Brockton, MA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Sec. 27-73(6) lists the design criteria the zoning board of appeals must apply before granting a special permit for an Electronic Advertising Board. Two of those criteria address lighting directly. 00, the state's billboard regulation defined in Sec. ' Under subsection (h), the board cannot cast glare onto any residentially used property or onto any part of a public way in a way that creates a traffic hazard. These lighting criteria sit alongside the rest of Sec. 27-73(6): the applicant must show the site is appropriate for the corridor, that adequate facilities exist for proper operation, that the board will not create a material visual impact on any residential district, and that exposed backs, poles and support structures are painted and finished to present a clean appearance.

Sec. 27-73(7) reinforces the lighting standards by separately banning intermittently illuminated, flashing, blinking or revolving boards, along with any changeable-copy display that changes faster than the state regulation allows. Because these are special permit criteria rather than a self-executing prohibition, the zoning board of appeals evaluates compliance at the application stage, and it can deny a permit outright if the proposed board's lighting plan does not meet subsections (g) and (h).