Aurora, IL Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 fc over ambient
- Dimming
- Auto-dimmer or solar sensor required
- Measured from
- 100-250 ft, by sign size
- Banned features
- Strobes, floodlights, reflectives
Summary
Aurora requires digital billboards and message boards to auto-dim, capping brightness at 0.3 foot-candles over ambient light as measured by a foot-candle meter at set distances.
All digital billboards shall have automatic dimmer software or solar sensors to automatically adjust the illumination of the sign as the ambient light changes throughout the day and at no time shall an digital message board or digital billboard exceed a brightness level of three tenths (0.3) foot candles over ambient levels as measured using a foot candle meter. Light measurements shall be taken with the meter aimed directly at the sign face, or at the area of the digital message board or billboard emitting the brightest light if that area is not the sign face, at the following distances: A digital billboard that is zero (0) to one hundred (100) square feet in area shall be measured at a distance of one hundred (100) feet from the area being measured. A digital billboard that is one hundred and one (101) to three hundred and fifty (350) square feet in area shall be measured at a distance of one hundred and fifty (150) feet from the area being measured. A digital billboard that is three hundred and fifty-one (351) to six hundred and fifty (650) square feet in area shall be measured at a distance of two hundred (200) feet from the area being measured. A digital message board or digital billboard that is over six hundred and fifty (650) square feet in area shall be measured at a distance of two hundred and fifty (250) feet from the area being measured.
Full Breakdown
Sec 41-16 requires every digital billboard to run automatic dimmer software or solar sensors that track ambient light, capping brightness at three-tenths (0.3) foot-candle over ambient at all times. Inspectors measure with a foot-candle meter aimed at the sign face from a distance keyed to sign size: 100 feet for signs up to 100 square feet, 150 feet for 101-350 square feet, 200 feet for 351-650 square feet, and 250 feet above that. The same section bars exposed tubes, strobes, incandescent lamps, floodlights, and reflective devices on any digital billboard.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant illumination jeopardizes the annual sign-operating license issued under Sec 25-291, which the city can suspend or revoke for violating Sec 41-16's brightness standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can a digital billboard be in Aurora?
Does a digital billboard have to dim automatically at night?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Aurora
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Billboard Lighting in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle billboard lighting.