INTRODUCTION

The La Mirada Sign Ordinance, adopted by the City Council in 1966 and amended in 1972, 1986 and 1996, is designed to regulate signage in a manner which results in high quality developments, enhances property values and preserves community aesthetics. Quality signage promotes the effectiveness of individual signs and enhances the overall appearance and economic viability of the City’s neighborhoods.

The La Mirada Sign Ordinance allows a business owner to appropriately identify the business and direct attention to the place, organization or enterprise. It is the intent of the City to prevent oversignage which can lead to visual clutter. Sign ordinance provisions are designed to maintain the consistency of the commercial and industrial centers.

This information presents a simplified version of the La Mirada Sign Ordinance and is intended to serve as a general reference.

We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that signage complies with the provisions of the City Code. Through the cooperation of the city and business owners, we can maintain the quality and attractiveness of our community.

Section 21.50.030

Sign design, size, color, material and scheme shall be compatible with the design and use of the materials for the structure on which the sign is located.

All signs shall be well maintained and in working order. Signs shall be free from graffiti, peeling paint, faded colors, and/or broken or damaged materials.

All signs shall pertain to existing businesses or services and goods offered on the premises.

Signs must be of a permanent nature.

Illuminated signs shall be internally illuminated. Illumination shall be fixed, steady, and directed or controlled so as to prevent glare on street, walkways, and residential property.

In special cases, the Planning Director may approve external lighting if properly shielded and compatible with the design of related facilities.

Sign size calculations include the full face of the sign.

All signs shall be approved by the Planning Department.

Signs shall not be modified without the approval of the Planning Director.

         Section 21.50.040

         The following types of signs are prohibited:

Portable signs and temporary signs which stand freely or must be propped against, or tacked to, another object to remain up right.

Signs posted in violation of the City’s Zoning Ordinance.

Externally illuminated signs, except with approval of the Planning Department.

Inflatable signs.

Off premises signs and billboards.

Pole signs

Vehicle signs.

Animated, blinking, oscillating, rotating, moving, glaring and/or flashing signs.

Signs projecting over the public right-of-way.

Signs painted directly on an exterior wall, fence, facia or parapet.

Signs added to existing sign unless it is approved by the Planning Director.

Roof mounted signs.

Freestanding signs except in the case of shopping centers.

In addition, signs which present any hazard to the safety of pedestrian or vehicular traffic by interfering with the visibility and effectiveness of traffic control or warning devices are prohibited.

Section 21.50.050

Conditional permits may be issued for standard size directional signs located within public rights-of-way where the general public would benefit from the placement of the signs.

All signs are subject to an application process.

Section 21.50.030(B)

Corner lots are required to maintain a triangular area without site obstructions such as signs, trees, fences, and shrubs higher than 42" above the street grade.

The triangular area is formed by measuring 15’ from the corner of the property and drawing a straight line from the two points. The third side of the triangle shall be a straight line connecting the two points.

Section 21.30.060

Each non-English language sign shall contain a general description of the type of business activity in English. The lettering shall be readable from the public street on which the property fronts to facilitate emergency response by public safety personnel.

Businesses which utilize any non-Latin/Roman letters, symbols, and/or characters shall provide an English translation to the city prior to obtaining building and planning permits.

Section 21.50.070

          Signs or notices shall not be affixed to public property, except for the following:

Signs for advertisement on publicly owned bus benches, bus shelters, or other similar devices under a regulated program authorized by the City Council.

Signs attached to private utility company poles without prior written approval from the utility company to which the pole belongs.

          These provisions do not apply to:

The installation of a metal plaque, plate or individual letter commemorating a historical, cultural or artistic event, location approved by the City Council.

Painting of house numbers on curbs, provided it is done pursuant to City code requirements.

Signs required by any governmental agency for the purpose of direction, public safety, or other similar public purpose.

NOTE: Any sign, advertising device or handbill posted on public property may be removed by the City or its authorized agents. The person responsible for such posting may be held liable for the costs incurred in the removal.

Section 21.50.080

"Temporary signs" means any advertising object, display, devise or structure including banners, and pennants, flags and balloons which are constructed out of wood, cloth, paper, canvas or similar material. Temporary signs also include seasonal holiday sale displays and signs promoting public service, community events and fundraisers.

The following sections pertain to banners, pennants, flags and non-metallic balloons 12 inches or less in diameter used for grand opening and promotional events:

Businesses are permitted to display temporary signage for a maximum of 42 days per calendar year. These display days may be distributed among more than one promotional event.

Each time period shall consist of a maximum of 14 days. No more than three events may occur consecutively. Lesser time periods of display must be separated by at least 14 days.

One banner per business frontage is allowed.

The number and placement of flags, pennants and non-metallic balloons is subject to approval.

The total sign area of banners is limited to the maximum allowable sign area for permanent signage.

A city permit is required prior to the installation of temporary signage.

Signs shall be removed promptly after completion of the display period.

Applications for temporary signage permits shall be made in writing upon a City form. The applicant shall submit any further information in writing as required.

Permits fees shall be paid in advance.

Section 21.50.090(A)

Signage to advertise residential and commercial properties for sale, lease or rent is permitted subject to the following requirements:

On Residential property, one sign may be posted on each property. Properties with a second street frontage may have an additional sign. The maximum sign area shall not exceed six (6) square feet.

On Commercial and Industrial property, one sign per street frontage is permitted and shall not exceed nine (9) square feet in area.

Signs must be removed when escrow is closed or a transaction is otherwise completed, or when the property is removed from market.

Section 21.50.090(B)

One (1) temporary real estate sign indicating that an open house is presently occurring shall be permitted in the front or side year setback of the property being offered for sale.

Signs may be placed in parkway areas or tree wells on the day of the event.

Signs shall not be placed in center medians.

Signs must be removed by sunset of the day of the open house.

Signs may be placed on private property with the permission of the private property owner.

Display is limited to the day of the open house.

Section 21.50.100

Window signs shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the total window area.

Section 21.22.060

Section 21.24.090

Section 21.20.080

One wall mounted business identification sign identifying the business activity shall not exceed twenty percent of the face of the building occupancy. The sign shall be mounted parallel to the face of the building and shall not project further than eighteen inches from the building or extend more than four feet above the roof or cornice line.

NOTE: Larger signs or signs on additional elevations may be approved by the Planning Director in cases where an unusually small proportion of frontage to square footage exists or in cases where it is determined that additional signage is necessary for adequate identification.

A shopping center is permitted one shopping center identification sign per center. The sign shall include the name of the center and may include a list of current businesses within the center. The size shall not exceed one square foot of sign area per foot of street frontage of the property. One freestanding business identification monument type sign for businesses occupying street frontage may be permitted pursuant to a variance approved by the Planning Commission.

Industrial Park Districts (M-1) One freestanding sign is permitted for businesses that occupy parcels in excess of one acre. For businesses that occupy less than one acre, a free standing sign may be approved by the Planning Commission. The size shall not exceed one square foot of sign are per front foot of street frontage of the property.

Section 21.12.090

Household nameplates shall not exceed 6" x 24"

No more than two sale or lease signs shall be placed on any lot and shall not exceed an area in excess of 6 square feet.

Illuminated signs are not permitted.

Section 21.26.100

Identifying signs and business signs are permitted when attached to and parallel with the wall of a building.

Illuminated signs shall not face residential districts.

Signs shall not extend above the roof or cornice line of any building on the site by more than four feet.

Sale or lease signs shall not exceed nine square feet.

One freestanding or business sign per site is permitted provided that the aggregate area does not exceed one square foot for each linear foot of street frontage of the lot.

Section 21.18.090

In C-0 districts, the aggregate of identifying business signs on any one building site shall not exceed six in number and fifty square feet in area.

Each ten thousand square feet of a building site containing two or more separate main buildings, shall not exceed six in number and fifty square feet in area.

No sign shall have any moving parts or extend more than four feet above the roof or cornice line of any main building.

Sale or lease signs shall not exceed nine square feet in area.

Section 21.14.090

One sign is permitted any may be lighted or unlighted. The sign shall consist of a single face not to exceed thirty-six square feet in area and shall be affixed to the face of the building or permanent structure. Only the name and address of the property shall be indicated on the sign.

In addition to the requirements established by the City code, some commercial centers have additional requirements as to the type of sign and color scheme permitted in the center.

Section 21.50.110

In a limited number of cases, there may exist legal, nonconforming signs which were properly permitted and installed prior to adoption of the City’s Sign Ordinance and have since become nonconforming. The following provisions apply to nonconforming signs:

Any sign errected without permits or not in compliance with all provisions of this Chapter at the time of its construction, errection or use, shall immediately be removed from the site by the owner without compensation.

All signs rendered nonconforming by the provisions of this Chapter shall be removed twenty (20) years after the date of becoming nonconforming unless approved by a special use permit or conditioned by a time limit.

Any sign made nonconforming by the provisions of this Chapter, as amended, shall immediately be removed from the site, without compensation, under any of the criteria as follows:

Any sign whose use has ceased, or the structure upon which the sign is located has been abandoned by its owner for ninety (90) consecutive days.

Any sign which has been more than fifty percent (50%) destroyed or damaged (other than destruction of the facial copy) and the display cannot be repaired within thirty (30) days of the date of its damage or destruction.

Any sign whose owner, outside of the change of copy, remodels the sign, or expands or enlarges the building or land use upon which the sign is located, and the sign is affected by the construction, enlargement or remodeling, or that the cost of such construction, enlargement or remodeling of the advertising display exceeds fifty percent (50%) of the cost of reconstruction of the building.

Any sign whose owner relocates the sign.

Any sign for which there has been an agreement between the sign owner and the City for its removal as of a given date.

Any sign which is or may become a danger to the public or is unsafe.

Any sign which constitutes a traffic hazard (not created by the relocation of any street or highway or by any other act of the City).

Nonconforming signs located in an agricultural zone or residential zone shall be removed from the site without compensation after the expiration of fifteen (15) years from the date the sign became non-conforming under the provisions of this Chapter, as amended. Upon expiration of the amortization period, the sign shall be an illegal use, subject to immediate removal without compensation.

Every sign not described in California Business and Professions Code Subsection 5490(b) and which does not comply with the provisions of this Chapter, as amended, shall be amortized ad abated in accordance with the following schedule:

NOTE: The value of a nonconforming sign shall be determined by the Building Official in accordance with the latest material valuation schedules.

Nonconforming billboards located in an area designated on the general plan and zoned as either agricultural or residential and located more than six hundred sixty (660) feet from the edge of the right-of-way of a freeway or primary highway, which have copy not visible or intended to be read from such freeway or primary highway, shall be removed from the site without compensation in accordance with the following schedule. This amortization period shall commence upon receipt of written notice of nonconformance.

All permanent signage must be approved by the Planning Department and requires a building permit.

A permit is required for the display of temporary signage. Temporary permit applications are available at City Hall and the Public Safety Center.

Signage to be installed in established Redevelopment Project Areas may require Redevelopment Agency review and approval.

The property owner’s signature or written consent is required with the permit application.

Some permits may require a cash deposit, letter of credit or bond.

Electrical signs (interior and exterior) must have a valid U.L. label and cut off switch.

All electrical work must be performed by licensed electrical contractors.

Signs may be deemed abandoned in certain situations and become subject to removal.

Signs must comply with all relevant requirements of the City Code.

Exceptions to the City’s signage regulations including official public signs or notices, house numbers, mail box identification, street names and signs warning of danger or trespass.

Bulletin boards displaying announcements relative to church and auditorium meetings as well as directories or other exclusively informational listing of tenants’ names at the entrances of buildings also are excluded from regulation.