Burleson, TX Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)

Subsection (d) of § 63-55 of the Burleson Code of Ordinances, titled Illumination, has three layers. First, signs shall be shielded upward to prevent beams or rays from being directed at any portion of a traveled roadway or an occupied residential area, and shall not be of such intensity or brilliance as to cause glare or impair vision. Second, each display must have a light sensing device that will adjust the brightness as ambient light conditions change. Third, digital billboards shall not operate at brightness levels of more than 0.3 footcandles above ambient light, measured with a footcandle meter at a pre-set distance.

The pre-set distances are tied to the size of the sign face. The printed measurement table lists sign sizes of 12' × 25', 10'6" × 36', 14' × 48' and 20' × 60' alongside distances of 150', 200', 250' and 350', in that order, and the code says the pre-set distances vary with the expected viewing distances of each size sign. The code defines a footcandle as a measure of illumination on a surface that is one foot from a uniform source of light of one candle and equal to one lumen per square foot.

Several other provisions frame the billboard rule. The Spinks Airport Air Hazard Zoning Ordinance, as referred to by Resolution 503, governs all illuminated signs located within identified air hazard zoning districts, and § 63-11(5) prohibits signs with external illumination directed upward and toward aircraft. Section 63-11(3) prohibits any light source that produces a revolving beam or beacons that resemble emergency vehicle lights. The general lighting standard in § 63-102 requires brightness no greater than necessary to meet reasonable needs, shielding of light sources from adjacent buildings and streets, and no excessive glare for pedestrians or motorists. Under § 63-101(a), the applicant must submit lighting and illumination details to the building official before a sign permit is granted. These rules apply only to existing nonconforming billboards, since new ones are prohibited by § 63-55(a)(1).