Median Banner Program

The City of Saratoga uses seven locations in medians on City streets to display banners. When median banner locations are not being used by the City, private banners can be displayed to promote community events.

Application Process

Event organizers wanting to advertise non-commercial events at any or all of the seven locations can apply online or submit a printed median banner application. Applicants must also include a copy of the banner design with their application.

Applications must be submitted to the City Manager’s Office no earlier than 180 days and no later than 10 days before the proposed installation date. There is a $35 charge per location for 2 weeks, and payment must be received with the application.

All applications are pending approval. Do not print banners until the design, installation dates, and locations have been approved and payment has been accepted. If requested installation dates are available, a tentative hold will be placed after application submittal. If a competing application is submitted for the requested installation dates and locations, applicants with a tentative hold will have 5 days to submit artwork and payment to secure their reservation before banner spaces are released.

Median Banners

Requirements

All banners placed in City medians should beautify City streets and promote community identity and civic pride. Median banners must announce an event that:

Will be held in Saratoga
Is open to the public
Uses any funds generated by the event organizer only for cost recovery and use by, or donation to, a non-profit
Does not promote the sale of a good, service, or commodity except as incidental to promoting community identity and civic pride

Banners must:

Be 3 feet in height and 6 feet in length
Be made from a heavy-duty canvas or vinyl material
Have metal grommets placed one-half (1/2) inch inside the diameter at all 4 corners of the banner
Have half-moon cuts made to allow for proper airflow to prevent ripping and/or tearing
Be two-sided to be seen from both directions of traffic
Not include reflective material, flashing or moving parts, streamers, balloons, flares, pennants, twirlers, or similar attention-getting devices
Be displayed for no more than 14 days prior to the event date

Design

All applications must include a copy of the proposed banner design with the border of the banner clearly marked. The City reserves the right to reject banner designs if they are not readable by drivers from a distance. If printed banners do not match the approved design, they will not be installed.

The City recommends following these design guidelines to ensure the best use of your banners:

Use fonts that are large, bold, clear, and readable
Choose contrasting colors
Fill the width and height of your banner
Keep your message simple and provide only necessary information, such as event name, date, time, and website for more information

Example of effective banner design: