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Record of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - October 14, 2026: Temporary Signage Ordinance Amendment

County Council & Boards — Wednesday, October 14, 2026
BodyLos Alamos County, New Mexico
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateWednesday, October 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 42:48

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Um, I'm gonna call the meeting to order for the Planning and Zoning Commission October 14th.

0:05

Um, if you could please call vocal.

Speaker 2

0:09

Commissioner Easton

Speaker 1

0:10

here.

Speaker 2

0:11

Commissioner Hampton.

Speaker 3

0:12

Here.

Speaker 2

0:13

Commissioner Bess.

0:16

Commissioner Brown.

0:20

Commissioner Broll.

0:22

Here.

0:24

Commissioner Crean.

Speaker 4

0:26

Here.

Speaker 2

0:27

Commissioner Grimm here.

0:29

Commissioner Nelson.

Speaker 5

0:32

Here.

0:33

And I'm in White Rock and the transmission is, you know, I'm relying on good old Verizon, so I might have a little quality of service issue.

0:42

Thanks.

Speaker 2

0:45

Commissioner White.

Unassigned speaker

0:49

We

Speaker 2

0:49

have a quorum.

Speaker 1

0:51

Thank

Unassigned speaker

0:52

you.

Speaker 1

0:52

At this time, I'm inviting the public to come forward if they would like to make public comment.

0:58

This is not regarding anything on the agenda.

1:01

It's just every meeting opens with public comment.

1:06

The room, I see no one.

1:08

Anyone online?

1:13

No.

1:15

Moving on to the approval of the agenda, everyone should have received it, reviewed

Unassigned speaker

1:20

it,

Speaker 1

1:20

looking for a motion to approve the agenda this evening.

Speaker 6

1:28

I'll second.

1:29

Second.

Speaker 1

1:32

And that was Commissioner Brule.

1:36

Um let's do a roll call.

Speaker 2

1:40

Commissioner Easton?

Speaker 1

1:42

Yes.

Speaker 2

1:42

Commissioner Hampton?

Speaker 1

1:44

Yes.

Speaker 2

1:44

Commissioner Best.

1:46

Yes.

1:47

Commissioner Brule.

1:49

Yes.

1:51

Commissioner Crean.

Speaker 5

1:53

Yes.

Speaker 2

1:54

Commissioner Grimm.

1:55

Yes.

1:56

Commissioner Nelson.

Speaker 5

1:58

Yes.

Speaker 2

2:00

Motion passed.

Speaker 1

2:03

The next order of business is the approval of the meeting minutes from October 7th.

Speaker 3

2:11

Commission approval.

2:12

That's the most publicity.

Speaker 7

2:17

Thank you.

Speaker 2

2:18

Again.

2:23

Commissioner Easton?

Speaker 1

2:24

Yes.

Speaker 2

2:25

Commissioner Hampton?

Speaker 1

2:27

Yes.

Speaker 2

2:28

Commissioner Best.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Signage Regulations█████████████████████████████████████████████58%
Signage Regulation████████████████████26%
Procedural████████10%
Staffing███4%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Los Alamos County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - October 14, 2026

The Planning and Zoning Commission met on October 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM in the Municipal Building B&C Room #110. The primary action was a public hearing on a text amendment to the temporary sign regulations (Case No. ZCA-2026-0021). The commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of the amendment to the County Council, including a friendly amendment requiring the expiration date to be written on signs.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: The commission unanimously approved the agenda as presented.
  • Approval of October 7, 2026 Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the October 7, 2026 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered either in person or online.

Discussion Items

  • Text Amendment ZCA-2026-0021 (Temporary Sign Regulations): Community Development Director Eli Isaacson presented a proposed amendment to Chapter 16, Article IV, Division 8, Section 16-65 of the Los Alamos County Municipal Code. The amendment aims to make regulations content-neutral per the Supreme Court ruling in Reed v. Town of Gilbert. Key changes include:
    • Adoption of designated temporary sign zones on an official map (zones added in Los Alamos Townsite at North Road/Sycamore, Canyon behind Pajarito Lodge, Diamond Drive; in White Rock at Sherwood/Rover and a new location at the intersection of East Road and Rover).
    • Requirement for 60-day maximum duration with online registration (name, contact info, number of signs, placement date), producing a registration number and expiration date.
    • A 48-hour exemption (within any 7-day period) for signs outside designated zones to promote events like farmers markets, open houses, and yard sales.
    • Clarification of size limits: 8 sq. ft. maximum sign area, 48-inch maximum dimension in any direction, 48-inch maximum height from finished grade (exclusive of stakes).
    • Prohibition on obstructing sidewalks, ADA access, site triangles, and mounting on county property.
    • Removal required within 2 days of expiration; county authority to remove non-compliant signs.
  • Commission Discussion: Members discussed enforcement capacity, the potential for serial registrations, and the need for clear compliance tools. Commissioner Nelson suggested requiring the expiration date to be written on the back of the sign along with the registration number. After clarification that the current proposal only required the registration number, a friendly amendment was offered and accepted requiring the expiration date on the sign. The commission also noted that the 48-hour exemption and the new zones were developed through stakeholder outreach.

Key Outcomes

  • Recommendation to Approve Ordinance 02-381: The commission voted unanimously (8-0) to recommend approval of the text amendment to the County Council, including the friendly amendment that requires both the registration number and the expiration date to be written on the back of temporary signs in designated zones.
  • Next Meeting: The commission was reminded that the next meeting is scheduled for November 18, 2026 to discuss the Comprehensive Plan.

Meeting Transcript

Um, I'm gonna call the meeting to order for the Planning and Zoning Commission October 14th. Um, if you could please call vocal. Commissioner Easton here. Commissioner Hampton. Here. Commissioner Bess. Commissioner Brown. Commissioner Broll. Here. Commissioner Crean. Here. Commissioner Grimm here. Commissioner Nelson. Here. And I'm in White Rock and the transmission is, you know, I'm relying on good old Verizon, so I might have a little quality of service issue. Thanks. Commissioner White. We have a quorum. Thank you. At this time, I'm inviting the public to come forward if they would like to make public comment. This is not regarding anything on the agenda. It's just every meeting opens with public comment. The room, I see no one. Anyone online? No. Moving on to the approval of the agenda, everyone should have received it, reviewed it, looking for a motion to approve the agenda this evening. I'll second. Second. And that was Commissioner Brule. Um let's do a roll call. Commissioner Easton? Yes. Commissioner Hampton? Yes. Commissioner Best. Yes. Commissioner Brule. Yes. Commissioner Crean. Yes. Commissioner Grimm. Yes. Commissioner Nelson. Yes. Motion passed.

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