20.030 General Provisions.

No sign, outdoor advertising structure or display shall be permitted except in conformity with the following

regulations:

A. East Washington Street signs. All freestanding signs for properties with an East Washington Street frontage shall

be a monument, low-proPle style not exceeding Pve (5) feet in height measured from the grade of the nearest

public sidewalk.

B. Hazardous signs. No sign or outdoor advertising structure shall be erected in such a manner that it will, or

reasonably may be expected to interfere with, obstruct, confuse, or mislead traRc or create a safety hazard.

C. Lighting. An illuminated sign within Pve hundred (500) feet of an R District measured along the radius of one

hundred eighty (180) degree arc in front of a face of the sign, shall not be directly lighted, but may be indirectly

lighted, provided that the surface brightness shall not be greater than thirty (30) foot lamberts.

D. Lighting of free-standing signs. All free-standing signs shall be illuminated indirectly with white light and no light

Plament or tubing shall be visible from the front of the sign or from beyond the property line.

E. Marquee signs. No sign shall be placed upon the roof or on the face of any marquee unless integrated as part

of the building architecture.

F. Moving and novelty signs; pennants. Moving signs, sign structures, and Qashing lights are prohibited, except

for oRcial Qags and symbols, clocks, thermometers, and traditional type barber poles that rotate. Pennants shall

be included in the total sign area permitted for a particular use or site.

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 5 of 18

G. On-site sign locations. All signs and displays shall be located on the same site as the use they identify or

advertise, except subdivisions.

H. Roof signs. No sign or sign structure shall be painted or located upon or above the roof of any building, unless

integrated as part of the building architecture.

I. Signs in Planned Unit Developments. Signs in P.U.D. (Planned Unit Development) Districts shall comply with the

regulations prescribed in this section for the districts with which they are combined.

J. Signs near street intersections. No sign shall be erected at the intersection of any street improved for vehicular

traRc, within a triangular area formed by the curb lines and their projection, and a line connecting them at points

thirty-Pve (35) feet from the intersection of the projected curb lines, unless in compliance with the provisions of

this ordinance, has a clearance of at least ten (10) feet above curb grade.

K. Sign obstruction. No sign shall be erected in such a manner than any portion of the sign or its support is

attached to or will interfere with the free use of any Pre escape, exit or standpipe, or obstruct any required

stairway, door, ventilator, or window.

L. Sign visibility. Not more than three (3) permanent signs for any one (1) occupant shall be visible from any one

(1) ground vantage point.

M. Vertical clearance. There shall not be less than ten (10) feet of clearance between the bottom of an

overhanging sign and ground level, except that marquee signs not exceeding six (6) square feet in area may be

erected with a minimum vertical clearance of eight and one-half (8-1/2) feet.

N. Wall and projecting signs. A wall or projecting sign attached to a building shall not extend above the top of the

wall upon or in front of which it is situated, or in the case of buildings having sloping roofs, above the eave of the

roof.