Boone County, MO Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Billboards
- Illumination prohibited entirely
- Ordinary signs
- Backlighting or floodlighting allowed
- Glare rule
- Must be shielded from rights of way
- Citations
- § 25.5.1 and § 25.6.1.12
Summary
Boone County's zoning code bans illumination of billboards outright while allowing backlit, internal or floodlit lighting on ordinary signs, provided the light is shielded from glaring onto public rights of way and neighboring properties.
Except for billboards, sign illumination may be from backlighting, an internal source or floodlight projection. Lighting shall be shielded to preclude glare visible from public rights of way and neighboring properties. ... Billboards shall not be illuminated.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 25.5.1 of the Boone County Zoning Ordinance permits most signs to use backlighting, an internal light source or floodlight projection, so long as the lighting is shielded to prevent glare spilling onto public rights of way or neighboring properties, but the same sentence expressly carves out billboards from that allowance. Section 25.6.1.12 closes the loop: 'Billboards shall not be illuminated.' The result is a flat no-lighting rule for billboards, stricter than the shielding-only standard that applies to every other sign type in the unincorporated county.
Violations & Fines
Violating any zoning provision, including the billboard illumination ban, is a misdemeanor under Section 18 of the Boone County Zoning Ordinance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a billboard in Boone County be lit up at night?
What lighting is allowed on regular signs in Boone County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boone County
Compare Boone County to another location·View the Missouri outdoor lighting overview
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