Temple City : Sign Ordinance Approved

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance requiring business signs to have at least 50% of their text in Roman alphabet letters or Arabic numerals. The ordinance also requires 50% of the sign area to be in Roman alphabet or Arabic numerals and addresses to be in Arabic numerals five inches high.

The ordinance applies to businesses in commercially and industrially zoned areas. Planning Director Jeff Shaw said the measure was adopted so police and fire personnel can readily identify businesses in emergencies.

Unlike other communities where consideration of language restrictions on signs has raised controversy, Temple City’s ordinance met with little or no opposition. Shaw said that may have been because virtually all signs already conform to the new ordinance.