Advertisements supported by vehicles
Verified 08 April 2026 - Entreprendre Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Advertising on land vehicles, on water or in the air is regulated or forbidden. We explain the regulations.
Vehicles used primarily for advertising
Advertising on land vehicles (cars, motorcycles, trucks, etc.) is regulated, in particular for vehicles whose main use is advertising.
The surface the total number of advertisements placed on each vehicle shall be not more than 12 square meters.
Ground vehicles used or equipped for the primary purpose of serving as a medium for advertising or pre-signs are parking bans in places where they are visible from a lane (street, avenue, square, etc.) open to public traffic.
They are forbidden to circulate in each of the following circumstances:
- In convoy of 2 or more vehicles
- At abnormally reduced speed
- In the places forbidden to advertising (in particular in the classified and registered sites, to surroundings of historical monuments, in the national parks and regional, nature reservesetc.).
FYI
The light advertising is prohibited on land vehicles.
Some exemptions these prohibitions may be granted, exceptionally, by the traffic police authority (the mayor on national, departmental roads and all public or private roads open to public traffic within agglomerations) on the occasion of special events.
Vehicles used mainly for other functions
The advertising related to the activity carried out by the owner or user of the vehicle is authorized, provided that the vehicle is not used or equipped for the main purpose of advertising.
Example :
A craftsman (ex: plumber, electricianetc.) using a vehicle to travel to its customers' premises is permitted to display advertising for its company on that vehicle.
FYI
The light advertising is prohibited on land vehicles.
Regulation of advertising on land vehicles
Mayor's Traffic and Parking Police Powers
Authorization of advertising on the vehicle related to the activity carried out by the owner or user (al3)
Advertising broadcast by means of a banner towed by a aircraft is prohibited.
Only advertising of the activity carried out by the owner or user of the aircraft is permitted, provided that the aircraft is not used or equipped for the main purpose of advertising.
Example :
Logo of the visible company on the aircraft fuselage
Prohibition of advertising by means of a banner towed by an aircraft (paragraph 2)
Authorization of vehicle advertising related to the activity carried out by the owner or user (paragraph 3)
Advertisements on inland waters
Advertising on inland waters is framed.
She is not permitted only on boats and under all of the following conditions :
- Vessels must not be equipped or used primarily for advertising purposes.
- The only advertising devices authorized are flat panels.
- The total surface area of the panels must be at most equal to 8 square meters.
- The panels shall not be luminous, luminescent, reflective or illuminated by projection or transparency.
- The panels shall measure at most:
- 5 meters in the horizontal direction, without being able to exceed 10% of the length of the vessel
- 0.75 meters in the vertical direction, without being able to rise more than one meter above the level of the lowest point of the gunwale or, in the absence of a gunwale, of the lowest point of the fixed side (hull of the vessel).
Boats supporting advertising are forbidden to park or stay on bodies of water or parts of bodies of water situated within 100 meters of the following places or in such places:
- Natural monuments and in classified sites
- Hearts of national parks and the nature reserves
- In agglomerations, in places where outdoor advertising is prohibited (in particular in surroundings of historical monuments, in the regional parksetc.).
These boats also cannot park or stay within 40 meters of the outer edge of a roadway open to public traffic if visible from this lane.
They are also forbidden to circulate:
- Less than 300 meters from each other
- At abnormally reduced speed.
Please note
By way of derogation, advertising related to the activity of the owner or user of a vehicle traveling on water is not framed, provided that the vehicle is not used or equipped for the main purpose of advertising.
Advertisements at sea
Advertising on the seas is framed.
Advertising is permitted only on ships and only if they are neither equipped nor operated for essentially advertising purposes.
FYI
The light advertising is prohibited at sea.
At sea, the surface the total number of non-luminous advertisements placed or settled on a ship shall not exceed 4 square meters. The calculation of this area excludes the following:
- Marking on the hull, structural elements, sail or goods of ships indicating their make, manufacturer, operator or sponsor
- Advertising, on the occasion of navigation related to nautical events, for the benefit of sponsors of these events.
Exceptional exemptions may be granted by the police authority on the occasion of specific events.
Regulation of inland water advertising
Regulation of advertising at sea
Authorization of advertising on the vehicle related to the activity carried out by the owner or user (al3)
Failure to comply with any of the bans or limitations on advertising supported by vehicles is sanctioned of a administrative fine from €1,500.
Affixing, causing to be affixed or holding after formal notice, advertising carried by a vehicle that does not comply with the regulations shall be punished by criminal finefrom €7,500 (natural persons) or €37,500 (legal persons).
Administrative penalties
Criminal sanctions
Who can help me?
The public service accompanying companies
Do you have a project, a difficulty, a question of everyday life?
Simple and free: you are called back within 5 days by THE advisor who can help you.
Prohibition of advertising by means of a banner towed by an aircraft (al2)
Authorization of advertising on the vehicle related to the activity carried out by the owner or user (al3)
Administrative penalty
Criminal sanction
Mayor's Traffic and Parking Police Powers
Regulation of advertising on land vehicles
Regulation of inland water advertising
Regulation of advertising at sea
Search tools
Ministry for the Environment
National Parks of France
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion