Moorpark Signage Rules Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Moorpark Municipal Code Section 17.28.020 establishes the conditions under which home occupations may be conducted within residential zones and includes an unambiguous prohibition on all exterior signage. No sign, nameplate, placard, display board, or advertising device — illuminated or non-illuminated, permanent or temporary — may be affixed to, placed upon, or visible from the exterior of the residence. This encompasses window lettering or decals facing the street, yard signs, door-mounted placards, fence-mounted panels, sandwich boards placed near the curb, and any other visual element that would communicate to a passerby that commercial activity is occurring at that address. The overarching requirement is that the residential property must at all times retain the outward appearance of a standard residence without any indication of a business use.

The prohibition also bears on commercially branded vehicles. A van, truck, or personal vehicle bearing a prominent business logo, vinyl wrap, painted graphics, roof sign, or magnetic signage must not be habitually stored at the residence in a manner that effectively advertises the home occupation to the street or neighborhood. Moorpark Community Development staff treat the deliberate or routine use of a driveway or street frontage to display business-branded vehicle graphics as functionally equivalent to posting an exterior sign. Occasional or incidental parking of a logoed vehicle is less likely to draw enforcement action, but a persistent daily display pattern may result in a citation independent of whether any separate stationary sign has been posted.

Unlike some California cities that allow a small one-square-foot identification plate for certain licensed professionals, Moorpark's Section 17.28.020 provides no such exception. Home occupation permit-holders who require any form of exterior identification — for clients, couriers, or public visibility — must locate their client-facing operations at a commercially zoned address. Questions about signage compliance may be directed to the Moorpark Community Development Department at (805) 517-6200.