San Mateo Municipal Code Ch. 25.04 Signs on Public Property

In enacting this chapter the City Council finds:

(a) If carefully regulated, the placement of signs on city sidewalks by private individuals can provide a useful outlet for the expression of ideas and the communication of information related to beneficial commercial activity, including, but not limited to, the advertisement of real estate open house events.

(b) It is the desire of the City Council to enact standards that would allow for the regulated use of city sidewalks for these communication purposes.

(c) In enacting these regulations it is not the intention of the City Council to regulate the content of messages on signs to be placed on city sidewalks, but, instead, it is the City Council's intention to enact reasonable time, place and manner restrictions aimed at insuring the safety of those using the public sidewalks and those driving on adjacent streets, and to achieve the City's aesthetic interests by reducing visual clutter that would result from the unregulated posting of signs on sidewalks.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter it is unlawful for any person to place a sign on public property where such sign fails to comply with any of the restrictions stated in this section.

(b) Restrictions Applicable to Signs.

(1) No sign shall exceed thirty-six inches in height.

(2) No sign shall exceed six square feet in area.

(3) All signs shall be constructed or anchored to prevent movement of the sign by the wind, except that an anchoring shall not be permanent and shall not damage the property on which the sign is placed.

(c) Restrictions Applicable to the Placement of Signs.

(1) No sign shall be placed during hours of darkness.

(2) No sign shall be placed within the median of any public street.

(3) No sign shall be attached to, or leaned against, any street furniture, utility facility (including poles and boxes), street light, building, fence, or any other sign.

(4) No sign shall be placed within 50 feet of any other sign placed under the provisions of this chapter, except that as many as 4 signs may be placed on sidewalks within 50 feet of the intersection of public streets on each corner of such intersections.

(5) No sign shall be placed in such a manner as to reduce the unobstructed path of travel on any sidewalk to less than 36 inches, and if the existing unobstructed path of travel of a sidewalk is 36 inches or less, no sign shall be placed on that sidewalk.

(6) No sign shall be placed within a curb cut or ramp installed to provide improved access to a sidewalk to the disabled.

(7) No sign shall be placed upon any public property other than a public sidewalk, except that signs may be placed in unimproved right-of-way with the consent of the owner of the adjoining property.

(8) No sign shall be placed upon public property within the areas bounded by Baldwin Avenue to the north, Railroad Avenue to the east, Fifth Avenue to the south, and El Camino Real to the west.

(d) No person shall display a sign that would otherwise be in violation of any of the standards provided in subsections (b) and (c), by placing upon, attaching to, or leaning such sign against, a vehicle parked within a public street. This prohibition shall not apply to vehicles upon which advertising or other messages are painted, or to signs that are placed within the interior of the vehicle.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the following signs are permitted:

(a) Signs being held by one or more persons on public property.

(b) Traffic safety signs placed on public property by private persons as directed by a public official as part of the authorization to perform work on public property, or in connection with an event taking place on public or private property.

(c) Signs placed by a public officer or employee acting in their official capacity, including such signs as traffic signs, public transit signs, public restroom signs, public parking signs, warning signs, or signs identifying the location of emergency centers, public facilities or places of public interest.

(d) Banners placed on street light poles subject to the following limitations and requirements:

(1) Banners may only be placed on street light poles within commercial areas designated by City Council resolution;

(2) Only banners that announce an activity or event of community-wide interest, or commemorate a community institution located in the City of San Mateo may be placed on street light poles;

(3) No banner shall be placed on a street light pole for more than 90 days within a calendar year, except that banners announcing an event or activity, or commemorating a community institution that are placed by a public agency (such as a local, state or federal agency or special district) and at least partially sponsored by the City may be placed on a street light pole for up to 180 days within a calendar year;

(4) No banner placed on a street light pole shall exceed 25 square feet in area;

(5) At least 75% of the display area of banners placed on street light poles shall contain artwork or text describing the community activity or event, or the institution being commemorated, and no more than 25% of the display area may be used to depict the name or logo of the sponsoring entity, or entities;

(6) Banners and attachments placed on street light poles must obtain approval from the City Engineer to ensure the banners will remain safely affixed to the street light poles and will not present a threat to the safety of those making use of nearby streets and sidewalks;

(7) No banner or attachment shall be placed on a street light pole before an encroachment permit is issued under San Mateo Municipal Code Chapter 17.08; and

(8) Banners must be removed no later than the last date of the authorized display period.