowed height or 12 inches above it, whichever is greater. The sign base cannot rest on individual poles; it must be a single column at least 60% of the sign's width, tied into the sign's overall design. Only one freeway-oriented sign is permitted per area adjoining an interchange or per group of adjoining parcels, though a second sign is allowed for a single parcel or group of parcels larger than 20 acres, provided the two signs sit at least 300 linear feet apart.

Placement is restricted to site frontage facing the freeway, within 500 linear feet of a freeway interchange. Illumination may be nonilluminated or internally lit only, and changeable copy signs and electronic message centers are flatly not permitted on this sign type, unlike some other categories in the chapter. If a business advertised on a freeway-oriented sign closes, the sign panel must be replaced with a blank panel within 30 days, enforceable under § 17.72.080, Enforcement. Woodland separately permits digital billboards under § 17.72.050.D.2, but those are restricted to two specific I-5 corridor segments, require a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Commission, and are capped at 68 feet in height and 672 square feet per face, a distinct and more heavily regulated category from ordinary freeway-oriented signs.

Enforcement of Chapter 17.72 falls to the Woodland Police Department and the Zoning Administrator, who can order removal after 30 days' written notice for an unlawful sign.