Pleasanton City Zoning Code

Location, Height, and Size.

Illumination.

Movement. No sign that moves, has visible moving parts, or that simulates movement by means of fluttering, spinning, or reflecting devices shall be permitted.

Signs used exclusively for the posting or display of official notices by a public agency or official, or by a person giving legal notice;

Signs erected or maintained by a public agency or official or required by law to be displayed by a public utility for directional, warning or informational purposes;

Traffic-control signs and devices including street name signs;

The flag, pennant, or insignia of any nation or association of nations, or of any state, city, or other political unit or of any charitable, educational, philanthropic, civic, professional or religious organization;

Nonilluminated, nonverbal religious symbols on the site of a religious institution;

Signs not visible beyond the boundary of a site;

Directional signs necessary to control and direct pedestrian traffic on a site;

Emblems of civic or service clubs and area identification signs of sizes and at locations approved by the planning commission;

A real estate sign designating an open house for an individual home for sale or lease, other than first-time sales of homes within new subdivisions; provided, however, that the signs:

One nameplate, which may give notice of the name, address and occupation of the resident not directly lighted, not exceeding one square foot or eight feet in height, on the site of a one-family dwelling;

One identification sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding six square feet or eight feet in height, on the site of a multi-family dwelling or a lodging house;

One identification sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding 12 square feet or 12 feet in height, for each main building on the site of a public building, a private institution, a church, a club or lodge, a unifier park, or a nursing home, provided that a general hospital may have an identification sign not exceeding 24 square feet;

In addition to an identification sign, one bulletin board, not directly lighted, not exceeding 20 square feet or eight feet in height, on the site of a church;

One directional sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding four square feet, at each entrance or exit to a parking lot;

Signs pertaining to the sale, lease, rental or display of a structure or land:

One nonilluminated, temporary construction sign, not exceeding 12 square feet, on the site of a structure or group of structures, while under construction, except that one additional square foot shall be permitted for each dwelling unit under construction, provided that the sign shall not exceed 24 square feet;

One business sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding 12 square feet or 12 feet in height, on the site of a permitted or conditional use other than a dwelling in an A district, provided that additional sign area may be specified in a use permit and shall be based on the identification needs of the use and the character of surrounding uses;

Any sign proposed to be located in an R-1 district, or in any PUD district developed under R-1 standards, whether illuminated or nonilluminated, shall be subject to review by the zoning administrator, as provided in Chapter 18.20;

One identification sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding six square feet or six feet in height, on the site of a small bed and breakfast or bed and breakfast inn.

Business signs not exceeding one-half square foot for each foot of street property line adjoining a portion of the site occupied by the uses to which the signs direct attention, provided that signs not exceeding 40 square feet shall be permitted on a site having less than 80 feet of street property line. Signs not located flat against the wall of a building shall not exceed 12 feet in height, and no sign in a required front yard shall exceed six feet in height;

One directional sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding four square feet, at each entrance or exit to a parking lot;

Signs pertaining to the sale, lease rental or display of a structure or land, diffused or indirectly illuminated, as provided below:

One temporary construction sign not exceeding 12 square feet or one-fourth of the maximum permitted area for permanent signs, whichever is greater, not directly lighted, on the site of a structure while under construction.

C-N District. In a C-N District, business signs not exceeding one-half square foot for each foot of property line adjoining a portion of the site occupied by uses to which the signs direct attention, provided that signs not exceeding 40 square feet shall be permitted on a site having less than 80 feet of street property line, and provided that signs on the site of a service station shall not exceed a total of 80 square feet. Business signs shall be attached to a building except that one freestanding sign not exceeding 50 square feet or 12 feet in height shall be permitted on a site having at least three acres occupied by uses to which the signs direct attention. On the site of a service station, all signs shall be attached to a building, except that one freestanding sign, not exceeding 36 square feet, which is included in the total sign area allowable for a service station, shall have direct or diffused illumination, and shall not exceed 12 feet in height;

C-C and MU Districts. In a C-C or MU district, business signs not exceeding two square feet for each foot of street property line, provided that signs not exceeding 40 square feet shall be permitted on a site having less than 20 feet of street property line, and provided that signs on the site of a service station shall not exceed a total of 80 square feet. No site shall have business signs totaling more than 400 square feet for each acre in use. Except on the site of a service station, the total area of projecting and freestanding signs shall not exceed one-fourth of the sign area permitted on the site. Freestanding business signs shall not exceed 12 feet in height, provided that a service station may have one freestanding business sign not exceeding 36 square feet or 24 feet in height, and a site of at least one acre occupied by uses other than a service station may have one freestanding business sign not exceeding 50 square feet or 24 feet in height. On the site of a service station, not more than one sign, not exceeding 36 square feet, shall have direct or diffused illumination, and no sign shall project beyond the property line;

C-R District. In a C-R district, business signs shall be regulated by the zoning administrator on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the purposes of Chapter 18.20 of this title;

C-S or C-A District. In a C-S or C-A district, business signs not exceeding two square feet for each foot of street property line, provided that signs not exceeding 40 square feet shall be permitted on a site having less than 20 feet of street property line. Business signs may be freestanding, but shall not exceed 24 feet in height. The total area of business signs shall not exceed 300 square feet on a site having less than one acre in the use to which the signs direct attention, and shall not exceed 500 square feet on any site;

C-F District. In a C-F district, business signs not exceeding 80 square feet for each 20,000 square feet of site area in use, provided that signs on the site of a service station shall not exceed a total of 160 square feet. The total area of business signs shall not exceed 500 square feet on any site. Business signs may be freestanding, but freestanding or projecting signs shall not exceed 20 feet in height except on the site of a service station. On the site of a service station, not more than one sign, not exceeding 80 square feet, shall have direct or diffused illumination, or shall exceed 12 feet in height if freestanding, and no sign shall exceed 30 feet in height;

I Districts. In an I district, business signs not exceeding 80 square feet for each 20,000 square feet of site area in use, provided that signs on the site of a service station shall not exceed a total of 80 square feet. The total area of business signs shall not exceed 600 square feet on a site in an I-P district or 1,000 square feet in an I-G district. Except on the site of a service station, the total area of projecting and freestanding signs shall not exceed one quarter of the sign area permitted on the site. Business signs may be freestanding, but freestanding or projecting signs shall not exceed 20 feet in height except on the site of a service station. On the site of a service station, not more than one sign, not exceeding 36 square feet, shall have direct or diffused illumination, or shall exceed 12 feet in height if freestanding, and no signs shall exceed 24 feet in height;

Directional Signs Generally. Directional signs, diffused or indirectly lighted, not exceeding four square feet each, pertaining to off-street parking and loading facilities;

Sale, Lease, Rental Signs. Signs pertaining to the sale, lease, rental or display of a structure or land, diffused or indirectly illuminated, as provided below:

Temporary Construction Signs. One temporary construction sign not exceeding one-fourth of the maximum permitted area for permanent business signs, not directly lighted, on the site of a structure while under construction;

Directional Signs in Specific Districts. In a C-C, MU, C-S, C-F, or I district, directional signs not exceeding six square feet each, attached or freestanding, indicating the location of a use in a C, MU or I district within 1,000 feet by the shortest vehicle route from the signs. Not more than two off-site directional signs shall indicate each use, and the area of the directional signs shall be subtracted from the total business sign area permitted on the site on which they are located;

Grand Openings. Temporary signs, banners, pennants, and decorations not including reflective devices for a period not to exceed 30 days after initial occupancy by an establishment. Large hot/cold air balloons are allowed for a community wide event and a "grand opening" of a shopping center only, restricted to a one-day, one-time only use subject to the granting of a temporary conditional use permit in accordance with the provisions of Section 18.124.170 of this title. The balloon may be installed after 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the event, and must be removed prior to 10:00 a.m. the day after the event. One sign only, to identify the shopping center or event, may be attached to the balloon. No trailing pennants or other balloons shall be attached. Under no circumstances shall a large hot/cold air balloon be displayed by an individual business.

For the purposes of this subsection, a community wide event is an event that either promotes and/or benefits the entire city and has been endorsed by the city council; endorsement may also be established by council action authorizing public street closures. Shopping center events are not community wide events.

Service Clubs. Signs of service clubs or similar civic organizations not exceeding two square feet for each organization on the site of a meeting place.

Bed and Breakfasts. One identification sign, not directly lighted, not exceeding six square feet or six feet in height, on the site of a bed and breakfast inn.

One business sign, diffused or indirectly lighted, not exceeding 12 square feet or 12 feet in height, on the site of a permitted or conditional use, provided that additional sign area and illumination may be specified in a use permit and shall be based on the identification needs of the use and the character of surrounding uses. Signs exceeding 12 square feet on the site of a preexisting rock, sand or gravel extraction or processing enterprise shall not require a use permit, but shall be subject to design review as prescribed by Chapter 18.20 of this title;

Directional signs, diffused or indirectly lighted, not exceeding four square feet each, pertaining to off-street parking and loading facilities;

One sign, diffused or indirectly lighted, not exceeding 12 square feet pertaining to the sale, lease, rental or display of a structure or land;

One temporary construction sign not exceeding one-fourth of the maximum permitted area for permanent business signs, not directly lighted, on the site of a structure while under construction.

Sign regulations for each use in a P or an S district shall be specified in the use permit and shall be based on the identification needs of the use and the character of surrounding uses. Signs on the site of a preexisting conditional use, other than directional signs or signs permitted in an A or R district, shall not require a use permit, but shall be subject to design review as prescribed in Chapter 18.20 of this title;

One directional sign, diffused or indirectly lighted, not exceeding four square feet, at each entrance or exit to a parking lot;

One nonilluminated sign, not exceeding six square feet, pertaining to the sale, lease, rental or display of a structure or land;

One temporary construction sign not exceeding 12 square feet or one-fourth of the maximum permitted area for permanent signs, whichever is greater, diffused or indirectly lighted, on the site of a structure while under construction.

No directional or advertising signs for a subdivision shall be erected or maintained, except as provided for in this section.

For the purposes of this section, an on-site advertising sign is one located within the subdivision. An off-site directional sign is one displaying the necessary travel directions to the subdivision, the name of the project and any characteristic trademark or similar device of the developer and nothing else. For the purposes of this section a subdivision is any land development project, residential or nonresidential, which involves the creation and marketing of five or more lots (or condominium units) under the same ownership prior to sale.

The zoning administrator may authorize one on-site advertising sign and two off-site directional signs, where warranted, after a final subdivision map has been recorded for the project. In cases where a residential subdivision is under the same ownership but consists of different housing product types, the zoning administrator may authorize one on-site advertising sign and two off-site directional signs, where warranted, per product type, after a final subdivision map has been recorded for the housing product type for which said signs are desired. For the purposes of this section, a product type shall mean housing units which are clearly distinguishable in terms of one or more of the following characteristics: lot size; attached versus detached units; single-family versus multi-family units; production homes versus custom homes; or as otherwise determined by the zoning administrator. All signs shall be subject to all of the following conditions:

One nonilluminated sign pertaining to a proposed use such as a church, school, park, apartment complex, shopping center, or any other proposed land use may be erected at the site of each such proposed use within the subdivision. Such signs shall display no greater than 12 square feet of sign area and shall be approved as to design and copy by the zoning administrator.

The community development director is empowered to grant temporary exceptions to the Sign Ordinance regulations to allow businesses to install temporary signs, banners, and/or decorations during public construction projects if the director finds that one or more of the following criteria is met:

Upon finding that one or more of the above criteria has been met, the community development director shall: (1) establish standards for the number, types, and sizes of signs and decorations, (2) determine the applicable businesses/properties that may utilize the temporary signs and decorations, and (3) determine the duration that the temporary signs and decorations may be displayed (the time period shall generally end at the completion of work and/or reopening of road(s) to traffic).

The community development director shall ensure that no sign is erected which is detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare and shall cause a sign to be removed if it is found to be such a detriment.

Any action of the community development director may be appealed to the planning commission or city council by any affected party pursuant to requirements of Chapter 18.144 (Appeals) of this title.