Ground Signs in Commercial and Industrial Zones
San Diego Municipal Code § 142.1240
in effect§142.1240 Ground Signs in Commercial and Industrial Zones
The following regulations apply to ground signs in all commercial and industrial zone sign categories, unless otherwise indicated.
(a) One ground sign is permitted for each premises with accessible street frontage, regardless of street frontage length. In Sign Category A only, the number of ground signs increases as the street frontage lengthens. Ground signs are permitted in lieu of roof and projecting signs.
(b) Signs shall not exceed a height of 3 feet within a visibility area. For determination of the visibility area see Chapter 11, Article 3, Division 2 (Rules for Calculation and Measurement).
(c) Table 142-12H provides the general regulations for ground signs.
Table 142-12H Maximum Allowances for Ground Signs
Maximum Allowances | Sign Categories
A | B | C
Permitted Sign Area(1) (Based on the Width of the Adjacent Public Right-of-way and Street Speed Limit)
Public Right-of-way Width / Street Speed Limit
60 feet or less /15-20 MPH “ /25-30 MPH “ /35-45 MPH “ /50+ MPH | 32 sf 50 sf 100 sf 150 sf | 50 sf 50 sf 100 sf 150 sf | 32 sf 50 sf 100 sf 100 sf
More than 60 ft /15-20 MPH “ /25-30 MPH “ /35-45 MPH “ /50+ MPH | 50 sf 100 sf 150 sf 200 sf | 50 sf 100 sf 150 sf 150 sf | 50 sf 100 sf 100 sf 100 sf
Freeway-oriented signs | 300 sf | Not permitted | Not permitted
Number of Signs per Street Frontage | 1 | 1(6) | 1
Street frontage greater than 250 feet (Where a premises of 4 acres or more fronts on a street that abuts a freeway, the premises shall be allowed one sign totaling 250 square feet. If the premises has more than 250 feet of street frontage on a street that abuts a freeway, two signs of 200 square feet each separated by a minimum of 100 feet shall be permitted.) | One additional sign for each additional 250 feet of street frontage(2) | - | -
Maximum Allowances | Sign Categories
A | B | C
Maximum Height(5) | 30 ft | 15 ft | 8 ft
Freeway-oriented(3) | 50 ft | Not Permitted | Not Permitted
Premises located within 100 feet of residentially zoned property(4) | 20 ft | 15 ft | 8 ft
Visibility areas (see Section 113-0273) | 3 ft | 3 ft | 3 ft
Required Setbacks | Ground signs shall not be placed in the interior side or rear yards. Ground signs may be placed within the required front and street side yard in accordance with Section 142.1240(e)(4).
Footnotes for Table 142-12H 1 The permitted sign area is for a single face. If a ground sign has two or more faces, the permitted sign area is doubled. Signs may have more than two faces, but the sign area shall not exceed twice the maximum permitted amount. See Section 142.1440(d)(3).
2 See Section 142.1240(d)(3).
3 See Section 142.1240(d)(2).
4 See Section 142.1240(e)(2).
5 The height of ground signs shall be measured from the grade at the centerline of the adjacent public right-of-way to the top of the sign or sign structure, whichever is higher. The height of any portion of the sign or structure shall not exceed the maximum permitted height as specified in this table.
6 Ground signs are not permitted on premises having less than 100 feet of street frontage.
(d) General Regulations for Ground Signs
(1) For premises that have more than one street frontage, each street frontage is considered separately for calculating the permitted ground sign area.
(2) Freeway-oriented signs are permitted, provided that the sign is one of the permitted ground signs and not an additional sign. No more than one freeway-oriented sign is permitted per premises.
(3) For premises in Sign Category A only, the following apply.
(A) Where more than one sign is located on the same street frontage, the display area of each sign shall be reduced to 50 percent of that permitted in Table 142-12H.
(B) For single occupancy premises, the establishment may combine the allowable sign area of two or more ground signs into one sign, provided that the sign area does not exceed one-half square foot per foot of street frontage along the same public right-of-way, or 200 square feet, whichever is less.
(C) Ground signs may project over the roof of a building provided that the following circumstances exist:
(i) There are no other ground signs, roof signs, or projecting signs on the premises;
(ii) The sign does not revolve;
(iii) The sign complies with the permitted sign area specified in Table 142-12F; and
(iv) The sign does not exceed the maximum permitted vertical dimensions for roof signs as specified in Table 142-12G.
(4) A ground sign is considered to be projecting when any portion of the sign penetrates a vertical plane connecting the outer eaves of a building or structure or the outer edges of the parapet wall.
(5) Ground signs may project over a parkway subject to the following regulations.
(A) The sign height shall not exceed 16 feet;
(B) The sign shall not exceed the projection permitted in Table 142-12E;
(C) The sign shall not exceed the permitted sign area specified in Table 142-12D; and
(D) If the sign projects above a traffic area, such as a driveway or parking lot aisle, the minimum clearance between the bottom of the sign and the ground shall be 8 feet. When the clearance is less than 16 feet, the sign shall be clearly labeled at the bottom of the sign with letters that are legible from a distance of 30 feet.
(6) Ground signs may be internally illuminated or externally illuminated.
(e) Locational Regulations for Ground Signs
(1) Ground signs may be installed only on the street frontage used for determining the ground sign allowable area.
(2) Ground signs that are located on a premises with a property line within 100 feet of a residentially zoned property shall not exceed 20 feet in height unless one of the following circumstances exists:
(A) The sign is located more than 100 feet from the boundary of the residentially zoned property; or
(B) The entire premises is within 100 feet of the boundary of the residentially zone property, and the sign is located on the 25 percent of the premises that is farthest from that property. The sign shall not exceed the maximum height permitted in Table 142-12H.
(3) All ground signs, except for freeway-oriented, shall only be placed along the street frontage of the premises used for determining the ground sign allowance. Freeway-oriented signs may be located on any portion of the premises except within the setbacks.
(4) Ground signs may be located in required front and street side yards subject to the following limitations.
(A) Signs located between 0 and 15 feet from the public right-of-way:
Maximum height: 3 feet
Permitted sign area: 33 percent of the maximum permitted area in Table 142-12H
(B) Signs located 15 feet and up to 25 feet from the public right-of-way:
Maximum height: 6 feet
Permitted sign area: 66 percent of the maximum permitted area in Table 142-12H
(C) When more than one ground sign is permitted on a premises, and if the signs are located in the front or street side yards, the permitted sign area shall be reduced in accordance with the limitations in Section 142.1240(e)(4)(A) and (B) and by an additional 50 percent as required by Section 142.1240(d)(3)(A).
(f) Revolving Ground Signs
(1) Ground signs are permitted to revolve in Sign Category “A” only.
(2) Single occupancy premises with two or more street frontages are allowed to have a revolving ground sign subject to the following regulations.
(A) No other ground, roof, or projecting signs are permitted on the premises;
(B) The sign area shall not exceed one-half of that permitted in Table 142-12H;
(C) The maximum speed of revolution shall not exceed 6 revolutions or cycles per minute; and
(D) The sign shall be installed at least 100 feet from the property line of a residentially zoned property.
(g) Ground Sign Pole Covers
Where ground signs are supported by poles, covers may be added onto those poles to improve the aesthetic quality of the ground sign in accordance with the following regulations.
(1) Pole covers shall not contain signs or sign copy area.
(2) The average combined width of all pole covers for an individual ground sign shall not exceed an average of 50 percent of the width of the largest sign face.
(3) Exception: For pole covers that are designed with vertical and horizontal faces that are a minimum of 50 percent transparent or open, the average combined width of all pole covers for an individual ground sign shall not exceed 75 percent of the width of the largest sign face.
(4) The maximum width of any element of any pole cover shall not exceed the width of the largest sign face.
(5) The maximum thickness of any pole cover shall not exceed the maximum thickness of the largest sign face.
(Added 12-9-1997 by O-18451 N.S.; effective 1-1-2000.)
(Amended 11-28-2005 by O-19444 N.S.; effective 2-9-2006.)
(Amended 7-22-2024 by O-21836 N.S.; effective 10-5-2024.)
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter14/Ch14Art02Division12.pdf#page=31Fetched: 10/28/2026