Monterey Park, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Monterey Park treats a political sign as a temporary freestanding sign under Chapter 21.24. Section 21.24.490 sets the baseline: temporary signs go up only on private property, and while commercial temporary signs need the legal owner's written consent, noncommercial signs, including campaign signs, need only the owner's oral consent unless the owner denies or revokes it in writing. Section 21.24.500 makes temporary freestanding signs exempt signs permitted in every zone. Section 21.24.510 sets the count: residential lots get two temporary freestanding signs at all times, plus one additional campaign sign for each candidate or ballot issue on every street frontage the lot has.

Commercial, Office Professional and Open Space zoned lots get the identical allowance under subsection (B), phrased as noncommercial rather than residential signage. Every campaign sign, in any zone, must come down within seven days after the election it supports; there is no grace period written into the section. Section 21.24.520 fixes the size: six square feet maximum in residential zones, 12 square feet in every other zone, a four-foot height ceiling citywide, and no illumination. Placement is restricted to the property's front or side yard, and the sign cannot encroach into the public right-of-way.

Signs that rip, tear, or blow loose violate the construction standard in § 21.24.490(C), which requires temporary signs to withstand normal weather. A sign left up past the seven-day post-election deadline becomes a nonconforming or illegal sign subject to the abatement procedure in §§ 21.24.700 through 21.24.770, including removal by the City at the owner's cost if the sign is declared unsafe or a public nuisance.