LA Establishes New Rules for Murals

The City of LA has finally submitted guidelines for the new mural ordinance.




LA was once considered the mural capitol of the world, however, signage requirements aimed at billboards essentially shut down murals in this city over the past few years.  Well, hopefully Los Angeles is going to start getting a lot more art.  


The City of LA just released new guidelines which will differentiate mural art from corporate signs.   They give a good breakdown of the separation of the two by stating that 'a commercial message is  any message that advertises a business conducted, services rendered, or goods produced or sold.'  This loose definition should allow for work that borders, both, like Shepard Fairey, because although his walls are Obey themed, the mural is not directly trying to sell anything.


The new guidelines also lay out the new rules for someone who wants to establish a mural.  

The proposed ordinance requires that an Original Art Mural shall:  

• not  be altered  

• not exceed the height of the structure or 100 feet  

• not extend more than six inches from the building façade  

• not be for compensation 

• not  include electrical components or lighting 

• not cover windows or doors 

• remain intact for a minimum of two years  

• only be permitted on residential buildings of five or more units

And there are also fees associated with the mural permitting.

All in all, this seems like a step in the right direction.  Hope that LA's begins to fill with art, but legal murals with new rules or not, art is always happening on LA's streets!

You can read the full new mural ordinance HERE.

***Pictured above is a mural in downtown LA themed on the movie Stand and Deliver***