Los Angeles Municipal Code Art. 6.1 Solid Waste Collection, Transfer, Recycling, Recovery of Waste Resources and

DISPOSAL FEE

(Art. 6.1 Added by Ord. No. 157,819, Eff. 7/21/83; Title Amended by Ord. No. 177,478, Eff. 6/4/06.)

Section 66.40 Definition. 66.41 Charge Imposed. 66.42 Customers Liable. 66.43 Billing, Collection and Payment of Charges. 66.44 Additional Powers and Duties. 66.45 Actions to Collect. 66.46 Uncollectible Accounts. 66.47 Refunds and Credits. 66.48 Extra Capacity Refuse Collection Fee.

The following words and phrases whenever used in this article shall be construed as defined in this section, unless otherwise defined:

(a) “Dwelling Unit” shall mean one or more rooms which has a kitchen, efficiency kitchen, or a kitchenette and is designed for residential occupancy. For purposes of this definition, an Accessory Dwelling Unit

and a Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit shall be considered a Dwelling Unit. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,750, Eff. 11/21/25.)

(b) “Single Family Dwelling” shall mean a building designed for residential occupancy, and containing one or two dwelling units.

(c) “Multiple Dwelling” shall mean any building, structure, unit or location designed for residential occupancy, exclusive of “Single Family Dwelling.”

(d) “Household Refuse” shall mean any combination of rubbish and garbage, as those terms are used in Article 6 of this chapter, generated at a Single Family Dwelling or a Multiple Dwelling. (Amended by

Ord. No. 188,750, Eff. 11/21/25.)

(e) “Customer” shall mean any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, fraternal organization, corporation, estate trust, business trust, receiver, trustee, executor, administrator, syndicate, the

United States, any state, any county, city and county, municipality, district or other political subdivision of any state or of the United States, or any other group or combination acting as a unit.

(f) “Director of the Bureau of Sanitation” shall mean the Director of the Bureau of Sanitation of the Department of Public Works, or the duly authorized representative thereof. (Added by Ord. No. 188,749,

Eff. 11/21/25.)

(g) “Master-Metered Dwelling Unit” shall mean a Dwelling Unit in a Multiple Dwelling with an electric meter that measures electricity usage for more than one Dwelling Unit in the Multiple Dwelling.

(Added by Ord. No. 188,749, Eff. 11/21/25.)

(h) “Separately Metered Dwelling Unit” shall mean a Dwelling Unit in a Multiple Dwelling with a separate electric meter that measures electricity usage for only that Dwelling Unit. (Added by Ord. No.

188,749, Eff. 11/21/25.)

(i) “Owner” shall mean the owner of a Dwelling Unit or, where the Dwelling Unit is not owned separately from the Multiple Dwelling, the owner of the Multiple Dwelling. (Added by Ord. No. 188,749, Eff.

11/21/25.)

(a) (Amended by Ord. No. 188,750, Eff. 11/21/25.) There is hereby imposed a Solid Waste Collection, Transfer, Recycling, Recovery of Waste Resources, and Disposal Fee (hereinafter referred to as the Solid Resources Fee) for all costs related to the collection, transfer, recycling, and recovery of waste resources, and/or disposal of solid waste collected by the City of Los Angeles, including, but not limited to: salaries, direct and indirect overhead, equipment, ancillary equipment, containers and vehicles, landfill costs (including landfill costs for disposal, resource recovery facilities, refuse-to-energy or refuse-to-fuel facilities, or closure of City owned facilities); development, acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of equipment, alternative fuel infrastructure, buildings or facilities used in the collection, recycling, and recovery of waste resources and/or disposal of solid waste or storage of solid waste-related equipment; transfer facilities, resource recovery facilities, transfer equipment, and maintenance of such facilities or equipment; facilities and equipment used in the recovery of waste resources in the form of energy, alternative fuels, or manufacturing feedstocks, and maintenance of such facilities or equipment; and for all related costs of the services provided in the collection, the availability of collection, transfer, recycling, the availability of recycling, the recovery of waste resources, disposal, and the availability of disposal of solid waste.

The Solid Resources Fee charged per Dwelling Unit, per month or prorated for any fraction of a month, shall be as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date Monthly Charge Per Dwelling Unit
November 15, 2025 $55.95
July 1, 2026 $59.53
July 1, 2027 $60.44
July 1, 2028 $63.27
July 1, 2029 $65.93

The Solid Resources Fee will be billed and collected as described in LAMC Sections 66.43, 66.44, 66.45, 66.46, and 66.47.

(b) Reductions and Exemptions. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,750, Eff. 11/21/25.)

(1) An exemption from the charge imposed pursuant to Subsection (a) of this section shall be provided for Dwelling Units for City collection services that cannot be provided because of physical limitations restricting access by City collection vehicles.

(2) Solid Resources Fee Low Income Customer Assistance Program. The charge imposed pursuant to Subsection (a) of this section shall be reduced by 30 percent for any low-income customer who pays such charges, the definition of such class being determined by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, subject to verification by the Director of the Bureau of Sanitation. The Solid Resources Fee charge per Dwelling Unit for qualifying low-income customers, per month or prorated for any fraction of a month, shall be as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table. Customers that are determined by the Office of Finance to qualify for a tax exemption pursuant to Section 21.1.12 of this Code shall also be deemed to qualify for the Solid Resources Fee Low Income Customer Assistance Program, and shall be charged the reduced low-income program rates for the Solid Resources Fee, without having to separately apply to the Department of Water and Power’s low-income discount program.

Monthly Charge Per Dwelling Unit for
Effective Date Qualifying Solid Resources Fee Low-Income
Customers
November 15, 2025 $39.17
July 1, 2026 $41.67
July 1, 2027 $42.31
July 1, 2028 $44.29
July 1, 2029 $46.15

(c) (Amended by Ord. No. 188,749, Eff. 11/21/25.) There is hereby imposed a Multi-Family Bulky Item Fee (BIF) on every Dwelling Unit in a Multiple Dwelling that is not subject to the charges imposed pursuant to Subsection (a) of this section, for all costs related to the collection, transfer, recycling, and/or disposal of bulky items collected from such Multiple Dwellings by the City of Los Angeles, including, but not limited to, salaries, direct and indirect overhead, equipment, and debt. The rates applicable to calculating the BIF shall be as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date BIF Rate Per Dwelling Unit
November 15, 2025 $3.04
July 1, 2026 $3.13
July 1, 2027 $3.20
July 1, 2028 $3.27
July 1, 2029 $3.34

The BIF imposed on each Dwelling Unit shall be charged per month or prorated for any fraction of a month, to Owner(s) and/or tenants or residents of the Dwelling Unit, pursuant to the following:

(1) Master-Metered Dwelling Unit: The Owner(s) are responsible for 100 percent of the BIF Rate Per Dwelling Unit for each Master-Metered Dwelling Unit.

(2) Separately Metered Dwelling Unit: The Owner(s) are responsible for 50 percent of the BIF associated with a Separately Metered Dwelling Unit, and the tenant(s) or resident(s) of the Separately Metered Dwelling Unit are responsible for the remaining 50 percent of the BIF associated with the Separately Metered Dwelling Unit.

(3) Low-Income Tenants or Residents of a Separately Metered Dwelling Unit: Low-income tenants or residents of a Separately Metered Dwelling Unit who qualify for the Los Angeles Department of Water
and Power’s low-income discount program as determined by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, subject to verification by the Director of the Bureau of Sanitation, shall be charged the Low-Income BIF
Discount Rate as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table, instead of their 50% share of the BIF Rate Per Dwelling Unit specified in Subsection (c)(2) of this section:

Low Income
Effective Date
BIF Discount Rate
November 15, 2025 $1.05
July 1, 2026 $1.08
July 1, 2027 $1.10
July 1, 2028 $1.13
July 1, 2029 $1.15

The BIF will be billed and collected as described in LAMC Sections 66.43, 66.44, 66.45, 66.46, and 66.47.

(d) Exemption. An exemption from the BIF imposed pursuant to the provisions of Subsection (c) of this Section shall be provided for any senior citizen or disabled customer who would qualify for a tax exemption pursuant to the provisions of Section 21.1.12 of this Code. Applications for an exemption shall be made upon forms supplied by the Office of Finance, who, with the assistance of the Bureau of Sanitation, shall review all applications and notify applicants in writing of their entitlement to an exemption. (Amended by Ord. No. 181,410, Eff. 12/29/10.)

(e) (Amended by Ord. No. 188,749, Eff. 11/21/25.) Certain Multiple Dwellings may qualify for full or partial exemptions or discounts from the BIF. Such Multiple Dwellings shall accordingly receive no or reduced bulky item service from the City, to the extent a full or partial exemption or discount is granted. The Department of Public Works may grant exemptions or discounts, on a discretionary basis, under the following conditions:

(1) There are at least four staff members on site dedicated to trash disposal.

(2) The Multiple Dwelling is a self-contained community, located on private streets, with no direct access by tenants to public property.

(3) There are private collections of bulky items at least twice per week.

(4) There is tenant outreach informing residents of the proper way to dispose of bulky items.

(5) There are no recorded bulky item service requests from the Multiple Dwelling or from any public sidewalks directly adjacent to the Multiple Dwelling.

The sanitation equipment charge imposed by this article shall be a joint and several charge against the occupants and the owner of each dwelling unit subject to the charge.

(Amended by Ord. No. 173,293, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

(a) The collection of the charges imposed under this article shall be under the direction, supervision, and control of the Director of Finance.

(b) The Director of Finance shall arrange for the billing and collection of, and accounting for, the charges imposed under this article through and by available facilities of the Department of Water and Power insofar as possible. The Director of the Office of Administrative and Research Services shall arrange for the payment to the Department of Water and Power of its costs of such services. To the extent the billing and collection by the Department of Water and Power is not deemed possible or practical by the Director of Finance, separate billing and collection services at reason- able intervals shall be provided by the Director of Finance.

(c) The charges imposed under this article shall be billed to and paid by the customer in whose name the electric meter serving each dwelling unit is listed upon the records of the Department of Water and Power, or, in the absence of such listing, as may be determined by the Director of Finance with the assistance of the Department of Public Works.

(d) The duty to collect the charges imposed under this article from each customer billed by the Department of Water and Power shall commence with the first billing submitted by said Department to each customer on or after the operative date of this article or as soon thereafter as administratively possible.

(e) The charges imposed under this article shall be billed by the Department of Water and Power in accordance with its regular billing practices, shall be added to and included on each applicable electric bill, as the case may be, and shall be due and payable to the City of Los Angeles through the Department of Water and Power at the time and in the manner of payment of said electric bill, and other charges made thereon.

(f) Where the Department of Water and Power does not supply electricity to a individual dwelling unit to which the City furnishes household refuse collection services, the customer liable for payment of the charges, as provided for in this article, shall be billed separately by the Director of Finance with the assistance of the Department of Public Works.

(g) All bills for the charges imposed under this article are due and payable upon presentation. Bills not paid within sixty (60) days after the date of presentation shall be deemed delinquent.

(h) Whenever the Director of Finance determines that a customer billed has deliberately withheld, failed or refused to pay all or any part or portion of the charges imposed under this article billed to said customer, or has failed to pay charges, or whenever the Director of Finance deems it to be in the best interest of the City, the Director of Finance shall serve notice on the customer billed of the customer’s delinquency.

Whenever the Director of Finance determines that a customer billed as provided for in this article has deliberately withheld, failed or refused to pay all or any part or portion of the charges imposed under this article billed to said customer by the Department of Water and Power, or has failed to pay said charges, or whenever the Director of Finance deems it to be in the best interest of the City, the Director of Finance may relieve the Department of Water and Power of any obligation it may have to bill or collect, or both, said charges from said customer billed, and assume the billing or collection, or both, thereof for the periods involved. If the Director of Finance, for whatever reason, assumes from the Department of Water and Power the direct billing or collection, or both, of the charges imposed under this article the Director of Finance may at said time so notify the customer billed and notify the customer of the customer’s delinquency, if such be the case.

The notice in either event shall be served on the customer billed by handing it to the customer personally, or by deposit in the United States mail, postage prepaid thereon, addressed to the customer billed at the address to which billing was made by the Department of Water and Power, or, if said address has been changed or the customer was not billed by the Department of Water and Power, then to the customer’s last known address. If the customer billed is delinquent and fails to pay the Director of Finance within fifteen (15) days from the date of service of the notice upon the customer which shall be the date of mailing if service is not accomplished by personal delivery, a penalty of twenty- five percent (25%) of the amount of the delinquent charges imposed under this article, but not less than $5.00, shall thereupon be imposed. The penalty shall be required to be paid in addition to all billings for the sanitation equipment charge.

(i) Whenever a payment mailed to the City is received after the time prescribed in this article for the receipt thereof, the Director of Finance or the Department of Water and Power, as the case may be, may accept proof that there had been a timely deposit thereof in the United States mail and that the no delinquency or penalty is applicable thereto.

(Amended by Ord. No. 173,293, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

(a) The Director of Finance shall have the power and duty, and is hereby directed, to enforce all of the provisions of this article, and may make such rules and regulations as are consistent with the provisions of this article as may be necessary or desirable to aid in the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this article.

(b) For the purpose of determining the number of dwelling units contained in any building the Bureau of Sanitation may estimate the number of dwelling units contained in said building, after full consideration of all information within the Bureau’s knowledge.

(c) The Director of Finance, on behalf of and in the name of the City of Los Angeles, may enter into a written agreement, in a form approved by the City Attorney, with any customer indebted to the City pursuant to the terms of this article, obligating said customer to pay such indebtedness to the Director of Finance in monthly or more frequent installments, but in no event over a period greater than one year. In any such agreement such customer shall acknowledge the obligation owed to the City and the customer’s indebtedness thereon, shall agree that in the event of the customer’s failure to make timely payment of any installment thereof that the whole amount unpaid may be determined by the Director of Finance to be immediately due and payable, and shall agree to pay all costs and reasonable attorney fees incurred by or on behalf of the City in the collection thereof or for any legal proceeding commenced for that purpose.

(d) Whenever the amount of charges and penalty imposed under this article, or either of them, is determined by the Department of Water and Power or by the Director of Finance to have been overpaid, paid more than once, or to have been erroneously collected or received by the City in whole or in part, the Department of Water and Power or the Director of Finance, as the case may be, may provide for correction thereof either by refund or by credit on future bills in their discretion. Any claim for such a refund or credit shall be filed with the Director of Finance by the person paying the alleged overpayment within six months of such payment.

(e) Where there is a dispute with respect to the charges or penalty imposed under this article, or both, the Director of Finance, with the written approval of the City Attorney and subject to the provisions of the Charter of the City of Los Angeles, may compromise the City’s claim for said charges or penalty, or both, where the portion of the claim proposed to be released is less than $5,000.00; and, with the approval of the City Attorney and the City Council, may compromise such a claim where the portion proposed to be released is $5,000.00 or more.

The charges imposed under this article, and any penalty thereon, shall be a civil debt owing to the City of Los Angeles from the occupants or owner, or both, of each dwelling unit receiving City household refuse collection services, or from any other customer billed as provided in this article. Any customer owing money to the City under the provisions of this article shall be liable in an action brought in the name of the City of Los Angeles in any court of competent jurisdiction for the recovery of such amount, including any penalty imposed under this article.

(Amended by Ord. No. 173,293, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

If the Director of Finance cannot collect the charges and penalty imposed under this article, or either of them, or that efforts to collect any such amount would be disproportionately costly with relation to the probable outcome of the collection efforts, the Director of Finance may prepare a report setting forth their finding and the reasons therefor, and submit it to a Board of Review which shall be composed of the City Controller, the Director of Finance and the City Attorney, or the duly appointed representative of each. The Board of Review may call for additional evidence which it may deem relevant. Upon unanimous approval of a finding by the Board of Review, the Director of Finance may remove from the Director’s active accounts receivable said unpaid charges and penalty, or either of them. If the Board of Review does not unanimously recommend approval of the finding, the matter shall be returned to the Director of Finance. The Director of Finance may include in a single report their findings and supporting reasons regarding the charges and penalty imposed under this article, or either of them, due from more than one customer. The removal from the active accounts receivable of the Director of Finance of any unpaid charges and penalty imposed under this article, or either of them, shall not preclude the City from collecting or attempting to collect any such charges and penalty, or either of them.

In the event a customer does not own or occupy a dwelling unit for any month for which the customer has paid the charge, the customer shall submit evidence to the Department of Public Works in support of a refund and if the Department is satisfied such a refund is warranted it shall so provide it. Any request for such a refund, however, must be within six months of the payment by the customer for which the refund is sought and must be submitted to the Director of Finance. (Amended by Ord. No. 173,293, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper. 7/1/00.)

(Added by Ord. No. 170,868, Eff. 2/19/96.)

A. DECLARATION OF POLICY. It is hereby declared, in order for the City of Los Angeles to be prepared to respond to the needs of its citizens for adequate solid waste disposal alternatives in the future, that recognition of the following is necessary: the greater Los Angeles area has limited landfill capacity available for solid waste disposal; new landfills are difficult to site and permit; the State previously took steps to address the issue by imposing recycling and waste reduction requirements in order to reduce the total amount of solid waste going to landfill by 25 percent and 50 percent by 1995 and 2000, respectively, and by also imposing a 50 percent and 75 percent reduction in the level of the statewide disposal of organic waste from the 2014 level, by 2020 and 2025, respectively. Therefore, the City must establish a clear policy to provide an incentive for residents to reduce and to recycle the quantity of solid waste they generate. To this end, the City has developed a standard allowance for collection and management of refuse, source-separated recyclables and/or commingled recyclables, and source-separated organic waste, which the City deems adequate to meet the requirements of the average Dwelling Unit as defined in Section 66.40 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. The City hereby declares that the standard allowance for a Dwelling Unit shall be one 60-gallon black container for refuse, one 90-gallon blue container for source-separated recyclables and/or commingled recyclables, and one 90-gallon green container for source-separated organic waste. Additional capacity above and beyond this standard allowance may be made available for various fees as described in this Code. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,750, Eff. 11/21/25.)

B. CONTINUOUS EXTRA CAPACITY. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,751, Eff. 11/27/25.)

1. Extra Refuse Capacity. An additional monthly fee, prorated for any fraction of a month, will be charged for each 60-gallon increment of extra refuse capacity made available to a Dwelling Unit beyond the
standard allowance of one 60-gallon black refuse container, as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date Rate Per 60-Gallon Increment
January 1, 2026 $15.65
July 1, 2026 $16.65
July 1, 2027 $16.91
July 1, 2028 $17.70
July 1, 2029 $18.44

Low income customers who qualify for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s low income discount as determined by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, subject to verification by the
Director of the Bureau of Sanitation, shall receive each 60-gallon increment of extra refuse capacity at a 50 percent discount, as shown in the table below, on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Rate Per 60-Gallon Increment for Qualifying
Effective Date
Low-Income Customers
January 1, 2026 $7.83
July 1, 2026 $8.33
July 1, 2027 $8.46
July 1, 2028 $8.85
July 1, 2029 $9.22

2. Extra Recycling Capacity. An additional monthly fee, prorated for any fraction of a month, will be charged for each 90-gallon increment of extra recycling capacity made available to a Dwelling Unit beyond
the standard allowance of one 90-gallon blue recycling container, as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date Rate Per 90-Gallon Increment
January 1, 2026 $11.24
July 1, 2026 $11.96
July 1, 2027 $12.14
July 1, 2028 $12.71
July 1, 2029 $13.24

3. Extra Organics Capacity. An additional monthly fee, prorated for any fraction of a month, will be charged for each 90-gallon increment of extra organics capacity made available to a Dwelling Unit beyond
the standard allowance of one 90-gallon green organics container, as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date Rate Per 90-Gallon Increment
January 1, 2026 $16.28
July 1, 2026 $17.32
July 1, 2027 $17.59
July 1, 2028 $18.41
July 1, 2029 $19.18

4. Horse Manure Capacity. An additional monthly fee, prorated for any fraction of a month, will be charged for each 60-gallon increment of horse manure capacity made available to a resident for a Dwelling
Unit, as shown in the table below on or after the effective dates shown in the table:

Effective Date Rate Per 60-Gallon Increment
January 1, 2026 $23.81

July 1, 2026 $25.33 July 1, 2027 $25.72 July 1, 2028 $26.92 July 1, 2029 $28.05

5. The fees described in Subdivisions 1., 2., 3., and 4. of this section will be billed through the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) bill on the line item generally titled Sanitation

Equipment Charge, where it will be added to the existing charges found thereon and deposited to the Solid Waste Resources Special Revenue Fund. Larger, or extra, containers will be delivered to a Dwelling Unit at a resident’s request, and will be recorded through the container serial number to the name of the person appearing on the DWP bill, or the person’s designated agent, for each respective Dwelling Unit. The fee imposed by this article shall be a joint and several charge against the occupants and the owner of each dwelling unit subject to the charge. A resident may use this extra capacity once per week on the resident’s regular collection day. Failure to use all of the requested extra capacity made available to the resident will not relieve the resident from paying the monthly extra capacity fee. The fees will be collected as described in LAMC Sections 66.43, 66.44, 66.45, 66.46, and 66.47.

C. INTERMITTENT EXTRA CAPACITY. Residents of all dwelling units shall have the ability to purchase the right to have additional refuse, horse manure or yard trimmings collected by the City on a collection day to collection day basis. The resident requiring this additional intermittent capacity shall purchase from the City, at a cost of $2.00 per 30 gallons of additional capacity, a special tag to be placed on the additional materials for collection. The tags must be purchased in advance, in person at various locations throughout the City, or through the mail, and can be utilized only on the regular collection day. Each tag may be used only one time. (Amended by Ord. No. 178,875, Eff. 7/23/07.)

D. IMPLEMENTATION.

1. The Board shall have the power and duty, and is hereby directed to enforce all of the provisions of this article, except as otherwise set forth herein, and shall provide such rules and regulations as are consistent

with the provisions of this article and as may be necessary or desirable to aid in the administration, including adjustments and enforcement of the extra capacity charge.

2. The Board or any of its authorized representative may make such inspections or investigations as said Board deems necessary at any reasonable time on any premises or lot for the purpose of determining the

number, size, and type of automated collection containers.

E. (This subsection intentionally left blank.) (Amended by Ord. No. 188,751, Eff. 11/27/25.)

F. FEE ADJUSTMENTS. The fees described herein shall be reviewed on a yearly basis to determine if any adjustments need to be made to cover changes in operating cost.

ARTICLE 7

OUTDOOR ADVERTISING STRUCTURES, ACCESSORY SIGNS, POST SIGNS AND ADVERTISING STATUARY

Section

Nothing contained in this article shall prevent the erection of signs or structures over streets containing words or figures commemorating a historical, cultural, or artistic event or location in accordance with Section 67.29 hereof. Such signs or structures shall be erected, constructed and maintained in a safe and secure manner approved by the Board. All such signs or structures shall be constructed to withstand from any direction a wind pressure of 30 pounds per square foot of exposed surface. (Added by Ord. No. 135,775, Eff. 1/13/68.)

(Added by Ord. No. 78,537, Eff. 11/8/37.)

For the purpose of this article certain terms used herein are defined as follows:

(a) The term “outdoor advertising structure” as used in this article is hereby defined to be any structure or device erected upon the surface of the ground for outdoor advertising purposes, or to attract the attention of the public and visible from any public street, alley, or other public place, as distinguished from any sign attached to or placed on a building, upon which any poster, bill, printing, painting, device, or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever may be placed, posted, painted, fastened, or affixed, or used in connection with, including a so-called electric and/or cutout sign; provided, however, that the same shall not be deemed to include any board, sign, or surface used exclusively to display official notices issued by any court or public officer in performance of a public duty or a private person in giving a legal notice; nor shall the same include any sign not exceeding 20 square feet in area used exclusively to advertise the sale or lease of the property on which the sign is placed, or to designate the name of the owner or occupant of the premises, or to identify the premises such as a physician’s or surgeon’s name sign, apartment house sign, post sign, or accessory sign. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,747, Eff. 11/24/25.)

(b) The term “accessory sign” as used in this article is hereby defined to be any advertising sign or sign device erected or placed upon the surface of the ground, which has no mechanical or moving parts or with which no electricity or other sources of illumination or power are attached to or made a part thereof, and which carries any advertisement strictly incidental and subordinate to a lawful use of the premises on which it is located, including signs or sign devices indicating the business transacted or services rendered or goods sold or produced on the premises or an occupant thereof. Provided, however, that said accessory sign shall not have a surface area greater than twenty (20) square feet on any one side thereof and not more than two sides of said accessory sign shall be used for advertising purposes. The top of said accessory sign shall not exceed six (6) feet six (6) inches above the surface of the ground upon which it is erected or placed. Said accessory sign shall not be erected, constructed or placed within a distance of less than fifteen (15) feet of any other accessory sign.

(c) The term “post sign” as used in this article is hereby defined to be any sign erected or affixed in a rigid manner to any pole or post, and which carries any advertisement strictly incidental and subordinate to a lawful use of the premises on which it is located, including signs or sign devices indicating the business transacted, services rendered or goods sold or produced on the premises or an occupant thereof. (Amended by Ord. No. 145,635, Eff. 4/8/74.)

Provided, however, that said post sign shall not have a surface area greater than two hundred (200) square feet on any one side thereof and not more than four hundred (400) square feet on or in the aggregate of all sides of said post sign. The bottom of said post sign or surface area thereof shall not be less than ten (10) feet above the sidewalk or above the surface of the ground upon which it is erected. The post supporting said post sign shall have no horizontal dimension greater than twenty-four (24) inches. Said post sign shall not be, erected, constructed or placed within a distance of less than fifteen (15) feet of any other post sign. (Amended by Ord. No. 145,635, Eff. 4/8/74.)

(d) The term “accessory sign” or “post sign” as herein defined shall not be deemed to include any sign advertising the trade name, merchandise or service of any person, firm or corporation who pays a consideration for the privilege of placing, maintaining or using any portion of said sign to the owner or occupant of the premises upon which said sign is erected or placed.

(e) The term “advertising statuary” as used in this article is hereby defined to mean any imitation, representation or similitude of any person or thing which is sculptured, moulded, modeled or cast in any solid or plastic substance, material or fabric, or any balloon or other inflatable device, which, for advertising purposes, is erected upon or attached to the surface of the ground or any vehicle which is parked upon a public street, alley or highway, or upon private property. (Amended by Ord. No. 114,749, Eff. 11/28/59.)

(f) The term “street” as used in this article is hereby defined to include all public thoroughfares, excepting alleys.

(Added by Ord. No. 78,537, Eff. 11/8/37.)

(a) No person shall erect, construct, or maintain or cause or permit to be erected or constructed or maintained any outdoor advertising structure, accessory sign, post sign or advertising statuary or any other sign or sign device upon any sidewalk, street, alley or other public place or to paint, paste, print, nail, tack or otherwise fasten any card, banner, handbill, sign, poster or advertisement or notice of any kind, or cause the same to be done on any curbstone, lamppost, pole, hydrant, bridge wall or tree upon any public sidewalk, street, alley or other public place, or upon any private property without the lawful permission of the property owner or authorized agent, except as may be permitted or required by ordinance or law. (Amended by Ord. No. 152,930, Eff. 10/19/79.)

(b) The provisions of Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply to any transit shelters exempted by the City Council from said provisions, or to any outdoor advertising structure associated with any outdoor advertising program for the public right-of-way that was approved by the City Council prior to January 1, 2023. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,747, Eff. 11/24/25.)

(c) The provisions of Subsection (a) of this section, however, shall not apply to existing structurally attached advertising signs in areas of the public way dedicated under Planning or Zoning actions or Section 12.37 of this Code where the dedicated area is not presently utilized by the City for street purposes. In such cases, the sign must comply with all provisions of Chapter IX, Article 1, Division 62 of this Code (LAMC Section 91.6201, et seq.) and observe all Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.), visibility and safety regulations. In addition the property owner must obtain a Revocable Permit from the Board of Public Works for allowing the sign to remain in the dedicated area. (Added by Ord. No. 170,419, Eff. 4/16/95.)

(a) Permit Required. No person shall erect, place, suspend, attach, move or maintain, any sign or structure over the street, or any street clock, or street bulletin board, without first obtaining permission in writing from the Board of Public Works, and the Council so to do.

The approval in writing of the Cultural Affairs Commission (Amended by Ord. No. 173,297, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper 7/1/00.) shall be obtained before erecting, altering or removing any street clock, sign or structure over the street. (Amended by Ord. No. 109,896, Eff. 9/28/57.)

(b) Plans to Be Filed. Any person desiring any permit, permission, or approval as provided for in this section shall file complete plans, drawings and specifications and such other information as the Board of Public Works may require showing the proposed construction.

(c) Power to Revoke Permits. The Board of Public Works shall have, and is hereby granted, the power and authority to revoke any permit granted hereunder, and is also granted the power and authority to order any sign maintained in violation of any provision of this section to be altered, repaired, changed, reconstructed, demolished or removed as may be necessary to conform hereto. Such work or act shall be completed within ten (10) days of the date of said order.

The provisions of this section shall not be deemed or constructed to prohibit the maintenance of any sign in accordance with the provisions of any previous ordinance of this City, unless such sign is dangerous and unsafe, or the advertising displayed thereon is unlawful.

(d) Signs or Structures Over Streets. No person shall erect, construct, suspend or maintain, any sign or structure across, over or above any street or sidewalk or any portion thereof, except as otherwise allowed by this section. Nothing in this section shall be deemed or construed to prohibit, upon the issuance of the permits required by this section, the erection, construction, suspension or maintenance of any such sign or structure within this City or at the recognized boundary of any local community of said City, across, over or above any such street or any portion thereof, if such sign or structure bears exclusively the name of such local community, or words or figures commemorating an historical, cultural, or artistic event or location, without the addition of any advertising whatsoever. (Amended by Ord. No. 109,896, Eff. 9/28/57.)

(e) Bulletin Boards – Clocks. The owner, proprietor or manager of any daily newspaper or theater in the City may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of any office of such daily newspaper or in front of any such theater, as the case may be, not to exceed two bulletin boards, not more than three (3) feet six (6) inches in width and seven (7) feet in height, or one such board of six (6) feet in width and seven (7) feet in height, in case such bulletin boards are located at the curb and are at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street.

The owner, proprietor or manager of any building or place of business may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of such building or place of business not to exceed one street clock having a dial not less than thirty (30) inches or more than forty (40) inches in diameter supported upon a post or ornamental design the total height of which shall be not less than fifteen (15) feet or more than twenty (20) feet, in case no portion of such post and clock within eight (8) feet of the sidewalk is more than two (2) feet from the outer edge of the curb, and in case such clock is located at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street. Such clock may be supported on the corner of any building at the intersection of streets if the lower portion thereof is not less than fifteen (15) feet or more than twenty (20) feet above the sidewalk, and in case such clock does not exceed one-tenth of the height of the building nor more than twelve (12) feet and does not project from any face, wall or the corner of the building in any direction more than five (5) feet. The supports for any clock shall be capable of sustaining four times the weight of the clock with a safety factor of four.

The Board of Library Commissioners (Amended by Ord. No. 173,297, Eff. 6/30/00, Oper 7/1/00.) of the City may erect, place and maintain upon the sidewalk in front of any branch library, not to exceed one metal sign containing the words “Public Library” supported on a cast iron post not more than eight (8) feet in height, in case no portion of such post is more than two (2) feet from the outer edge of the curb and is located at least twenty (20) feet from the point of intersection of the lines of any streets, measured parallel with the street.