Understanding sign regulations in City of Millbrae, CA
Every outdoor sign in City of Millbrae is governed by the municipality’s sign ordinance, which sets how large a sign may be, how tall it may stand, how far it must sit from the property line, whether it may be illuminated, and which sign types are permitted in each zoning district. This page summarizes those requirements in plain language and links each value back to the section of the City of Millbrae code it came from.
Sign rules here are layered. The base zoning district — commercial, industrial, or residential — sets the default limits, and overlay districts such as historic or downtown districts can tighten them further. Because the most specific jurisdiction controls, a freestanding monument sign on a commercial parcel and a wall sign in a historic overlay can face very different limits even on the same street in City of Millbrae.
Use the figures below as a fast first check, then run a full address lookup to confirm the exact limits for a specific parcel in City of Millbrae, California. The full report also covers permit requirements, prohibited sign types, and illumination rules — each cited to the source ordinance so your permit application can reference it directly.
Before you order or install a sign in City of Millbrae, confirm three things: the maximum sign area and height allowed in the parcel’s zoning district, the minimum setback from the right-of-way, and whether the sign type you want — freestanding, monument, wall, projecting, or awning — is permitted there at all. Many permit denials come from missing a setback or an overlay-district restriction rather than from the size of the sign itself, so checking the governing section before applying saves a costly resubmittal.
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Max ground sign height
Max 20 ft above nearest existing curb grade.
Ground sign setback
pylon signs: at least 10 feet from nearest curb grade
Awning Signs
Vertical Clearance
Minimum eight feet of vertical clearance from bottom of awnings or canopies to adjacent grade; minimum fourteen feet in vehicular passage areas. One per canopy or awning face.
Awning Projection Clearance
Minimum 8 feet vertical clearance from bottom of awning to adjacent grade; minimum 14 feet in vehicular passage areas
No street banner over, across or above any public street may be erected without written approval from the Department of Public Works; designated banner location is Broadway near Hillcrest Boulevard.
Building Signs
Max Sign Area Within Building
One and one-half square feet per linear foot of primary building frontage, plus three-quarter square foot per linear foot of secondary frontage; max four frontages per site.
Building Sign Illumination
Prohibited: rotating, animated, moving or flashing signs; certain electronic changeable copy signs may be permitted through design review.
Gross surface area is the sum of the smallest combination of rectangles encompassing the extreme limits of the writing, emblem and other display plus any integral background structure or color.
Directional Signs
Off Premises Directional
Limited to signs on public property erected and maintained by a public agency; maximum size of two square feet in area; normally limited to one sign.
Directional Max Size
Max 2 sq ft.
Electronic Signs
Changeable Copy Via Design Review
Rotating, animated, moving or flashing signs are prohibited; however, certain electronic changeable copy signs and time, date and temperature devices may be permitted through design review.
Freestanding
Max Height
The height of the sign shall not exceed twenty feet above the nearest existing curb grade.
Max Area Multifaced
Each face shall not exceed sixty square feet; total of all faces shall not exceed one hundred and twenty square feet.
Any permanent sign on an internally illuminated canopy, awning or fascia panel is subject to planning commission design review; the entire area of illumination plus the individual sign area shall be calculated.
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Monument Signs
Marquee Vertical Clearance
Minimum ten feet of vertical clearance from bottom of sign to grade; minimum fourteen feet in vehicular passage areas; not closer than two feet from vertical projection of curbline. One sign per marquee face.
Nonconforming
Removal Obligation
Owners must remove a sign that does not conform with this chapter or for which no valid sign permit exists, or bring a nonconforming sign into conformity.
Permit Process
Application Requirements
Applications shall be filed with the community development department on department forms; both planning and building division review is required.
Fees
A sign permit and a plans examination fee shall be paid in accordance with the schedule of fees established by the city council.
Prohibited Signs
Roof Signs Prohibited
All roof signs are prohibited; however, a projecting sign with its main supports on the roof may be permitted through design review.
Outdoor Advertising Prohibited
Outdoor advertising signs or structures are prohibited in any zoning district, except signs erected by public authority on public property permitted through design review and use permit.
Shall not project more than fifty percent of the distance between building face and vertical projection of curbline, nor exceed a projection of six feet from the building face or wall, whichever is most restrictive.
Temporary Signs
Permit Duration And Area
Temporary sign permit limited to sixty calendar days per year, per address; each sign limited to one per street frontage and a maximum of thirty-two square feet; not freestanding or in public right-of-way.
Temp Sign Rules
Permit limited to 60 calendar days per year per address; maximum 32 square feet per sign; one sign per street frontage; not freestanding; not in public right-of-way
Located approximately parallel with the building face; V-type sign may project a maximum of eighteen inches; shall not extend above roof ridge or parapet line, whichever is lower.
Window Signs
Max Window Coverage
Signs shall not exceed twenty-five percent window coverage on any glazed window or door area; placed in, on or within two feet of any ground floor window or door.
Window Sign Allowable Area
Max 25% window coverage.
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