Benton County, OR Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Every sign erected, altered, or relocated in unincorporated Benton County must conform to the Development Code's sign standards at BCC 91.805 through 91.820, and a billboard-style freestanding sign is no exception. BCC § 91.820(1) flatly prohibits the use of a rotating beacon or flashing light designed to attract attention on any sign. Subsection (3) adds a general nuisance backstop: a sign, billboard included, shall not create a public or private nuisance by its light, brilliance, type, design, or character, which the Planning Official can apply to glare, brightness, or an oversized illuminated face even where no numeric limit is written.

The same section regulates the physical form billboards typically take. Freestanding signs must sit at least 200 feet from any other freestanding sign established within 30 feet of the same road right-of-way, cannot be elevated more than 25 feet from grade to the bottom of the sign, and require a building permit once the sign's base sits more than 8 feet above grade. Signs may not extend above a building's ridgeline or roof, cannot be affixed to a utility pole, and no portion may project into a road right-of-way without authorization from the Board of Commissioners or the State Highway Division. Sign face area itself is capped by BCC 91.810 according to the functional classification of the adjoining road, ranging from 4 square feet on a local road in a residential zone up to 300 square feet on an arterial in a commercial or industrial zone, with exceptions available only through a conditional use permit under BCC 91.815.