20.020 De:nitions.

A. Area of signing. The total area of all non-exempt permanent signs related to a single occupant.

B. Building frontage. The primary wall or walls of a building facing a public street or streets (not including

freeways).

C. Cabinet Sign. Internally Illuminated. A box sign regular in shape with a single transparent or translucent

material such as a Plexiglas / lexan face mounted on the façade of a building or freestanding, and that provides for

internal illumination within the box.

D. Chief Building O6cial. The Chief Building ORcial of the City of Petaluma or his designated representative.

E. City. The City of Petaluma.

F. City Council. The Petaluma City Council.

G. Community Development Director. The Community Development Director of the City of Petaluma or a

designated representative.

H. Erect. To build, construct, attach, hang, place, suspend or aRx, and shall also include the painting of wall signs.

I. Free-standing sign. Any sign standing on the ground. Such signs are usually, but not necessarily, supported

from the ground by one or more poles or posts or similar uprights.

J. Freeway-oriented sign. Any sign mounted to the primary wall(s) or façade of a building facing the freeway with

no other building located in the visibility window between the subject building and the freeway. This excludes

building facades on frontage roads adjacent to the freeway.

K. Illuminated Signs. Any sign which has characters, letters, Pgures, designs, or outline illuminated by electric

lights or luminous tubes.

L. Illumination, direct. Light source is an external part of the sign.

M. Illumination, indirect. Light source is an internal part of the sign.

N. Individual letters. A type of sign construction where individual letters or images are cut out into separate

shapes.

O. Individually illuminated letters. Individual letters either internally illuminated or backlighted solid letters

(reverse channel).

P. Marquee. Any permanent roofed structure attached to and supported by a building.

Q. Master Sign Program. A master sign program is a comprehensive sign program for approval of all signs in a

multi-tenant shopping center, retail center, commercial or industrial complex or other use stipulating size, design,

criteria, and location. A Master Sign Program is processed as a Site Plan and Architectural Review application at the

The Petaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance is current through Ordinance 2907, passed September 8, 2025.

Ch. 20 Signs and Sign Structures | Petaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance Page 3 of 18

discretion of the Planning Commission and when found consistent with requirements in Section 24.050(E). When a

unique, cohesive approach to project signage is warranted, some Qexibility in design requirements may be

approved by the Planning Commission if it is found that the master sign program is in conformance with the

purposes stated in Section 20.010.

R. Occupant. One who occupies a group of buildings, one building, or each substantially separate physical

division of a building.

S. One foot lambert. Equal in brightness to one lumen per square foot reQected from a surface. One lumen per

square foot is equal to a square foot illuminated evenly by one foot candle at any point.

T. Outdoor advertising structure. Any device which is used or designed to direct attention to a business,

profession, commodity, service, or entertainment which is conducted, sold, or oSered elsewhere than upon the lot

where such sign is located.

U. Planning Commission. The City of Petaluma Planning Commission.

V. Projecting Sign. Any sign, other than a wall sign, which is suspended from or supported by a building or wall

and which projects outward therefrom. Any sign suspended under a marquee, porch, walkway covering or similar

covering structure and in a place approximately perpendicular to the wall of the adjoining building shall be

deemed to be a projecting sign.

W. Raceway. An aluminum junction box containing wiring and conduit that is mounted in one piece to the wall or

building.

X. Reverse Channel Lit / Halo letters. Individually illuminated (LED) letters installed directly on a wall emitting light

from the channel in back of the letter onto the wall giving it a “Halo” eSect.

Y. Roof sign. Any sign erected upon or over the roof or parapet of any building or eave of any building, including

the roof of any porch, walkway covering, or similar covering structure, and supported by or connected to the

building or roof.

Z. Shopping center. Any combination of Pve (5) or more separately owned and operated retail businesses on a

single or commonly owned or leased parcel of land, or a commercial use of commercial complex occupying and

operated as a single site of at least two (2) acres. An existing building situated on a single parcel of land which is

converted into separate retail businesses is not for the purpose of this section dePned as a shopping center.

AA. Sign. Any writing, pictorial representation, symbol, banner, or any other Pgure of similar character of

whatever material which is used to identify, announce, direct attention to or advertise or communicate, which is

placed on the ground, on any bush, tree, rock, wall, post, fence, building, structure, vehicle or on any place

whatsoever and which is visible from outside a building. The term “placed” shall include constructing, erecting,

posting, painting, printing, tacking, nailing, gluing, sticking, carving, stringing, or otherwise fastening, aRxing, or

making visible in any manner whatsoever.

BB. Sign area. The area in square feet of the smallest rectangle enclosing the total exterior surface of a sign, or of

one face of a double face sign.

The Petaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance is current through Ordinance 2907, passed September 8, 2025.

Ch. 20 Signs and Sign Structures | Petaluma Implementing Zoning Ordinance Page 4 of 18

CC. Street. A public right-of-way thirty (30) feet or more in width which provides a public means of access to

abutting property. The term “street” shall include avenue, drive, circle, road, parkway, boulevard, highway,

freeway, or any other similar term, but not alley. The term shall include the total width of the dedicated right-of-

way.

DD. Trailblazer Sign. An identiPcation or directional sign to speciPc sites or uses that are of regional importance

or have a regional draw and provide a public benePt.

EE. Wall sign. Any sign posted or painted on, suspended from or otherwise aRxed to the wall of any building or

structure in an essentially Qat position, or with the exposed face of the sign in a place approximately parallel to the

plane of such wall. Any sign suspended from and placed approximately parallel to the front of a canopy, porch, or

similar covering structure shall be deemed to be a wall sign. Excludes banners and pennants.

FF. Window sign. Any sign placed on, or inside an exterior window. This shall include but not be limited to: decals,

stickers, readerboards, neon tubing signs, signs painted directly on the glass surface, and signs made of wood,

plastic, metal, composite materials, paper, or cardboard. (Ord. 2811 § 4, 2022.)