Pico Rivera, CA Sign Regulations: Window Signs (2026)

Pico Rivera Municipal Code Table 18.20.070.B classifies window signage as its own sign type in the P-A, C-C, CPD, C-G and C-M commercial zones, separate from nameplates, building identification and freestanding signs. The size standard caps window signs at 25 percent of any window area on each building side that fronts a public street or an off-street parking facility. The location standard requires the signage to sit within 15 feet of the windows it serves and to be consolidated within a single area rather than scattered across a storefront.

Where a business also displays merchandise inside the window, the same table layers on a second limit: merchandise placed within 5 feet of the window face is capped at 50 percent of the window area, and if a business combines window signs with a merchandise display, the combined coverage still cannot exceed 25 percent. Before any window sign goes up, Section 18.20.020 requires a sign permit application to the Zoning Administrator, including a site plan and color elevations showing sign area, colors, materials and illumination method, plus the property owner's written consent.

A related exemption in Section 18.20.100 lets businesses post holiday-greeting window displays without a permit each year from December 1 through January 2, capped at 21 consecutive days. Window signage that does not meet the coverage or placement standards is treated as a nonconforming or illegal sign under Section 18.20.030 and Section 18.20.110, and remains subject to the Chapter's abatement process enforced by Community and Economic Development's Zoning Administrator.