San Jacinto, CA Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

San Jacinto Municipal Code § 17.335.120(B)(2)(m) is the political sign rule for the City of San Jacinto. It sits in the list of on-site, non-illuminated signs that do not require a sign permit: up to three political signs, with a maximum total sign area of six square feet and a maximum height of four feet, per parcel in any zone, for a period not to exceed 14 days following the conclusion of the campaign. The subsection prints a cutoff after the campaign ends but sets no start date before it. Section 17.335.040 defines a political sign as a temporary sign directly associated with national, state or local elections.

The exemption does not suspend the rest of the sign chapter. Under § 17.335.120(B), exempt signs are not counted in the total allowable number of signs or total allowable sign area for a site or project, but they must still adhere to the regulations established for each sign type. A sign erected without complying is illegal and is removed under Section 17.335.180 (Illegal Signs), and an exempt sign can still require a building permit under Municipal Code Title 15 (Buildings and Construction).

Several neighboring rules apply to a campaign sign. Signs cannot be displayed without the consent of the legal owner of the property on which they are mounted (§ 17.335.030(G)). Signs in or over the public right-of-way are prohibited unless an encroachment permit has been approved (§ 17.335.050(H)(11)), and signs that block the view of traffic control devices or interfere with the traffic visibility area are prohibited as hazardous locations (§ 17.335.050(C)). The chapter regulates signs on private property and on property owned by public agencies other than the City over which the City has zoning authority (§ 17.335.020(A)).

The chapter is written to be content neutral. Under § 17.335.020(C), the content of a noncommercial message is not considered when a sign permit application is reviewed, and § 17.335.030(C) allows signs authorized by the chapter to carry noncommercial messages in place of any commercial or noncommercial message without an additional permit. That substitution does not create a right to increase the total amount of signs on a parcel.