Buena Park, CA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Brightness cap
- 0.3 foot candles above ambient
- Measurement
- foot candle meter, pre-set distance
- Light sensor
- required, auto-adjusts brightness
- Malfunction fail-safe
- freeze, black screen, or shut off
Summary
Buena Park caps digital billboard brightness at 0.3 foot candles above ambient light and requires a light-sensing device that auto-adjusts brightness, under Municipal Code § 19.912.090.
Digital billboards shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 foot candles above ambient light, as measured using a foot candle meter at a pre-set distance.
d. Pre-set distances to measure the foot candles impact vary with the expected viewing distances of each size sign. Measurement distance criteria: Nominal Face Size Distance to be measured from:
12′ x 25′ 150′ 10′6″ x 36′ 200′ 14′ x 48′ 250′ 20′ x 60′ or 25′ x 48′ 350′
e. Each digital billboard must have a light sensing device that will adjust the brightness as ambient light conditions change.
5. Each digital billboard shall be designed to freeze the display in 1 static position, display a full black screen, or turn off, in the event of a malfunction.
6. Walls or screens at the base of the billboard shall not create a hazard to public safety or provide an attractive nuisance and shall be continually maintained free from graffiti.
7. Billboards shall not be operated in such a fashion as to constitute a hazard to safe and efficient operation of vehicles on streets or freeways and shall comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. Digital billboards when operated in accordance with the operating criteria in subsection 4 above and static billboards operated pursuant to local, state and federal law shall be deemed to be in compliance with this subsection 7.
8.
Full Breakdown
Buena Park Municipal Code Section 19.912.090 limits how bright a digital billboard in the City's Billboard Overlay Zone may be: it cannot operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 foot candles above ambient light, measured with a foot candle meter at a pre-set distance keyed to the sign's face size, ranging from 150 feet for a 12-by-25-foot face up to 350 feet for the largest 20-by-60-foot or 25-by-48-foot faces. Every digital billboard must carry a light-sensing device that automatically adjusts brightness as ambient light conditions change, and each sign must be designed to freeze on one static image, show a full black screen, or shut off if it malfunctions.
Violations & Fines
Operating a digital billboard above the 0.3 foot-candle brightness ceiling, or without a functioning light-sensing device, violates Section 19.912.090 and is subject to code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How bright can a digital billboard be in Buena Park?
What happens if a Buena Park digital billboard malfunctions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Buena Park
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