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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
DATE: APRIL 21, 2026
FROM: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: REMOVAL OF BILLBOARDS IMPACTING NEIGHBORHOODS
IN THE CITY OF ANAHEIM
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 29
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
REQUESTED ACTION:
That the City Council discuss options to remove billboards impacting neighborhoods in the City of Anaheim, and provide direction to staff.
DISCUSSION:
Background:
At the request of Council Member Maahs, supported by Mayor Aitken, this item is being presented to the City Council for discussion regarding options to remove billboards impacting Anaheim neighborhoods.
Pursuant to Section 18.44.035.035 of the Anaheim Municipal Code (AMC), the construction of new billboards is prohibited citywide, with limited exceptions in special sign districts around the Stadium, Arena, and ARTIC. This prohibition first took effect in October 2006. Billboards installed before this date are considered legal nonconforming uses, allowed to remain in existence at their present locations. Prior to the citywide prohibition, the City of Anaheim maintained a targeted ban on freeway billboards. The city first adopted the freeway billboard ban in 1958.
Over time, there has been a gradual but steady decline in the total number of billboards in Anaheim. In 1991, the City had 141 billboards. By 2006, that number had fallen to
83. As of 2026, 71 billboards remain citywide, six of which are located along freeways.
These figures exclude new signs being developed as part of the OCVIBE project, which are located within a special signage district.
The locations of all existing billboards are depicted on the map included as Attachment
1. The distribution of billboards by City Council District is shown in the table below:
Removal of Billboards Impacting Neighborhoods in the City of Anaheim April 21, 2026
Council District
No. of
Billboards
1 20
2 13
3 5
4 4
5 24
6 5
Billboard Counts by District
Options to Remove Billboards
A number of California cities have prioritized billboard removal from residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors as part of a broader beautification effort. Staff have identified three general strategies available to the City, each with distinct advantages, limitations, and cost implications.
Strategy 1: Maintain Current Prohibition
The City has already established the most fundamental tool for billboard reduction: a citywide prohibition on the construction of new billboards, codified in Section 18.44.040 of the AMC. Under this approach, no active steps are taken to force the removal of existing billboards. Rather, the current inventory is allowed to continue as a legal nonconforming use, with removal occurring organically over time through structural deterioration and redevelopment of property.
This strategy requires minimal staff effort and has no direct cost to the City. However, it does not target specific billboards or accelerate removal timelines.
Strategy 2: Digital Freeway Billboard Conversion Program A second strategy involves the creation of a digital freeway billboard program, through which existing billboard operators would be permitted to install new digital billboards along City freeways in exchange for removing a specified number of existing static billboards from neighborhoods and commercial corridors. This approach is predicated on the significant revenue differential between digital freeway billboards and traditional static street-level displays.
Implementation of a digital freeway billboard program in Anaheim would require significant effort by City staff, likely with assistance from outside consultants, due to a number of complicating regulatory and procedural factors:
State of California Outdoor Advertising Act (OAA). The 1967 Outdoor Advertising Act grants Caltrans regulatory authority over outdoor advertising displays adjacent to interstate or primary highways. Under the OAA, billboard operators must obtain both a Caltrans permit and local authorization before installing a freeway-oriented advertising display. Critically, the OAA prohibits billboard placement along "landscaped" portions of freeways, defined as any freeway section Removal of Billboards Impacting Neighborhoods in the City of Anaheim April 21, 2026
improved by the planting of ornamental vegetation requiring reasonable maintenance. Caltrans has designated the majority of Anaheim's freeway corridors as landscaped under this standard, rendering most of the City's freeway frontage ineligible for new billboard placement. Those designations are depicted on the map included as Attachment 2. While a process exists to remove the landscaped designation on a segment-by-segment basis, the outcome of any such challenge is uncertain.
State Exemptions. State law has created limited exemptions to the provisions of the OAA. Senate Bill 694 (2013) authorized advertising displays adjacent to future high- speed rail stations to help fund operating and maintenance costs. Senate Bill 31 (2013) authorized advertising displays in the vicinity of arenas and stadiums for products, goods, or services sold or marketed on the premises pursuant to a sponsorship-marketing plan. The City has adopted ordinances implementing these exemptions for the ARTIC, Arena and Stadium properties. Implementation Methods. Cities have pursued digital billboard programs through requests for proposals (RFP), “cap and replace” ordinances establishing a standardized conversion ratio, and direct negotiations with existing billboard operators. Each method involves tradeoffs between the favorability of terms secured (e.g. number of static signs removed per digital billboard permitted, revenue sharing agreements, minimum annual guarantee payments, and public messaging opportunities) and the level of staff effort required. Competitive processes such as RFPs generally yield more favorable terms than direct negotiation.
Strategy 3: Amortization/Condemnation
A third strategy involves the use of amortization or condemnation to compel the removal of existing nonconforming billboards within a defined timeframe. Under a billboard amortization program, the City would adopt an ordinance establishing a reasonable deadline by which existing nonconforming billboard structures must be removed. If billboard owners are provided a reasonable period to continue operating their signs, typically calibrated to the useful life of the structure and a reasonable opportunity to recoup upfront investment, the City may require removal without providing monetary compensation.
Condemnation is a more aggressive approach through which the City would exercise eminent domain authority to compel removal and compensate sign owners and property owners for the fair market value of the signs and any associated lost revenues. Given the number of billboards citywide and their varying economic values, a condemnation program could involve substantial financial exposure for the City.
Should the City Council wish to pursue an amortization or condemnation program, the City Attorney’s Office should be directed to evaluate this strategy before any ordinance is pursued.
Conclusion
Staff requests that the City Council discuss the strategies described above and provide direction on which approach, or any alternative, it wishes staff to pursue. Based upon Removal of Billboards Impacting Neighborhoods in the City of Anaheim April 21, 2026
the direction provided, staff will return to City Council with a proposed framework and budget amendment for third-party support services.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
This is a discussion item only and will have no impact on the General Fund.
Respectfully Submitted,
Sergio M. Ramirez Ted White
Director of Economic Development Deputy City Manager Attachments:
1. Map of existing billboards in the City of Anaheim
2. Map of landscaped and non-landscaped freeways