General Advertising Sign Program
The primary goals of the program are to build and maintain an inventory of general advertising signs, correct outstanding violations, and remove unlawful signs.
The Planning Department's General Advertising Sign Program began in 2006 on passage of legislation amending the Planning Code to improve the monitoring of general advertising signs and the enforcement of general advertising sign regulations in San Francisco.
2002’s Proposition G, which passed with 78% of the vote, prohibited new general advertising signs throughout San Francisco. Despite that prohibition, existing general advertising signs can display new sign copy (e.g. advertisements). In 2006, the City adopted legislation to provide for monitoring and enforcement of general advertising signs. Soon thereafter, every general advertising sign in the City was reviewed by SF Planning. This work resulted in the removal of nearly 600 illegal billboards. Today, we maintain an inventory of every legal general advertising sign and continue our enforcement work as needed.
Filing a Complaint
What’s that funny mini-billboard next to a bigger billboard? The Planning Code requires that every General Advertising sign display a placard showing the name of the sign company that owns or operates the sign, the sign’s building permit number, and the sign’s legal dimensions.
If you see a billboard without a placard, or with dimensions that don’t match those shown on the placard – or, if you see a new sign being installed on private property that you suspect is an illegal general advertising sign, you can file a complaint online.
For complaints involving signage within the public right-of-way and not affixed to private property, contact the Department of Public Works Bureau of Street Use and Mapping at 628.271.2000 or call 3-1-1 (within SF).
Resources for the Public
Resources for the Sign Industry
Contact
Program Questions
Jia Hong Situ
Planner, General Advertising Sign Program Manager
Code Enforcement
jiahong.situ@sfgov.org
Billing Questions
Virnaliza Byrd
Planner Technician II
Code Enforcement
virnaliza.byrd@sfgov.org
628.652.7541
The Planning Department has created an interactive map that indicates the approximate locations and displays photos of general advertising signs in San Francisco. The map is available for public use and is provided as a tool to help identify general advertising signs throughout the City.
Please note that the inclusion of a sign in the map does not reflect any determination of the current legal status or compliance under the Planning Code or any other applicable laws or ordinances.
Instructions
Navigate to the approximate location of the sign you wish to view. Click on any sign marker to view a photo of the sign.