Lake County Planning Commission approves five-year renewal for State Highway 20 billboard, votes 4-1

The Lake County Planning Commission on Feb. 27 approved a five-year renewal of major use permit UPX24-02 to allow continued operation of an off-site advertising billboard at 2560 East State Highway 20 in Nice, voting 4-1 and adopting a California Environmental Quality Act exemption for an existing facility.

The renewal, presented by Pablo Guerrero, planner with Lake County’s Community Development Department, keeps in place previous conditions of approval and does not propose changes to the sign or site. Guerrero said the billboard was originally authorized under major use permit UP 9705 on Sept. 25, 1997, and that the applicant requested an additional five-year term consistent with county sign regulations and the Caltrans Outdoor Advertising Act.

Guerrero told commissioners the parcel is approximately 24.53 acres, split between a commercial district with a design-review combining district and rural residential zoning on the north side; the parcel is in Supervisorial District 3 and outside the county’s designated scenic corridor. The staff report cites consistency with the Lake County General Plan and the Upper Lake/Nice area plan and concludes the project is exempt from further CEQA review under Title 14, Cal. Code Regs., section 15301 (Class 1 — existing facilities). The report also references Lake County Zoning Ordinance articles 20, 45 and 53 and the Caltrans Outdoor Advertising Act.

Commissioners asked several operational questions before voting. Commissioner Miley Field asked how the county treats a billboard that displays only a contact phone number for long periods; Guerrero said a continuous contact listing is considered an active advertisement for permit purposes, and that Caltrans permit renewals provide an additional indication the sign remains active. Commissioners also asked about the risk of trees eventually obstructing the sign; the applicant’s representative said she was not aware of existing obstruction, and staff advised that trimming adjacent vegetation may require Caltrans permission.

The commission first voted to adopt the staff-recommended CEQA determination finding the renewal exempt under section 15301 (Class 1). That motion passed 4-1. The commission then voted to approve the major use permit renewal UPX24-02 with the conditions listed in the staff report dated Feb. 27, 2025; that motion also passed 4-1. The transcript does not record which commissioner cast the single dissenting vote. The commission’s approval is subject to the county’s seven-calendar-day appeal period to the Board of Supervisors; staff noted the forms and fee must be filed before 5 p.m. on or before the seventh calendar day following the commission’s determination.

During general discussion, several commissioners and members of the public described billboards as a visual concern for tourism and county aesthetics. Chair Chavez invited commissioners to indicate whether they wished to pursue a moratorium or policy change; the commission directed staff to add an item to the next Planning Commission agenda to discuss the possibility of recommending a moratorium or other restrictions on new billboards.

The applicant’s representative participated by Zoom and identified herself as Trudy (no last name recorded in the transcript) and said she had no substantive additional comments during the public hearing. No members of the public in the chambers or on Zoom provided substantive testimony opposing renewal.

Votes at a glance

- Adoption of CEQA exemption (Class 1, Cal. Code Regs. §15301): motion passed 4-1. - Approval of major use permit renewal UPX24-02 for continued operation of the billboard at 2560 East State Highway 20 (conditions in staff report dated Feb. 27, 2025): motion passed 4-1. Appeal deadline: seven calendar days from commission’s final determination; forms and applicable fee required by 5 p.m. on or before the seventh day.

What happens next

The renewal takes effect unless an appeal is filed to the Board of Supervisors within the seven-day period. Staff also will place a discussion of a potential moratorium or other policy changes on a future agenda for the Planning Commission to consider.