Advertising Agency in Sacramento: An Annotated Disclosure Table for Every Medium

Updated November 2026 · Written and maintained by the Progression Agency strategy team

Look at the marked-up line below, because an advertising agency in Sacramento will set it on a billboard, say it on the radio and fit it on a phone. The state’s Fair Political Practices Commission sets different rules for each medium, and committees, associations and their consultants in the capital buy across all of them. This page walks through that disclosure, medium by medium, as published on the commission’s charts, then covers outdoor sign law, the Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto area, languages and fees. It takes no side on any issue. Progression is based in New York and works with Sacramento clients remotely, with on-site sessions on request.

Why an advertising agency in Sacramento starts with one line

In the capital, a political buyer may be a campaign committee, a business association, a union or a consultant working for one of them. Every one of them has to decide where a single line of text goes, and an advertising agency in Sacramento that sets the line wrong has to redo the artwork. Here is the line, with invented names. The card marks four things the chart cares about.

• Ad paid for by Example Ballot Committee
• Ad Committee’s Top Funder(s): Funder One, Funder Two, Funder Three

Advertising agencies in Sacramento that handle this work meet the same question from every buyer: does a disclosure apply to us at all? The FPPC’s campaign advertising page says an entity qualifies as a committee under the Act if it receives contributions for political purposes of $2,000 or more per year, makes independent expenditures on California candidates or ballot measures of $1,000 or more per year, or makes contributions to California candidates or ballot measures of $10,000 or more per year. It lists mass mailings including blast emails, paid telephone calls, radio and television ads, billboards, yard signs and electronic media ads as advertisements. Ask counsel whether you are a committee.

The commission’s fact sheet describes itself as informational only and says it does not carry the weight of the law. It defines an advertisement as a communication made for the purpose of supporting or opposing a candidate or ballot measure. Whether an issue ad that does neither is covered is a question we did not read an answer to, so we give no view; ask counsel. Sacramento sits at the center of what the Greater Sacramento Economic Council calls the Greater Sacramento region; the council describes itself as a public-private partnership of over 45 CEOs and 22 communities.

Why not just use one disclosure for every medium?

Because the chart does not. A line that fits a mailer is the wrong size for a board, a spoken line has no type size at all, and a television line has colors and a black background. The table below shows how far the rules diverge.

Medium by medium: the annotated disclosure table

This table summarizes the FPPC’s chart for non-independent expenditure ads, except those by candidates and party committees, dated September 2025. Other payers use other charts. It is not legal advice, so check the current chart and ask counsel.

Four lines apply across several rows. Where an ad contains an image, audio or video generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence, the chart requires the line “Ad generated or substantially altered using artificial intelligence.” in the same manner as the other disclosures, at the top of the disclosure area. State primarily formed ballot measure and candidate committees that raise $1,000,000 add “Funding Details at www.fppc.ca.gov.” A person paid to portray a member of a licensed or certified occupation, such as a nurse or a firefighter, triggers a spokesperson line unless that person is actually a member of the occupation. Non-recipient committees are exempt from the top funder line.

Which chart applies to your payer

The FPPC page links seven charts, sorted by ad type and by who pays. The table below lists them. The page says basic disclosures apply to materials a candidate sends for his or her own election, and that stricter rules apply to ballot measure and independent expenditure ads. The table above is worked from chart 6. Ask counsel which chart is yours.

When a top funder changes mid-flight

The fact sheet says television, radio, telephone, electronic billboard and other electronic media ads must be updated to reflect new top contributors within five business days. Print, including nonelectronic billboards, must be updated before a new or modified order for more printing. For a buyer, that means a trafficking schedule that can swap creative quickly for electronic media, and printer orders that check the current list of top funders before they go out.

Does a candidate’s own ad follow the same chart?

No. The FPPC’s page says basic disclosures apply to materials a candidate disseminates for his or her own election, because it is generally clear to the public that the candidate is sending them. Candidates and party committees have their own charts, and we do not summarize them here.

Mail and email: the 200 piece line

The fact sheet says a mass mailing means over 200 substantially similar pieces of mail sent within a calendar month. It must carry the words “Paid for by” immediately in front of or above the name and address of the committee on the outside of each piece, in no less than 6-point type and in a color that contrasts with the background. A mass email of over 200 substantially similar emails must include “Paid for by” and the committee name; the committee’s street address is not required on mass emails but may be included.

For a mailing house or an email platform, the practical point is the count. A list of 150 does not reach the line; a list of 250 does. Ask counsel how the count applies to your sends.

Items that need no disclosure at all

The fact sheet answers a question that promotional-product buyers ask. It says a disclosure is not required on the following items, and the list is long enough that it is worth having in front of you.

• Campaign buttons smaller than 10 inches in diameter, pins and magnets.
• Bumper stickers smaller than 60 square inches.
• Pens, pencils, rulers, mugs, potholders, key tags, golf balls and similar small items where a disclosure cannot be conveniently printed.
• T-shirts, caps, hats and other articles of clothing.
• Skywriting and airplane banners.
• Committee checks and receipts.

The fact sheet also says a disclosure is not required on communications from an organization to its members, except for political party communications. Oversized buttons, 10 inches or more across, and bumper stickers of 60 square inches or more fall under the print row of the table. Ask counsel about any item that is not on the list.

Billboard advertising in Sacramento: two rulebooks, one board

Outdoor advertising in Sacramento is governed twice. The FPPC says what the disclosure on a political board must say. The state’s Outdoor Advertising Act says whether and where a display can stand at all, whoever pays for it. The fact sheet is plain on the split: “The Act does not contain rules about when and where signs may be placed.” For the broader picture, see our outdoor advertising agency page. Billboard advertising in Sacramento is priced by the seller, so we state no media price.

Where a commercial display can stand

The Caltrans Outdoor Advertising Program says the Outdoor Advertising Act is Business and Professions Code Sections 5200 to 5486, that engaging in the business of outdoor advertising requires a license, and that a display adjacent to an interstate or primary highway needs a permit. It lists a general location guide that it says does not guarantee approval. The page does not address on-premise signs.

• Outside the highway right-of-way.
• An existing business activity within 1,000 feet of the display.
• Land zoned industrial or commercial.
• The property owner’s current written consent.
• Written permission from the local government.
• Not adjacent to a landscaped freeway or a scenic highway.

Temporary political signs under Section 5405.3

Section 5405.3 exempts temporary political signs from the normal outdoor advertising display requirements if they meet the criteria on the cards. The page also says that state law directs Caltrans to remove unauthorized temporary political signs and bill the responsible party for the removal. The criteria apply to a sign on any side of any question.

Is a yard sign covered, and when can it go up?

The FPPC covers the wording on a yard sign; Section 5405.3 and local rules cover where and when. A yard sign is named as an advertisement in the FPPC’s list. Check the local jurisdiction before ordering, since local laws may restrict or prohibit placement.

Radio and TV across the Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto area

A buyer in the capital often thinks of Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto as one broadcast area. The FCC’s market map file for that name returned an error to our script, so this page does not state an official market definition and gives no rank. Ask each station which counties a buy reaches. Reasoning only: a spot bought to reach Sacramento County may also reach listeners in San Joaquin County, which matters for the language and disclosure choices below.

On the broadcaster’s side, 47 CFR 73.1212 requires a station that transmits matter for which money or other consideration was paid to announce that it is sponsored, paid for or furnished, and by whom. Where an agent arranges the buy on behalf of another, the announcement discloses the person or entity on whose behalf the agent is acting instead of the agent’s name. For political matter or the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance paid for by a corporation, committee, association or other organization, the station also requires a list of its chief executive officers or the members of its executive committee or board, kept for public inspection for two years. In plain terms, a station names the true sponsor and not the agency that placed the order.

47 CFR 73.1943 covers the political file. A station keeps a record of requests to purchase time made by or for a legally qualified candidate or relating to a political matter of national importance, with the rate, the date and time aired, and for other requesters the name, address and phone number of a contact and a list of officers or board members. The records go into the online political file and stay for two years. Rate rules for political time are on our political campaign marketing page, and our radio advertising agency page covers buying radio.

What does a station need from the buyer?

The name of the true sponsor, a contact, and for some buys a list of officers. Have those ready before the order goes in, because a missing item holds up the spot. Whether a given buy needs the officer list is a question for the station and counsel.

• The true sponsor’s name, not the agency’s.
• A contact person with a phone number.
• The officers or board members, if the station asks for them.

Digital advertising in Sacramento: the chart, then the platform

Online advertising in Sacramento begins with the same chart and then meets each platform’s own rules. The FPPC’s page names Government Code Section 84504.6 for online platform disclosed advertisements, and the chart splits digital ads into graphics, social media posts, and website and email. Connected TV and streaming fall under the television row. The cards give the four digital rows. For platforms’ own political ad policies, see political campaign marketing, which we do not restate here.

Digital advertising in Sacramento also means choosing how ads are bought. Our programmatic advertising agency page covers programmatic buying, and PPC and Facebook ads cover search and social campaigns.

How does the small image rule work in practice?

The chart says an image under 65,000 square pixels, which it describes as smaller than a standard 728 by 90 pixel leaderboard, may instead carry the words “Who funded this ad?” in at least 8 point type with a hyperlink to a page holding the required disclosures. It also says the disclosure text is not required if including it or the abbreviated line would take up more than 10 percent of the graphic, in which case the ad needs only a hyperlink to a website with the disclosures. A linked page must stay online until 30 days after the election.

Spanish, Punjabi, Hmong and the same-language rule

The fact sheet says disclosures on political advertisements must be written or spoken in the same language used in the advertisement, except for the name of the committee and the top contributors. So a Spanish spot carries its spoken line in Spanish. Our Hispanic marketing agency page covers campaigns in Spanish.

The figures come from the Census Bureau’s 2024 one-year American Community Survey, table B16001, through Census Reporter. In Sacramento County, among 1,518,947 residents aged 5 and over, 215,232 speak Spanish at home, with a margin of error of 9,050; next come Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Punjabi, Vietnamese and Hmong, as the chart shows. In San Joaquin County, in the same table, among 766,389 residents aged 5 and over, 213,638 speak Spanish at home (margin 9,783), 27,129 Tagalog (margin 4,936) and 19,573 Punjabi (margin 4,185). These are counts of language at home by county, and not by media market. We make no claim about any community’s views or votes.

Does a Spanish ad need a Spanish disclosure?

Yes, in the sense of the fact sheet: written or spoken disclosures use the language of the ad, except for the committee’s name and its top contributors. A Punjabi or Hmong version of a spot follows the same rule. Ask counsel about the details.

What Sacramento ad agencies charge after the table

Sacramento ad agencies price by scope, and there is no published figure for Sacramento alone. Advertising in Sacramento is bought like it is anywhere: a management fee for the work, production, and media quoted by the seller. Progression states no advertising price here; our work is quoted after a written scope. Legal review of the disclosure is separate, and is for your counsel.

Media for billboards, radio, television and streaming is quoted by the seller. Our marketing agency pricing page explains how agency fees are built in general, and our digital advertising agency page covers what is normally extra. An advertising agency in Sacramento that prices each medium row separately makes it clear what the disclosure work adds.

Hand this table to a Sacramento advertising agency

If your ads have no political content, none of the disclosure lines apply, but the Outdoor Advertising Act still governs the boards you buy. If they do, a Sacramento advertising agency should be able to take this table and show, row by row, how its artwork meets the chart. Ask for one past mock-up per row, using invented names, and ask who checks the current chart before each flight.

• A mock-up for each medium you plan to buy, with invented names.
• The name of the person who checks the current chart before every flight.
• A schedule that can swap creative inside five business days for electronic media.
• A printer order process that checks the list of top funders before print runs.
• A plain note on who reviews the line for compliance, since that is a job for counsel.

Advertising agencies in Sacramento, California range from large teams to freelancers, and we name none. A creative agency in Sacramento can work from this table just as well as a media buyer can. Firms that sell to the state have a different problem, covered on our web design in Sacramento page.

Related services and guides

Pages that sit beside this table:

• Political campaign marketing
• Outdoor advertising agency
• Radio advertising agency
• Digital advertising agency
• Hispanic marketing agency
• Marketing agency pricing
• Programmatic advertising agency
• Web design in Sacramento

Frequently asked questions