Cathedral City bans new billboards, will phase out existing billboards

Cathedral City will soon no longer have any new billboards around the city.

On Wednesday, the city council voted to revise its billboard ordinance to ban all new billboards and phase out existing billboards located on non-tribal land as they deteriorate over time.

According to the city, councilmembers determined that billboards are aesthetically unpleasing.

The new ordinance prohibits any new billboards in the City including along Interstate 10 that are located on non-tribal land. 

Existing billboards that are already up and meet city requirements will become legal nonconforming uses and will be allowed to continue to be operated and maintained in accordance with the City’s regulations of legal nonconforming uses.

These regulations do not allow legal nonconforming uses to be intensified or allow static billboards to become digital billboards. 

Therefore, once an existing billboard has reached its ability to function without major repairs, it must be eliminated.