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Brentwood commissioners tell schools to remove exterior commercial banners; staff to review sign code options
Summary
Commissioners concluded commercial banners displayed on school fences violate the city code, directed staff to require removal this summer, and asked staff to study whether the code should be clarified for internal athletic signage and other limited exceptions.
Brentwood commissioners at a June briefing concluded that commercial banners placed on school fences are inconsistent with the city’s sign code and directed staff to work with the schools and PTOs to remove exterior banners over the summer while exploring code clarifications for inward‑facing or internal athletic signage.
Staff reported that banners and commercial signage had been observed at multiple elementary schools and that the city’s sign code prohibits commercial banners and off‑premises commercial signs on properties zoned service‑institutional. Staff provided a prior letter asking one school to remove banners by July 1 to avoid enforcement during the school year; the commission asked staff to follow up more broadly.
City Attorney and staff counsel noted legal constraints: signage regulation is treated as content neutral speech and subject to First Amendment doctrine, which limits a municipality’s ability to allow commercial messages selectively or on a case‑by‑case basis. Commissioners and staff discussed enforcement limits for signage that is internal to a property (for example, signs inside a school stadium or gym) and said those may be treated differently because they are not publicly visible from rights‑of‑way.
Several commissioners, two former PTO officers and other briefing participants said fundraising revenues tied to sponsorship banners can be material for school programs; staff and commissioners discussed alternative recognition methods such as donor recognition walls inside facilities or standardized internal donor panels so schools can continue sponsorships without exterior advertising. One commissioner suggested recommending that HOAs and schools require “quiet” category pickleball equipment as an operational mitigation measure where courts are near homes.
Commissioners reached a consensus that the city should not amend the sign code to allow outward‑facing commercial banners on school fences and directed staff to: (1) require removal of exterior banners this summer; (2) study and recommend whether the code should be clarified to explicitly permit inward‑facing athletic signage or other narrowly defined exceptions; and (3) return with a proposed approach and draft ordinance language if a code change is recommended.
