Sign Ordinances - Santa Ana

Sec. 41-1036. Real estate signs

Signs advertising the sale or lease of buildings or building space shall comply with the following standards:
  1. Such signs shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet in size.
  2. No more than two (2) such signs are allowed on any face of the building, with one (1) sign being mounted in a ground floor window and the other above the ground floor on any eligible signable area.
  3. Lettering on real estate signs on historically contributive buildings shall be appropriate to the period when the building was built. Lettering styles that are similar in character to historic styles are allowed.
  4. Such signs must be removed within thirty (30) days after the building or building space to which they pertain has been sold or leased.

Sec. 41-870. Real estate signs

  1. Residential units. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, signs advertising the sale, lease or rental of one (1) or more dwellings units are prohibited, except that no more than one (1) sign may be permitted on the site of such unit(s) without the necessity of obtaining a permit, provided the following standards are met:
    1. The sign shall not be illuminated.
    2. The sign area shall not exceed four (4) square feet.
    3. The sign shall not exceed six (6) feet in height.
    4. No other sign advertising the sale or lease of one (1) or more dwelling units shall be installed on the same site.
    5. A sign for the rental or lease of a unit shall correspond to an actual vacancy and shall not be permitted on fully occupied sites. The sign shall be removed within fourteen (14) days after the sale or lease of the property.


  2. Nonresidential units. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, signs advertising the sale or lease of one (1) or more nonresidential units are prohibited, except that no more than one (1) sign may be installed per street frontage of such property without the necessity of obtaining a permit, provided the following standards are met:
    1. The sign shall not be illuminated.
    2. The sign area shall not exceed thirty-two (32) square feet.
    3. The sign shall not exceed twelve (12) feet in height.
    4. No more than one (1) sign advertising the sale or lease of units of real property shall be installed on the same street frontage of the same site.
    5. A sign for the rental or lease of a unit shall correspond to an actual vacancy and shall not be permitted on fully occupied sites. The sign shall be removed with fourteen (14) days of the rental or lease of the unit(s).
    6. Placement of such sign shall correspond directly with the space available and shall not be located at unrelated businesses.
For more information, click here. (Sign Regulations - Chapter 41, Article 11)