Digital Billboard Ordinance Goes to City Council

A revision to the City Ordinance governing the restrictions, use and spacing of LED/Digital billboards has been forwarded to the City Council for approval.

These revisions apply only to digital billboards, not digital business signs located on the business property. Examples of digital business signs that would NOT be affected are similar to those at Drillers Stadium, Sonic drive-ins, casino entrances, etc. The Sign Advisory Board has not addressed the issue of animated and flashing lights on digital signs located on the business property. (One exception: On-site business signs WILL be subject to the new rules governing brightness. See below.)

Among the revisions is language requiring 2,400 ft. spacing between digital billboards (facing the same way), as opposed to the 1,200 ft. separation that is required between traditional billboards.
Another important clarification is that non-conforming billboards (billboards that would be illegal today, except that they pre-date the existing code and were "grandfathered in") cannot be converted to digital boards in the future.

Other revisions include:
Requiring digital billboards to display only static messages. When more than one static message will be displayed, the "dwell time" must be no less than 12 seconds, and the "transition time" no greater than 1 second.

The draft also includes language governing the brightness of digital signs, limiting them to 6,500 NITs during the daytime, and 300 NIT's at night. The draft further prohibits signs "of such intensity or brilliance that they impair the vision or endanger the safety and welfare of any pedestrian, cyclist, or person operating a motor vehicle."

The new language also requires digital billboards to be equiped with an automatic dimmer that would detect changes in lighting conditions (ie: dark and cloudy days) and dim the signs automatically.

Revised Digital Sign Ordinance_draft.pdf