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ORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA AMENDING SECTIONS
30.26.030, 30.26.040, AND 30.26.050 OF TITLE 30 OF THE
GLENDALE MUNICIPAL CODE, 1995, RELATING TO THE
ADVERTISING SIGNAGE OVERLAY ZONE.
WHEREAS, in September 2009, the City of Glendale received applications from the owners of the Glendale Galleria and the Americana at Brand requesting the City consider creating an Advertising Signage Overlay Zone (ASOZ) that encompasses the Galleria District and the Town Center District of the Downtown Specific Plan areas; and WHEREAS, in March 2010, the City of Glendale Planning Commission, after conducting a public hearing and reviewing the proposed ordinance, recommended that the City Council approve the text amendment with suggestions made at their public hearing; and
WHEREAS, in March 2010, the City of Glendale City Council determined, after reviewing the proposed ordinance and conducting a public hearing that it is in the best interest of the health, safety and public welfare of the City of Glendale to create an Advertising Signage Overlay Zone process and add a new chapter to and amend the Glendale Municipal Code (GMC) for purposes of establishing regulations for the ASOZ; and
WHEREAS, in March 2010, the City of Glendale City Council adopted Ordinance No. 5688 adding Chapter 30.26 Advertising Signage Overlay Zone (ASOZ) and amending certain provisions of Chapter 30.33 Signs of the GMC; and WHEREAS, in March 2010, the City of Glendale City Council adopted Ordinance No. 5689 placing the ASOZ over the Galleria District and the Town Center District of the Downtown Specific Plan areas; and
WHEREAS; the ASOZ established new sign regulations which permit additional and larger signage designed to improve identification and cross promotion of business transacted at, goods sold or produced, and services rendered on the premises within the Galleria District and Town Center District; and WHEREAS; in May 2013, the City of Glendale received applications from the owners of the Glendale Galleria and the Americana at Brand requesting a text amendment to Chapter 30.26 ASOZ with regard to allowing non-accessory signs, allowing animated signs and expanding the types of signs allowed in the ASOZ; and WHEREAS, in July 2013, the City of Glendale Planning Commission, after conducting a public hearing and reviewing the proposed ordinance, recommended that the City Council approve the text amendment; and
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WHEREAS, in July 2013, the City of Glendale City Council adopted Ordinance No.5804 amending Chapter 30.26 Advertising Signage Overlay Zone (ASOZ) and;
WHEREAS, in July 2025, the City of Glendale received an application from the owners of 228 - 252 South Brand Boulevard (APNs 5642-013-007, 5642-013-008 and 5642-013-014) requesting the City consider a text amendment to Chapter 30.26 ASOZ with regard to defining an ASOZ wall sign, language changes associated with the proposed definition and adding a criteria to approve an ASOZ; and WHEREAS, in December 2025, the City of Glendale Planning Commission, after conducting a public hearing and reviewing the proposed ordinance, recommended that the City Council approve the text amendment; and
WHEREAS, the City of Glendale City Council has determined, after reviewing the proposed ordinance and conducting a public hearing relating thereto that it is in the best interests of the health, safety and public welfare of the City of Glendale to amend GMC Chapter 30.26.
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GLENDALE DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Glendale finds that the above recitals are true and correct and are hereby incorporated by reference.
SECTION 2. Section 30.26.030 of the Glendale Municipal Code, 1995 is hereby amended to read as follows:
30.26.030 Definitions.
Whenever the following terms are used in this chapter, they shall be construed as defined in this section. Words and phrases not defined here shall be construed as defined in Chapters 30.33 and 30.70 of this code.
“Architectural elements and details” means the unique components that together form the architectural style of a building, including, but not limited to, cornices, moldings, projections, window and door openings and railings.
“ASOZ accessory sign” means a sign allowed by an ASOZ which carries advertisement incidental and related only to the primary use of the premises or within the ASOZ, including signs or sign devices indicating the business transacted at, services rendered, goods sold or produced on the premises or within the ASOZ by either the owner, occupant or developer of the property or within the ASOZ area.
“ASOZ non-accessory sign” means a sign allowed by an ASOZ which carries advertisement incidental and related to the primary use of the premises or within the ASOZ, including signs or sign devices indicating the business transacted at, services rendered, goods sold or produced on the premises or within the ASOZ by either the owner, occupant 2 1
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or developer of the property or within the ASOZ area or which carries advertisement incidental and not related to the primary use of the premises or within the ASOZ. “ASOZ wall sign” means a sign attached to or placed on a building wall or a sign attached to or placed on an appurtenant structure, such as an exterior staircase, which is attached to a building wall.
“Compatible or compatibility” means consistent and harmonious as to form, proportion, scales, color, materials, surface treatment, overall sign size, and the size and style of lettering.
“Frame” means a decorative border for enclosing a sign. “Freestanding sign” means those signs identified in the Town Center Specific Plan (TCSP) as unstaffed, stand-alone, self-supporting kiosk structures located in a fixed location, the sole purpose of which is to advertise businesses, services, and goods sold or produced.
“Primarily visible” or “primarily visible from” means that the sign is more readily visible from a city designated primary pedestrian street than from streets which are not so designated. “Thick gauge vinyl” means vinyl material a minimum of 15 mil in size. (Ord. 5688 § 1, 2010; Ord. 5804 § 2, 2013; Ord. 6000 § 2, 2023)
SECTION 3. Section 30.26.040 of the Glendale Municipal Code, 1995 is hereby amended to read as follows:
Section 30.26.040 Criteria to approve an ASOZ.
A. Application. An application for adoption or amendment of an ASOZ shall be submitted to the community development department in a form consistent with the current submittal requirements and shall be processed and considered pursuant to Chapter 30.63 of this title.
B. The city council may, by ordinance, designate a geographic area as an ASOZ if the council finds that the area is:
1. Designated downtown specific plan (DSP) in the city’s land use element of the general plan.
2. Located within the boundaries of the Central Glendale Redevelopment Project Area as of the date of adopting this chapter.
3. A minimum of 20 contiguous acres in size, not including streets and alleys, excluding the areas of streets and alleys from acreage calculations.
4. Devoted to intense retail, restaurant and/or theater uses, and contains a minimum of one million (1,000,000) square feet of gross area of those uses, where each applicant has operational controls of properties with a minimum of 400,000 square feet of gross retail, restaurant and/or theater use.
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5. Occupied by buildings no more than 110 feet in height.
6. Owned by either a single entity or two or more affiliated or related entities.
C. In addition to the findings required by subsection B above, the council may only designate a geographic area as an ASOZ if it finds that:
1. The advertising signage in the ASOZ will contribute to the economic vitality of the geographic location in which the ASOZ is located and the downtown core in general;
2. The ASOZ will advance the purposes of the city’s sign regulations, as set forth in Sections 30.26.010 and 30.33.030 of this code, including, but not limited to, advancing the city’s interests in traffic safety and enhancing and protecting the physical appearance of the community; and
3. With the approval of the ASOZ, the city’s sign regulations contained in this chapter and in Chapter 30.33 of this code continue to advance the purposes thereof, including, but not limited to, advancing the city’s interests in traffic safety and enhancing and protecting the physical appearance of the community.
SECTION 4. Section 30.26.050 of the Glendale Municipal Code, 1995 is hereby amended to read as follows:
30.26.050 Regulations for signs allowed by the ASOZ.
The following regulations shall apply to all signs allowed by an ASOZ:
A. For ASOZ accessory signs, signs shall only be ASOZ wall signs, animated signs, banners, freestanding signs, marquee signs or ground signs as defined by this chapter and Chapter 30.33 of the zoning code.
B. ASOZ non-accessory signs shall be permitted only as ASOZ wall signs, animated signs, freestanding signs or marquee signs, which are permitted under this chapter and allowed by the overlay zone map as ASOZ non-accessory ASOZ wall signs, freestanding signs or marquee signs.
C. ASOZ wall signs permitted under this chapter shall:
1. Be composed of a material to be approved by the director of community development;
2. Be framed in a material compatible with the architectural style of the building(s) or appurtenant structures on which sign(s) are proposed. Compatibility shall be determined with regard to the form, proportion, scale, materials, surface treatment, overall sign size and size and style of the lettering as it related to the building wall or appurtenant structure upon which the sign(s) are proposed;
3. Not cover windows, doors or other openings or details of the building(s) on which they are proposed. ASOZ wall signs located on appurtenant structures may cover the openings of these structures;
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4. Not contain sound effects or projecting elements;
5. Be installed parallel to the face of the building or the appurtenant structure on which they are attached;
6. Only “ASOZ accessory signs” and “ASOZ non-accessory signs” as defined by this chapter shall be permitted;
7. Not be viewed from primary pedestrian streets, as identified in the DSP, unless the impacts from the sign may be eliminated or otherwise minimized if the sign is incorporated as an architectural element in such a way that it will contribute to the pedestrian character of the pedestrian street and to the area in general, subject to the approval of the director of community development. The director of community development is authorized to submit such a proposal to the city council for their consideration if the director of community development deems such a review necessary; and
8. Not have an access platform, ladder or other service equipment installed or attached to any sign or framing.
D. Animated signs permitted under this chapter shall:
1. Only be ASOZ wall signs, freestanding signs or marquee signs which are permitted under this chapter and allowed by the overlay zone map as ASOZ non-accessory ASOZ wall signs, freestanding signs or marquee signs;
2. ASOZ wall signs shall not change images more frequently than each eight seconds, with a transition period of one second or less;
3. Freestanding signs and marquee signs shall not change images more frequently than each eight seconds, with a transition period of one second or less when static images are used. Freestanding signs and marquee signs, if not visible from a public street, may contain a message through a sequence of progressive changes of parts by either action or motion, flashing or color changes, advertising content in animated or motion picture form or having changing display/message formed by the selective illumination of an array of individual light bulbs or light emitting diodes (LEDs) displaying text and/or graphic images;
4. Not have sound effects or projecting elements; and
5. The maximum brightness levels shall not exceed ambient light levels. The director may require a lighting study, field measurements or other satisfactory method to verify compliance with this requirement.
E. Banner signs permitted under this chapter shall:
1. Be composed of high quality vinyl or other material acceptable to the director; and
2. Be a maximum of 16 feet high and three feet wide.
F. Ground signs permitted under this chapter:
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1. Shall be a maximum of 16 feet high and three feet wide, including any pole or other support structure;
2. Shall not impede the flow of pedestrians to the satisfaction of the building official, city engineer or fire chief; and
3. May be located in the public right-of-way to the satisfaction of the city engineer and approval of an encroachment permit.
i. Downtown business identification signs: Applicant must submit sign design and receive approval of the design from the director of community development within three months from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section;
ii. Must be installed within eight months from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, unless an extension is granted by the director of community development;
iii. At least one sign shall be located in the public right-of-way adjacent to the Glendale Galleria Central Avenue plaza at location(s) to be approved by the directors of community development and public works;
iv. At least one sign shall be located on the Brand Boulevard frontage of the Americana at Brand at location(s) to be approved by the directors of community development and public works;
v. Shall comply with subsections (F)(2) and (F)(3), and the maximum size shall be determined by the director of community development; vi. Shall use directories to guide or direct pedestrian traffic but shall contain no advertising for specific businesses;
vii. Shall provide directions to businesses and other points of interest within the downtown business district to the satisfaction of the director of community development;
viii. Shall not exceed ambient light levels at the location installed. The director may require a lighting study, field measurements or other satisfactory method to verify compliance with this requirement; and
ix. Shall be oriented towards pedestrians and shall not visually interfere with vehicular traffic to the satisfaction of the director of public works.
G. Marquee signs permitted under this chapter:
1. May be located on top of the canopy and may extend up to 13 feet above the top of the canopy to which it is attached;
2. Shall be no more than two feet in width or depth;
3. Shall face within the development in which it is proposed and not be visible from a public street, if the marquee sign is an animated sign that contains a message 6 1
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through a sequence of progressive changes of parts by either action or motion, flashing or color changes, advertising in animation or motion picture form or having changing display/ messages formed by the selective illumination of an array of individual light bulbs or light emitting diodes (LED) display text and/or graphic images; and
4. May be located in the public right-of-way to the satisfaction of the city engineer and approval of an encroachment permit, if the marquee sign is an animated sign that contains images that do not change more frequently than each eight seconds, with a transition period of one second or more.
H. Freestanding signs permitted under this chapter:
1. Shall be composed of a material to be approved by the director of community development;
2. Shall be of an architectural style compatible with the surrounding buildings and overall development. Compatibility shall be determined with regard to the form, proportion, scale, materials, surface treatment and overall size as it relates to the surrounding buildings and overall development;
3. Shall not exceed five feet in width or depth and 10 feet in height;
4. Shall only be located on private property;
5. Shall not be closer than 25 feet from the public rights-of-way of Brand Boulevard, Central Avenue, Columbus Street, Colorado Street and Broadway; and
6. Shall not contain sound effects or projecting elements.
I. In addition to other regulations, the following shall apply to all signs permitted under this chapter:
1. Signs shall not be located on residential buildings or portions of buildings containing residential units.
2. Signs shall be maintained in good repair. Damaged signs or signs in poorly maintained conditions, shall be promptly repaired or removed.
3. Signs shall be compatible with the architectural integrity of the building on which the signs are placed and shall be proportional with the massing and scale of the building taking into consideration windows, doors and architectural features. Signs shall not cover windows, doors or other openings or details of the building(s) on which they are proposed.
4. Signs may be directly or indirectly illuminated. Lighting shall be compatible with the sign framing and architectural style of the building(s).
5. Signs shall not negatively impact the flow of traffic or cause confusion for motorists, to the satisfaction of the director of public works.
6. Signs shall not contribute to visual overcrowding, or be incompatible with the 8 1
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architecture and siting of adjacent buildings and other public or private improvements, to the satisfaction of the community development director.
7. Signs shall be at locations and of dimensions as specified in the ASOZ map and its attachments and may be modified pursuant to Section 30.26.060.
8. The provisions of Chapter 30.33 shall apply to all signs located within an ASOZ, except for existing signs installed pursuant to a sign program or other pre-existing entitlement. Where the provisions of Chapter 30.33 conflict with the provisions of Chapter 30.26 or the town center specific plan (TCSP), the provisions of Chapter
30.26 or the TCSP shall control.
9. The city may revoke the right to maintain any sign approved under an ASOZ upon a finding that the sign is maintained in a manner that is detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare or so as to constitute a nuisance. The right to maintain a sign approved by an ASOZ may only be revoked after a noticed public hearing by a hearing officer in accordance with the procedure for revocation of variances, conditional use permits and administrative exceptions set forth in Section
30.64.020(A). The decision of the hearing officer shall be subject to appeals to the planning commission under Chapter 30.62 and to the city council under Chapter
2.88 of this code.
10. The building and ground area around signs shall be properly maintained at all times.
All unused frames and mounting devices, hardware and wall perforations shall be removed and building surfaces shall be restored to their original condition. (Ord. 5688 § 1, 2010; Ord. 5747 § 24, 2011; Ord. 5804 § 5, 2013; Ord. 6000 § 5, 2023) SECTION 5. Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) the City Council hereby finds that this Ordinance is exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEA Guidelines Section 15305 – Minor Alterations in Land Use Limitations, because the proposed expansion of the ASOZ is a minor change to existing zoning regulations that does not result in any changes in either permitted land use (commercial) or density. The amendment is also exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 – New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, because the expansion of the ASOZ would allow for a limited number of new, small structures in the form of signage. In addition, the amendment is categorically exempt under Section 15331 – Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation, to the extent it applies to work on historic resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
SECTION 6. Severability. This Ordinance’s provisions are severable. If any portion of this Ordinance or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid or unconstitutional, that decision does not affect the validity of the Ordinance’s remaining portions and the Ordinance’s application to other persons and circumstances. The City Council declares that it would have passed the remainder of this Ordinance without the invalid or unconstitutional provision.
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SECTION 7. Effective Date. This ordinance becomes effective on the thirtieth (30th) day after its adoption.
Adopted by the Council of the City of Glendale on the day of , 2026.
Mayor
ATTEST:
City Clerk
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) SS.
CITY OF GLENDALE )
I, Suzie Abajian, Ph.D., City Clerk of the City of Glendale, certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. was adopted by a 4/5ths vote of the Council of the City of Glendale, California, at a regular meeting held on the day of , 2026, and that the same was adopted by the following vote:
Ayes:
Noes:
Absent:
Abstain:
City Clerk