AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2026

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2026

AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 25, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Senator Rubio

(Coauthor: Senator Strickland)

February 19, 2026

An act to add Section 5440.5 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to advertising displays.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

The Outdoor Advertising Act regulates placement of advertising displays adjacent to and within specified distances of highways that are part of the national system of interstate and defense highways and federal aid highways. The act prohibits, except as provided, placing or maintaining an advertising display on property adjacent to a portion of a freeway that has a specified coverage area of landscaping or trees at the same or elevated grade of the main-traveled way, as provided. The act does not prohibit a city, county, or city and county from designating the districts or zones in which an advertising display may be placed or prohibited as part of a land use or zoning ordinance. The act also does not prohibit a local governmental entity from entering into an agreement to relocate an advertising display for any purpose.

This bill would exempt certain advertising displays developed within the boundary limits of, and as part of, an individual redevelopment agency project from the prohibition on placing or maintaining an advertising display on property adjacent to a portion of a freeway that has landscaping or trees, from a city’s, county’s, or city and county’s land use or zoning ordinance, and from a local governmental entity’s relocation agreement, as those are described above. The bill would require an advertising display subject to this exemption to remain in substantially the same location and configuration as it existed on December 31, 2025, and would prohibit the advertising display from being modified, as specified. expanded, relocated, increased in height or display area, or modified to add additional display faces beyond those existing on December 31, 2025.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 5440.5 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

5440.5.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, Sections 5440 and 5443 do not apply to an advertising display developed within the boundary limits of, and as a part of, an individual redevelopment agency project, as those boundaries existed on December 29, 2011, and that has been in place and operating as of December 31, 2025, under a tracking number issued by the department for an advertising display exempted under Section 5273, 5273.1, or 5273.5. An advertising display subject to this subdivision shall remain in the same location where it existed on December 31, 2025, and shall not be expanded, increased in height or display area, or modified to add additional display panels, beyond what existed on December 31, 2025. 5273.5, if both of the following conditions are met:

(b) An advertising display described in subdivision (a) shall be deemed a placement requiring a new permit and shall comply with all the provisions of Article 6 (commencing with Section 5350) and Article 7 (commencing with Section 5400). 5400), except those expressly exempted by subdivision (c).