Sign rules in RC, NC-2, NCT-2, and NC-S districts

These types of business signs are allowed in RC, NC-2, NCT-2, and NC-S districts.

They are also allowed in these neighborhood-commercial districts:

• Broadway
• Castro Street
• Inner Clement Street and Outer Clement Street
• Divisadero Street
• Excelsior Outer Mission Street
• Fillmore Street and Upper Fillmore Street
• Folsom Street
• Glen Park
• Inner Sunset
• Irving Street
• Haight Street
• Hayes-Gough
• Japantown
• Judah Street
• Upper Market Street
• Noriega Street
• North Beach
• Ocean Avenue
• Pacific Avenue
• Polk Street
• Regional Commercial District
• Sacramento Street
• SoMa
• Taraval Street
• Union Street
• Valencia Street
• 24th Street-Mission
• 24th Street-Noe Valley
• West Portal Avenue

You may paint or place a sign directly against a flat building wall.

• Number of signs: No limit
• Illumination: None, indirect, or direct
• Area: 
  • Maximum of 100 square feet, or 2 square foot per foot of business street frontage; whichever is less
    • Example: If business has 25 feet of frontage along front property line(s), then 50 square feet of wall signs are allowed
  • Cannot cover more than 75% of the surface of a wall, excluding openings
• Height: 24 feet or the height of the wall the sign is attached to or the lowest residential windowsill on the wall the building is attached to; whichever is lower

Projecting signs are allowed for a business.

• Number of signs: 1 per business
• Illumination: 
  • All hours: None or indirect
  • Business hours only: None, indirect, or direct
• Area: Maximum of 24 square feet
• Height: 24 feet or the height of the wall the sign is attached to or the lowest residential windowsill on the wall the building is attached to; whichever is lower
• Projection: Cannot project more than 75% of the distance between the street property line and the curb, or 6-feet 6-inches; whichever is less
  • Example: If the distance between the street property line and curb is 8 feet, then a sign may project 6 feet.

In the Fillmore Street NCD, one projecting sign per business may exceed the area and height limits specified above. It must follow these limits:

• Area: Maximum of 125 square feet
• Illumination: Indirect only during business hours, otherwise nonilluminated
• Height: 60 feet, the height of the wall the sign is attached to, the lowest residential windowsill on the wall the building is attached to, or the lowest portion of any architectural feature located along the roofline; whichever is lower.

​​​​​​​The sign must:

• Be for the primary occupant of the building
• Have a remote transformer
• Be designed with a minimum profile to be as narrow as possible
• Have any lettering or inscriptions be arranged vertically
• Not alter, cover, or obscure any architectural features of the building
• Be attached in a reversible manner so that no damage or destruction of the building’s exterior occurs upon installation or removal

A sign may be located on an awning. If a sign is located on an awning, the business may not have any wall signs or projecting signs.

• Illumination: None or indirect
  • Exception: Marquees for movie theaters or places of entertainment may directly illuminate awning signs during business hours
• Area: Maximum of 30 square feet

Freestanding signs or a sign tower are allowed in place of a projecting sign if the building is setback from the property line. If a freestanding sign or sign tower exists, a projecting sign is not allowed.

• Number of signs: 1 per lot
• Illumination:
  • All hours: None or indirect
  • Business hours only:  None, indirect, or direct
• Area: Maximum of 20 square feet
• Height: 24 feet or lower
• Projection: Cannot project more than 75% of the distance between the street property line and the curb, or 6-feet; whichever is less