Tijuana’s municipal government has removed roughly 300 illegal billboards and advertising structures over the past six months, part of an ongoing enforcement campaign targeting unauthorized signage across the city. The operation, led by the city’s Dirección de Administración Urbana (urban administration office), has focused on structures that violate local zoning codes and, in some cases, pose physical safety risks to pedestrians and drivers.
Tijuana Has Struggled With Unregulated Signage for Over a Decade
Illegal billboards have been a recurring problem in Tijuana for years. The city’s rapid commercial growth, combined with historically lax enforcement, created a landscape where businesses and advertisers routinely installed signs without permits. Large steel-frame billboards appeared on rooftops, medians, and vacant lots, often without structural engineering reviews or municipal authorization.
The problem goes beyond aesthetics. Unauthorized billboards in Tijuana have collapsed during Santa Ana wind events, which can bring gusts exceeding 60 mph to the region. Poorly anchored rooftop signs have fallen onto sidewalks, and oversized roadside structures have obstructed sightlines at intersections. In 2019, city officials flagged more than 500 structures as potentially dangerous, but enforcement at the time was sporadic.
The current administration, under Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz, launched this removal campaign in late 2024 as part of a broader push to restore order to Tijuana’s urban landscape. The Dirección de Administración Urbana has coordinated with public works crews to physically dismantle the structures, using cranes and cutting equipment for the larger steel installations.
City officials say many of the removed billboards belonged to advertising companies operating without valid concessions. Under Tijuana’s municipal code, commercial signage above a certain size requires both a construction permit and a concession agreement with the city. The 300 structures removed so far lacked one or both of those authorizations.
This kind of crackdown is not unique to Tijuana. Across Mexico, municipalities have increasingly targeted illegal outdoor advertising. Mexico City passed strict billboard regulations in 2010, and Guadalajara followed with its own enforcement wave in 2018. Tijuana’s effort is notable for its scale: 300 removals in six months represents one of the largest such campaigns in the city’s recent history.
Enforcement Targets Busy Corridors Near the Border and Zona Río
The removal effort has concentrated on high-traffic corridors, including sections of Boulevard Agua Caliente, Vía Rápida Oriente, and the Zona Río commercial district. These areas see heavy foot and vehicle traffic from both local residents and cross-border commuters. Some of the dismantled structures stood within blocks of the San Ysidro port of entry approach roads.
Property owners in affected areas should note that the city has also issued fines to building owners who allowed unauthorized billboards on their rooftops. Under Tijuana’s municipal regulations, property owners can be held jointly responsible for illegal signage installed on their buildings, even if a third-party advertising company erected the structure. Fines vary, but past penalties for signage violations in Tijuana have ranged from 50 to 500 UMAs (Mexico’s standardized fine unit), which at the 2025 UMA value of 113.14 pesos translates to roughly $290 to $2,900 USD.
The city has also flagged several dozen additional structures for review. Officials with the Dirección de Administración Urbana indicated that property owners have a window to present valid permits before crews arrive for removal. Those who cannot produce documentation face both removal of the structure and administrative fines.
For business owners who rely on outdoor signage, the enforcement campaign is a reminder to verify permit status. Businesses operating in Tijuana, including those owned by foreign nationals, must ensure their signs comply with the city’s Reglamento de Imagen Urbana, which governs size, placement, lighting, and structural requirements for commercial signage.
The city expects to continue removals through the remainder of 2025, with officials signaling that the next phase will focus on the Otay and La Mesa delegaciones, where unauthorized signage is also widespread. The campaign’s next progress report is expected in the third quarter of this year, according to reporting from El Sol de Tijuana.