Humboldt County adopts coastal sign ordinance with Coastal Commission modifications in 3-2 vote

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 7 adopted a coastal sign ordinance modified and certified by the California Coastal Commission, approving staff recommendations and the commission’s changes in a 3-2 roll call vote.

The ordinance, originally approved by the board earlier this year, was returned by the Coastal Commission with several specific edits the commission said were needed to ensure consistency with state coastal law. Planning department staff summarized the changes during the public hearing and described them as largely technical and limited in scope.

Why it matters: The ordinance sets county rules for outdoor signage in the coastal zone and clarifies where and how signs may be repaired, replaced or prohibited, including new language meant to protect public views and coastal public access. The Coastal Commission’s edits align local language with the Coastal Act and remove a direct reference to the state Outdoor Advertising Act in favor of Coastal Act–consistent language, which planning staff said reduces legal ambiguity for the coastal program.

Key changes summarized by planning staff included replacing a narrowly worded definition of damage with wording consistent with the Coastal Act (cited in the staff presentation); removing an explicit reference to the Outdoor Advertising Act and replacing that language with Coastal Act–consistent provisions; adding a Coastal Commission–draft definition of “customary maintenance”; replacing the inland-only term “streamside management areas” with the coastal-applicable term “riparian corridors”; and adding prohibitions on signs that block or interfere with public access or are inconsistent with coastal public-access policies. Staff said the edits were intended to make the county’s coastal sign rules consistent with state coastal law and to avoid internal conflicts between inland and coastal code language.

Board action: After a period of board comment—including discussion of the policy trade-offs between scenic protection and existing billboard leases—the board member who moved approval asked for the staff recommendation and the Coastal Commission modifications to be adopted. The motion was approved on a roll call vote: Supervisor Wilson (yes), Supervisor Arroyo (yes), Supervisor Madrone (yes); Chair Bushnell (no); Supervisor Bone (no). The board directed staff to proceed with ordinance finalization consistent with the Coastal Commission certification.

Public comment: No members of the public spoke in opposition during the hearing. Board members raised questions about the long-term role of outdoor advertising and the relationship between local sign policy and business interests. Several supervisors suggested staff could consider inland code consistency in a future update but did not direct an immediate change.

Implementation and next steps: Planning staff said the Coastal Commission’s certification becomes part of the county’s certified Local Coastal Program; staff will finalize ordinance text for codification and noted that any further inland/countywide sign-code adjustments would require separate staff analysis and, likely, additional public hearings. The ordinance does not list an ordinance number in the staff materials presented to the board; the finalized codified text will be posted after administrative processing.