Pierce County, WA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

E sets the county's lighting standard for every billboard in unincorporated Pierce County. Billboards may never be erected or maintained with flashing, intermittent, or moving lights, a flat prohibition with no brightness threshold or exception. Static or continuous illumination is allowed only if it meets one of two tests: the light must be so effectively shielded that no beams or rays are directed at any portion of the highway's traveled ways, or it must be of low enough intensity or brilliance that it does not glare or impair a driver's vision.

The section gives the Pierce County Building Official direct enforcement authority over brightness: a sign found to be too bright, in the Building Official's opinion, must be adjusted according to the Building Official's instructions, without requiring a separate hearing to order the fix. 55 PCC's billboard standards, which also cap the sign face at 300 square feet (672 in the Employment Center zone), require 1,000 feet of spacing between billboards, and set setbacks of at least 15 feet from a street line and 2 feet from a side line.

Because the lighting rule is a performance standard rather than a permit condition tied to a specific application, it applies continuously to a billboard's operation, meaning a sign that was compliant when installed can still be cited later if its lighting is changed or if glare develops from a burned-out shield or added fixture.